Keeping Yourself Entertained in the Time of Coronavirus

The coronavirus has impacted everyone from business owners and families to students. I'm sure we've all seen the memes/videos about how bored people have gotten during these times, but that's no reason to worry. I am going to share some of the best entertainment sources you can take advantage of during this pandemic!

As a student, you are given 6 months free Amazon Prime by signing up with your @g.emporia.edu account. Amazon Prime offers many things free with its subscription such as movies, TV shows, books, and discounts on select products! Follow this link to learn how to activate your trial and see some of its benefits!

A new streaming service, Quibi, is offering a 90 day free trial after they launch this April 6th. Quibi is an interesting concept because they will be offering original, new, TV shows... but the episodes will be 10 minutes or less in duration. This is an excellent platform for short study breaks or to simply invest less time per episode during your content binges!


Netflix is one of the most popular streaming platforms nowadays, and because of that, I am going to give you all my top 3 series to watch!

1. Ozark - Ozark is a Netflix original series that follows a financial advisor, and his family, as they try to keep their best to deal with money laundering issues. There are three seasons out already, and I expect there to be at least one more in the future.
2. Altered Carbon - Altered Carbon is also a Netflix original series that follows Takeshi Kovacs, an elite soldier in a futuristic world. It's incredibly interesting to watch and learn how their world is. There are two seasons out already, and I would expect more in the future!
3. Money Heist - Money Heist is also a Netflix original series that follows a group of criminals and their plan to rob the Royal Mint of Spain. It's action packed with a lot of clever moments. There are four seasons out, which includes the fourth season which came out TODAY, April 3!

Hopefully some of these suggestions can give you some entertainment in this time!

Sam Derksen
Web Developer
Web and Digital Strategies

Getting To Zero On Your Outlook With Artificial Intelligence

In this digital age, we're moving closer towards a more impactful voice assistant. Someone that can change the room temperature, play music, turn the lights on/off, and now, even read your outlook emails + calendar!

Setup Process

Play My Emails user interface

On the Outlook for iOS app,  you now have a new feature called Play My Emails. This is available when connected to a bluetooth-enabled wireless or wired device (headphones, car audio etc). 

Once connected/paired, you will see the new option on your Outlook inbox screen, allow microphone permissions, a quick tutorial to walk you through the functionality and voila!

The voice assistant can now deliver you with an email + calendar summary for the day. After which you have the option to consume your emails on the go. 

You can easily reply, skip, flag, archive, delete or mark as read by just talking to the voice assistant.     

It's time to get more done and finally hit the magical number ZERO  on your Outlook inbox, with ease.

Check out this quick video from Microsoft to see it in action.

Saandhyarag Sasidhar
Web and Media Specialist
Web and Digital Strategies

Keep on track with these great apps

As classes begin to move online it can be difficult to keep on schedule and not miss things like scheduled Zoom meetings or collaborative projects. To help aid students, staff and employees with their progression over to an online format, we at IT have come up with a short list of what we think are the best two time management apps to keep you on track for the rest of this semester.

Google Calendar
The first app we recommend is Google Calendar. As the name implies, Google Calendar is a calendar-based application that allows users to create and edit events. Although it isn't known to be as feature-packed as some of its rivals, Google Calendar has a very simple layout that makes using it a breeze. This is a major benefit, especially for students who do not need some of the more advanced features found in applications such as Microsoft Outlook.

Where Google Calendar shines is in its easy to use interface. Clicking on an empty time slot will automatically give you the option to create an event for that time. Rescheduling and expanding events is easy and can be done by clicking and dragging on any event. Google Calendar also has Gmail integration allowing users to create reminders straight from an email. Overall, Google Calendar is simple, straightforward and is free to use, so for basic tasks, it's hard to go wrong with.
Microsoft ToDo
Unlike Google Calendar, Microsoft ToDo does not follow a calendar format but instead displays a list of tasks that can be added, removed and sorted by importance. ToDo also has a very simple layout and is very user friendly and intuitive. Adding and removing tasks are a breeze within ToDo and performing more complex operations such as sharing lists with others can also be done with relative ease.

The main features of ToDo include task prioritization and scheduling, document storage and file sharing. Overall ToDo is a great application and is best for users looking for a simple way to increase their productivity and keep track of their day to day tasks. Better yet ToDo is available for free with your ESU account! What's not to love?

