Technology Training

Training on a variety of technology-related topics is available to the campus community. Sessions are announced through campus email.

Technology Training Room

The training room in the Technology Suite in Conlon Hall can be reserved by calling Allison Bunnell at x3769 at least one week prior to the requested date. If special software is required please provide details when reserving the room.

Virtual Trainings

Below are previously recorded virtual training sessions on a variety of technology topics. Virtual training videos are also available on our Technology Training YouTube channel.

Faculty teaching hybrid classes now have the ability to use the classroom document camera to share what is being demonstrated simultaneously with in-person students and the Google Meet participants.

Google has announced that it will begin winding down the use of Jamboard software and the web application starting in October 2024, with complete removal scheduled for December 2024.

During this transition period, you will still have access to the Jamboard web application. However, we are actively reviewing and testing comparable options to replace Jamboard. Additionally, before the end of 2024, Google will automatically convert any remaining Jams to PDF files and save them in each user's Google Drive.

Learn how to record video, and embedded captions in Google Meet. Also, find out how to obtain a Google Doc transcript and tips along the way:

ScreenPal trainings are available on the ScreenPal page.

Tech Tips and Google Good Ideas

Visit the Google Workspace for Education Plus, Gmail FAQs and Google Calendar FAQs pages for more information on using Google applications.

Too many emails? Gmail has FILTERS! 

With Gmail features, your workflow has improved but you’re still finding that the number of emails coming in is a bit overwhelming. You want to ensure that you don’t miss an incoming email from a specific colleague.

As we navigate the digital landscape, efficient email management becomes increasingly crucial. Gmail filters offer a powerful solution to streamline your inbox and enhance productivity.

Let’s explore how you can leverage these automation rules effectively:

  • Organize Emails: Redirect emails: Automatically route specific emails to a named label, or archive them - keeping your inbox clutter-free.
  • Identify Spam: Filters can swiftly identify spam and move it out of your inbox, ensuring that important messages receive your attention.
  • Manage Notifications: Bypass unimportant app notifications: Set up filters to prevent notifications from flooding your inbox.
  • Automate Tasks: Delegate tasks effortlessly: Label emails related to specific projects or contacts automatically using filters

Create a filter

Using the Gmail Search bar, create a filter for incoming messages from a specific person so that their messages are always starred. You can also create a label for these emails. OR if you want to filter messages to skip your inbox, you can do that too!

You can manage your incoming mail using Gmail’s filters to send email to a label, or archive, delete, star, or automatically forward your mail.

  • Open Gmail.
  • In the search box at the top, click the Down arrow .
  • Enter your search criteria. If you want to check that your search worked correctly, see what emails show up by clicking Search.
  • At the bottom of the search window, click Create filter.
  • Choose what you’d like the filter to do.
  • Click Create filter

Use a particular message to create a filter

  • Open Gmail
  • Check the check box next to the email you want
  • Click More
  • Click Filter messages like these
  • Enter your filter criteria
  • Click Create filter

Remember that when creating a filter to forward messages, only new messages will be affected. Additionally, if someone replies to a filtered message, their reply will be filtered if it meets the same search criteria.

Lastly, consider filtering by topic or from specific email addresses. Be careful you aren't selecting to filter an entire
distribution group such as "staff" by mistake.

Feel free to explore Gmail’s filter options and tailor them to your preferences. Efficient email management awaits! 

Google Meet has live captioning available to each participant in the Meet. Consider reminding students and participants that they can personally turn live captions on and off throughout the Google Meet!

Benefits to participants using live captions during a Google Meet

  • Live captions can assist hard of hearing and deaf participants;
  • Participants whose second language is English, can use live captions to follow along;
  • Captions offer guidance with comprehension of dialogue that is spoken very quickly, with accents, mumbling, or background noise.
  • Live captions can provide clarity to full names, brand names, or technical terminology for the viewer.

Live captions can offer concentration, which can provide a better experience for viewers with learning disabilities, attention deficits, or autism.

When using captions in Google Meet, you now have the option to include those captions in a meeting recording!

Including captions in your meeting recordings offers accessibility to your audience along with helping them understand the content, and staying engaged.

Google Meet captions settings interface

To get started at the bottom right, click Activities and then Recording.

Please note, the transcription translation is done by a computer and won't be 100% accurate all the time.

Therefore, if you couple this with the transcription feature, you can obtain a transcription of the Meet in Google Docs - which is editable.  In turn, for the most accurate and accessible captions, you can edit the transcription and from there, you can copy and paste the captions into YouTube editor or wherever you are hosting your video.

Note that to record a meeting, you have to be:

  • The meeting host.
  • Part of the host’s organization. 
  • Promoted to a co-host if you are outside the meeting hosts organization.
  • A teacher or co-teacher for meetings created through Google Classroom.

For more information, see:

For further assistance, contact Allison Bunnell, Technology Trainer.

The appointment scheduling tool in Google Calendar is a feature that allows you to share your availability via a booking page that can be used by colleagues, external contacts and students to schedule a meeting with you.

