For this month’s tip, I am sharing an open source Google Docs alternative: Etherpad. You can install your own instance of it, or can use one of the many free available online options listed below. If you would like to collaborate with someone who does not have a Google account, only need a temporary collaborative document, or would… Read More »
As our work and education continue to move online, it is important to become acquainted with each videoconferencing service the university offers. Moreover, with the announcement of the retirement of BlueJeans in May 2021, consider an option for day-to-day meetings that’s already available at your fingertips: Google Meet. Google Meet is a G Suite for Education videoconferencing core… Read More »
U-M School of Information (UMSI) faculty and PhD students are presenting nearly two dozen papers, posters and workshops at the 2020 ACM Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) October 17-21. Two UMSI researchers have earned an honorable mention designation for their paper, and three more received the conference’s Diversity and Inclusion Recognition for their research. UMSI researchers were also… Read More »
While we continue to work remotely, many of us continue to build and present information visually using PowerPoint or Google Slides via Zoom screen sharing. Beautiful.ai is a quick, automated way to create visually-appealing presentations with features like automatic alignment, instant color palettes, well-designed templates, and a huge image library. To present, you may simply screen share and… Read More »
Google Chat will be replacing classic Google Hangouts in Gmail. Google Chat is an evolution of classic Hangouts, adding additional features that let you chat with individuals, send group messages, and engage in team-based collaboration with rooms across the entire university community and externally. Starting July 15, 2020, Google Chat will become the default option for direct (one-to-one)… Read More »
As of December 31, 2020, Google will no longer support Google Cloud Print, Google’s beta, cloud-based printing solution. Beginning January 1, 2021, devices across all operating systems will not be able to print using Google Cloud Print. It is recommended that you find an alternative print solution and migrate your print services by the end of 2020. One alternative, MPrint, is U-M’s printing… Read More »
Google has announced they will be transitioning Google+ over to an updated service called Google Currents. Starting on July 6, 2020, you will begin to lose access to Google+ and all existing communities will begin the transition to Currents. No action is required by you or your team. Google Currents is a rebranding of Google+ with an updated… Read More »
Google has announced they will integrate Google Meet into Gmail, making it easier to create a session and stay connected right from your inbox. This feature is currently only available in Gmail on the web but is coming soon to the Gmail mobile app. According to Google, this feature should begin showing up in U-M Google on April 30 and… Read More »
When you share files or folders from Google Drive or Box, you can control the level of permissions granted to others. The U-M Collaboration Services team recommends using caution when you choose permissions for your files and folders to ensure the privacy and security of university data. This is especially true when collaborating with people outside of U-M.… Read More »
LSA Technology Services contributed over the last several years to planning, designing, and optimizing the operations for the new LSA Addition.
Are you (or one of your colleagues) working on an instructional, research, or outreach project that would benefit from two intense days of collaboration with U-M Library specialists? Are you available to join us on May 7-8, 2020? If your answer is yes and yes, we invite you to apply to U-M Library’s 2020 Scholar Sprints. Scholar Sprints offer… Read More »
Researchers from U-M, Cornell University, and the Nairobi Play project studied the social and cultural effects of computer science classes. The researchers found that computer science classes can encourage children to work together overcome cultural barriers. Kentaro Toyama, a professor in the School of Information, was part of the team. The researchers interviewed and observed children from a… Read More »
To bring U-M Office 365 services in line with U-M branding, ITS will update the service’s sign-in screen. Beginning Monday, October 28, when you use your @umich.edu email address to sign into Office 365, the password screen will display the new U-M Office 365 branding. Also new to the screen is the standard disclaimer for using U-M computing… Read More »
In February, Google announced plans to transition from classic Hangouts to Hangouts Chat. Hangouts Chat is a workstream collaboration tool that allows for team-based discussion, bots, and more. Google provided a timeline of changes and initially stated they would start retiring classic Hangouts in October, 2019. However, there have been delays as Google listened to critical customer feedback… Read More »
Despite some last-minute challenges and unexpected bumps in the road, ITS Collaboration Services has successfully launched the new Microsoft 365 platform, completing a process that began over six months ago. U-M’s re-negotiated licensing agreement with Microsoft will provide an expanded set of tools and services to faculty, staff, and students, including both online and desktop versions of the… Read More »
Due to the anticipated availability of Google Hangouts Chat and Microsoft Teams later this summer, ITS will not offer Slack or Slack Enterprise Grid as a centralized campus service. As a reminder to current Slack users: Slack may not be used with sensitive university data, including data protected by FERPA. Slack accounts are considered to be personal accounts… Read More »
Read the FAQ and review the User Impacts and Data Migration page for a complete list of tools and applications affected by this change, as well as details on user impacts, migration paths, and actions needed. As previously announced, under Microsoft’s new licensing model, U-M will have access to Microsoft 365, including the Office 365 suite and potentially… Read More »
Academic Innovation teamed up with faculty from the College of Engineering to create Tandem, a tailored software tool that supports students working on group projects. Tandem is currently being piloted in Engineering 100 with a group of 60 students. Tandem’s asks students about their personalities and work preferences in a beginning of term survey. The tool then uses… Read More »
As previously announced, U-M recently re-negotiated the licensing agreement with Microsoft, which will provide an expanded set of tools and services to faculty, staff, and students. Late last week, the team discovered a set of issues that requires a delay of the targeted release date for academic campuses from early May to late June/early July. As part of… Read More »
Google announced that it will discontinue its Apps Script UI Service on July 15, 2019. Apps Script is a development platform used to create applications that integrate with G Suite. Only the UI service is being discontinued. Apps Script will remain available. We have notified affected U-M users based on a list we received from Google. This is… Read More »