Microsoft Planner

Microsoft Planner is a task management tool that is useful for both individuals and teams but is focused towards collaboration between larger groups of people. Planner allows users to easily create and assign plans which are displayed in a kanban-board style work space. From there separate tasks can be added to each plan, this allows tasks to be easily categorized by project or department etc. Each task can have plenty of details, including the people assigned to the task, start/due date, description, photos, links, team discussions and more. Planner makes it especially easy to view the people assigned to each task and will notify users via email when a task has reached its due date.

Overall, Microsoft Planner is a great tool, especially for larger groups. Planner allows users to get organized and see a visual representation of the progress of each task, helping team members can stay on the same page. Unlike Google Calendar and Microsoft ToDo, Planner requires a business grade Office 365 account. Unfortunately, this means Planner is only available to ESU staff and employees. For employees to create their own plan in Planner, contact the IT Help Desk.


Taylor Nelson
Student Web Developer
Web and Digital Strategies

Tips for Online Courses

Online courses might be something new for a lot of students on Emporia State’s campus. With all of the changes going on and the questions of how or where you are taking them, ESU wanted to provide some tips and tricks for staying proactive with your classes. Making sure you are prepared and know what you need to do to stay ahead and actively participating in online classes.

1. Hold Yourself Accountable
• Starting the semester with a course being taken in the classroom to the sudden and abrupt change to remote learning might be difficult for some. Students might have an easier time learning in a classroom environment rather than in an online course. Checking in with yourself regularly is something that is going to be beneficial. Not checking in as in asking yourself how you are doing, but rather look at your courses and see what you are needing to do. If you struggle with accountability, try to find a classmate that you can talk to about course assignments and what you both can help each other to accomplish.
2. Learning Environment
• Learning information and being taught can become a struggle if you are in an environment that might not be suitable for learning. Doing your assignments in bed or on the couch is not a positive solution to have a good learning environment. Working in bed can affect your sleeping patterns, as well as your body’s physical shape and comfort. Sitting at a desk or table without any distractions is your ideal learning environment. Go outside and find a nice spot to sit and do work while also getting fresh air and some rays.
3. Actively Be Engaged
• Engaging in the discussion for online courses and actively participating as well is what will help you more than anything! Allowing yourself to seek a better understanding within the discussion will benefit you and also your professor, letting them know that you understand what’s going on. Be more thorough in discussion posts to help yourself and others engage and learn with each other. And especially don’t be afraid to reach out or speak up if you feel as if you are falling behind. Waiting until the assignment is almost due or the middle of the night before to ask questions is not going to benefit you. Seek answers ahead of time and allow yourself time to complete your work.
4. Utilize Your Resources
• A lot of the resources on Emporia State’s campus have adjusted their hours and created virtual tutoring or assistance for students that are needing help. You may feel like you are alone in some cases when it comes to online classes. However, you have plenty of turns to go to if needed! Professors and instructors should be encouraging you to work with your peers to accomplish certain tasks.
5. Treat Classes like They’re a Job
• While sometimes it may seem like online work could be easy, you don’t want to sell yourself shorter than what you need. Professors are supplying you with the same content they would be if you were to be in a classroom setting. Creating a plan on how much you want to study, what assignments you want to accomplish, or what lectures you want to watch within a day is something that could benefit you more than you think. Creating the routine of remote learning is what could set you up for success during this time of confusion.
6. Stay Healthy
• You are working your brain hard with your courses, and you should have time to relax the same as well. Allotting yourself a minimum of 7 hours of sleep per night, eating right, and overall self-care that you can provide yourself. Stress can break down a body’s immune system and keeping yourself healthy, mentally and physically, is very important when it comes to learning habits and overall well-being.
7. Checkout
• Whenever you are going into a virtual lecture or even a recorded lecture, you may be more inclined to check out from what’s in front of you. With your computer screen being your only access to online content, it may be difficult to resist the inclination to answer that vibration. Stay present with what is going on, it is easy to lost track of time when you are scrolling through your social media. Those five minutes you are checked out could be the five minutes of information regarding that huge project that is due next week... that you haven’t started yet.
8. Take Breaks
• Staring at a computer screen can start to make your head hurt and lose interest more quickly after doing it for a long period of time. Every hour or so allow yourself to take a few minutes to take a break, stretch it out or even go for a short walk. Those few minutes you allow your brain to relax and get motivated again could make classwork and lectures much easier to follow!