Google has also introduced the ability to check and see a visual preview of multiple calendars when setting up your appointment schedules. Your booking page will show you as unavailable when you're busy based on the calendars you choose. (By default, your primary calendar is always selected.)

Learn about appointment schedules on Google Calendar and how to turn on the new Appointment Scheduler if you choose.

The Google Appointment Scheduling Tool interface

New appointment schedules offer the following improvements:

Use your own professional booking page

  • You get a professional booking page for the different types of appointments you offer.
  • Anyone with an email address can book an appointment.
  • Your booking page automatically updates to avoid conflicts with other events on your calendar.

Get appointment email notifications

  • You get booking confirmation and update emails.
  • People who book an appointment with you can also receive an automatic reminder email before the appointment.

You can customize how you meet

  • In person
  • On the phone
  • Over Google Meet video conference
    If you choose to meet over video conference, a Google Meet link is automatically added to your appointments.

Customize your appointment availability

  • You can limit how people who book early or last-minute can book an appointment with you.
  • You can limit the max number of appointments per day.
  • You can customize the window for appointments.
  • You can automatically add custom buffer time in between appointments.
  • You can collect extra information from people who book appointments through the appointment booking form.

How To Set Up An Appointment Schedule

Fitchburg State's Google Meet tool has the ability to host individual video conferencing sessions that include up to 250 participants and Live Stream events for up to 100,000 people.

When hosting a large Google Meet or Live Streaming an event with our Fitchburg State University accounts, please keep in mind the following:

Inviting Non-Fitchburg State Participants to a Google Meet

If you have included external (non-FSU email) participants in your Google Meet, you will need to accept them into the meeting when prompted.

Screenshot showing how to accept a participant into a Google Meet.

You can either send the invitation through your Google Calendar or separately. If you send them an invitation through your Google Calendar, you will be prompted to allow the invite to go out to an external participant email address.

Screenshot showing how to invite an external guest to a Google Meet.

Google Meet Live Streaming

By default, only guests within Fitchburg State can view the live stream. In order to share the live stream with non-Fitchburg State participants, create a view-only event. The event is added to your Calendar and includes the link for view-only guests.

(Also, remember those live streaming will only view the real-time event and not have access to speak or the chat function.)

Click the Add live stream link:

Screenshot showing how to add a Google Meet live stream.

Create a view-only event:

Screenshot showing how to create a Google Meet view-only event.

As you begin planning a large Google Meet or Live Streaming events, please feel free to contact the Technology Department to assist.

Have too many tabs open at one time?

You can save tabs into groups and then open tab groups across desktop devices when you need them. This makes it easier to clean up your tab strip and keep you less distracted from all the rest.

Organize your Tabs with Tab GROUPS

  • On your computer, open Chrome.
  • Click New tab + .
  • Right-click a tab and then select Add to new group.

Chrome Tab Groups

Save your tab groups for later

  1. Right-click a Tab and select Add tab to group.
  2. Turn on Save group and your group will appear in the bookmarks bar.
  3. To remove the group from your tab strip but keep it for later, right-click the group header and select Hide.
  4. On a different desktop device, sign-in and see your groups in the bookmark bar.

Easily Share Google Drive Files to Google Calendar Meeting Attendees

While in the sharing dialog box of any Google file, users can now see an option to share with those in upcoming Google Calendar invites.
This allows users to easily share files with all meeting attendees in one step, ensuring everyone is prepared and able to collaborate on the same file in advance of the meeting.

How to:

As a file owner or editor, go to the Share button in a file > type in the title of a calendar event > select the event
> confirm the correct list of meeting attendees are added > select the users’ access level > click Send.

  • If you’d like to link the file to the calendar invite, you can select “Attach to calendar event” before clicking Send.
  • If you attach a file directly to a Calendar invite, you will see a pop-up asking if you'd like to share the file with the meeting attendees.
  • To share a file to a calendar event, you must be the file owner or editor and be a participant on the meeting that you’re sharing to on your calendar.

More information

[Please note, this feature is a part of the Workplace for Education Plus license. If you do not have this feature
and would likeit, please contact the IT Help Desk.]

Create fully customized emails using enhanced Gmail layout editor tool

In the layout editor, you can create a new email layout from scratch or select from a predefined set of email templates, which include images, text elements and buttons.

Screenshot of Gmail editor tool on the menu bar

You can then fully customize these templates by placing elements such as color schemes, logos, images,
footer text and links wherever you’d like. You can also share a layout file directly from the email layout editor using the 'Share' button. Once another user has edit access, they can open the same layout in their Gmail or from Drive and you can collaborate with them in real time.

Gmail message layout screenshot

Look her for more on using customization.

[Please note, this feature is a part of the Workplace for Education Plus license. If you do not have this feature and would like it, please contact the IT Help Desk.]
 

Training Resources and Videos

Kahoot! is a free game-based learning platform. Its learning games, "Kahoots," are multiple-choice quizzes that allow user generation and can be accessed via a web browser, phone, or the app itself.

Poll Everywhere is a free web-based audience response system that lets you embed interactive activities directly into your presentation. The audience responds on the web or via SMS texting on their phones.