Those are just a few of the tips we have for you today, there are plenty of other things you can do as well to help you during this time. Things might be stressful for the time being, but you can accomplish whatever you put your mind to. Staying strong and finishing this semester out strong to come back and be ready again in the fall! As always, if you are having issues or have questions regarding online services, please contact the IT Help Desk.

Dakota Taylor
Social Media Student Assistant
Web & Digital Strategies

Working from Home: Do's and Don'ts

Here are a few non-technical "do's and don'ts" for working and learning remotely.

Do maintain a routine

It’s easy to be lax when we’re in our home environment.  It’s ok to be flexible but maintaining some routine will help keep you on task.

Do get dressed everyday like you were going to the office

No, that doesn’t mean ‘work’ clothes, but just not your jammies.  It’s harder to stay in ‘work’ mode when we are too casually dressed.  Besides, working from home means more Zoom meetings where everyone can see what you’re wearing. 

Do create a workspace

Having a separate space from the rest of your home will help minimize distractions and enable you to separate work time from home time.

Don’t work from your bed or the sofa

            It can be hard on your posture and can contribute to lack of focus.

Don’t forget to take regular breaks.

Working from home may mean that you aren’t moving around as much as you did in the office.  It’s important to take a few minutes a few times a day to relieve eyestrain from the computer, or to stretch a bit.

Don’t snack all day

Snack foods are more within reach at home than the office.  It’s tempting to swing by the fridge or cupboard when you’re taking a break – Don’t! The pounds can creep up pretty quickly.

Save Your Bandwidth! Hot Spot Do's and Don'ts

Just like on your cell phone, when using a “Hot-Spot” Internet device there are data limits for the amount of bandwidth provided in your monthly billing cycle. Once you meet that quota threshold, connectivity is usually slowed down.  This is called “throttling”. 

To avoid throttling, we recommend only using your Hot-Spot for work or school-related activities and limit the use of non-work or non-school related activities (such as Pandora, Netflix, Spotify, etc.). 

For individuals that have been assigned an ESU Hot-Spot, please only use the device for work and school purposes.

SkyLab and VPN: Do's and Don'ts

Do's

• Use SkyLab or VPN (never both at the same time) only when you need to use special software or secure services that are not available on your home laptop.  You can find which services require secure access on our Work Anywhere site.
• You can use the OnBase web client on your home computer so you don’t need to use SkyLab or the VPN.  You will need to use SkyLab or VPN if you are using the Unity client.
• Move needed data to OneDrive or sync to your local machine (laptop).  Your personal OneDrive or department's SharePoint Drive are available from your file browser or via the web interface.

Don'ts

• Don't use SkyLab or VPN if you are going to access cloud services such as Hornet 365, SSB, accessing your timesheet, OneDrive, SharePoint, Zoom, OnBase web client, and Canvas.
• Never use Zoom software from SkyLab or any Remote Desktop Connection.  If you do then you will have an issue with the Camera, Microphone and Speaker.
• Don't use VPN to access OneDrive or SharePoint Drive.

• Don't plan your workflow around using multiple monitors, especially if you are using SkyLab or Remote Desktop.  You can drag the screen between monitors but not have it open on two separate screens. 

Security Awareness Training Spring 2020

Though yesterday was the last day of eligibility for the prize contest, security awareness training is still required for ESU employees. To be entered in the contest, the training must have been done by the end of March.

The training began on March 2nd, and is a requirement for all ESU employees. The training is aimed at improving the general awareness about information security to protect important university information. 

I sat down with John Garafola, a member of the information security team, to answer some questions regarding the latest security awareness training. 

Tyler: "What is the purpose of security awareness training?"

John: "The purpose of the security awareness training for us here at ESU is partially compliance and partially pro-activity. Basically, what we want to do is ensure that our users have a clear idea of threats that exist within our environment."

Tyler: "What is different this year from the previous years?"

John: "This year we included the option for a pretest, which will save you about 30 minutes of test time."

Tyler: "What about the prizes?"

John: "Well this year we've got some great prizes. We have the option of a parking pass, which can save you close to $90, or a Kindle E-Reader."

Tyler: "How can employees access this training?"

John: "Employees can access the training by interacting with the emailed link that they should have received. If you didn't receive an email, please let us know. The password to access the website should have been included in that email" 

The security training must be completed by June 1st.

To watch the full interview, click here or check out our YouTube channel: Hornet TV

Questions? Contact the IT Help desk:

Call: 877-341-5555

Email: helpdesk@emporia.edu

Tyler Parker
Social Media & Marketing Student Assistant

Web & Digital Strategies