#243 Get Tech Help Through ITS Online 

August 27, 2014

Check out ITS Online to learn how to use the technology resources provided at Penn Law.  There are detailed guides that provide instructions for Printing, Canvas, WiFi and more.

Canvas guides, How-To, ITS Tips, ITS, Solutions, Student guides, Training & Tutorial 

#242 Connecting Devices To WiFi 

August 25, 2014

The wireless network available on campus is called AirPennNet.  Here are some guides on how to connect your Windows or Mac laptop and your iPhone/iPad or Android device.

How-To, Internet, ITS Tips, Mac, Mobile, Students, WiFi, Windows 

#241 Prepare Your Laptop For The Fall Semester 

August 19, 2014

Before the semester begins, it’s important to make sure your laptop is secure and up to date by configuring automatic software updates and installing antivirus software (which the University provides).

How-To, ITS Tips, Mac, Mobile, Productivity Applications, Security & Privacy, Security, Student guides, Students, Training & Tutorial, Windows 

#240 Setting Automatic Replies In Outlook 

June 25, 2014

Leaving the office for vacation? Whether your time away from the office is voluntary or incidental, you can set up automatic replies in Outlook so others will know why your response is delayed.

How-To, ITS Tips, Outlook, Productivity Applications, Staff 

#239 Useful Siri Commands 

June 23, 2014

Need to make quick changes to your iPhone’s settings or search for something on the Internet? Use these Siri commands to let your phone do all the work and give your thumbs a break.

How-To, ITS Tips, Mac, Mobile, Productivity Applications, Search 

#238 Learn with Lynda: Using Social Media 

June 11, 2014

Do you feel lost when someone talks about retweets, mentions, and hashtags? Lynda has courses designed to help you get up to speed on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and more.

How-To, Internet, ITS Tips, Lynda, Training & Tutorial 

#237 Time Travel With Google Maps 

June 9, 2014

Take a trip down memory lane with Google Maps–a new feature allows you to view past images for certain locations.

Golkin, Google, How-To, ITS Tips 

#236 Use Camera LED Flash For Notifications In iOS 

June 4, 2014

Feel like you keep missing notifications on your iPhone? Here are instructions on how to set your camera flash to flicker and grab your attention when you receive a notification.

How-To, ITS Tips, Mac, Mobile 

#235 Remove Hidden Data and Personal Information From Documents 

June 2, 2014

Documents often contain hidden data and personal information that could be harmful to the author if distributed.  Here are instructions on how to remove hidden data and personal information from documents, spreadsheets, and presentations.

Excel, How-To, ITS Tips, Powerpoint, Privacy, Security & Privacy, Security, Windows, Word 

#234 Spring Cleaning: Remove Old Files and Applications 

May 21, 2014

Does your computer feel cluttered? Here are some quick tips on how to find and remove old files and applications in both Windows and Mac OS X.

Box, Faculty, How-To, ITS Tips, Mac, Productivity Applications, Staff, Students, Windows 

#233 Reverse Google Image Search To Avoid Scams 

May 19, 2014

Looking at ads for new apartments or furniture? Perform a Reverse Google Image Search on pictures within the ad to help determine whether an ad is legitimate.

Firefox, Google, How-To, Internet Explorer, Internet, ITS Tips, Security & Privacy 

#232 Update Internet Explorer at Home 

May 13, 2014

Many websites (including Canvas) only support the two most recent versions of web browsers.  Please update your home computers and laptops to Internet Explorer 10 to ensure compatibility with certain websites and services.

How-To, Internet Explorer, Internet, ITS Tips, Windows 

Reminder: How to Identify Phishing Attempts 

May 2, 2014

Because phishing attempts have grown more and more sophisticated, it’s important to remain skeptical about unsolicited emails from addresses or people that you don’t recognize.  Here are some tips to help you identify a phishing attempt.

How-To, ITS Announcements, Privacy, Security & Privacy, Security 

#230 Spring Cleaning: Keep Apps and Devices Up to Date 

April 30, 2014

It’s important to keep apps and operating systems up to date so that your devices are free from bugs and security vulnerabilities.  Here are some brief instructions on how to update your operating system and apps on Android and iOS devices.

How-To, ITS Tips, Mobile, Security & Privacy 

#228 Using Middle Click on a Mouse 

April 22, 2014

Did you know that the scrolling wheel on your mouse is also a button? This tip will showcase some uses of the middle click button.

Firefox, How-To, Internet Explorer, ITS Tips, Mac, Productivity Applications, Training & Tutorial, Windows 

#227 Spring Cleaning: Screens, Keyboards, and Exterior Surfaces 

April 16, 2014

Now that we’ve had a (brief) taste of Spring, it’s a good time to clean your devices and rid yourself of smudged screens and crumb-filled keyboards.

Equipment, How-To, ITS Tips, Mobile 

#226 Filter Google Image Searches by Usage Rights 

April 14, 2014

Need to add some images to a document or presentation? Use Google’s image search filters to find content that you can reuse.

Copyright, Google, How-To, ITS Tips, Research, Search 

#224 Charging Smartphone Batteries Quickly 

April 7, 2014

Low battery warning? Learn how to charge your battery faster when you need your phone the most.

Faculty, How-To, ITS Tips, Mobile, Staff, Students 

#223 New Survey Health Feature in Qualtrics 

April 3, 2014

Qualtrics has introduced a new feature that provides an automated summary to gauge the overall effectiveness and impact of your surveys.

How-To, ITS Tips, Productivity Applications, Research, Survey & Research 

#221 Create Custom Shortcuts on a Mac 

March 24, 2014

Mac OS X has built in keyboard shortcuts for many features, but why memorize when you can customize shortcuts?  This tip will explain how to edit keyboard shortcuts in Mac OS X.

How-To, ITS Tips, Mac, Productivity Applications, Training & Tutorial 

#219 Learn with Lynda: Configure an iPad for Business 

March 17, 2014

Learn how to configure your iPad so it is useful for work.  This short Lynda course contains tutorials on how to set up an external keyboard, how to backup and secure your data, how to sync calendars and contacts, how to configure iCloud and more.

Business, How-To, ITS Tips, Lynda, Mac, Mobile, Training & Tutorial, Video 

#218 Upload Files to a Penn+Box Folder via Email 

March 6, 2014

You can upload files to any Penn+Box folder by adjusting email options within the folder you choose.  Here is how to configure a Penn+Box folder to receive uploads from email attachments.

Box, Documents, feature, How-To, ITS Tips, Sharing & Collaboration, Students 

#215 Using Wildcards with Find and Replace 

February 20, 2014

You can use the Find and Replace feature in Microsoft Office products to make quick and easy edits to text.  Wildcards are special characters you can use to make searching through your documents more efficient.  Here are some useful wildcard characters.

Excel, How-To, ITS Tips, Powerpoint, Training & Tutorial, Word 

#213 Create and Edit Spreadsheets Faster in Excel 

February 12, 2014

Looking to save time when setting up and editing spreadsheets in Excel?  Here are some shortcuts for quickly inserting or selecting entire rows or columns.

Excel, How-To, ITS Tips, Mac, Windows 

#212 Learn From Canvas Guides 

February 6, 2014

Instructure, the company behind Canvas, has extensive documentation available for all Canvas users.  There are guides on all features available to each particular course role (Student, Instructor, Observer, Designer) as well as guides on the features and functionality of the mobile app.

Canvas, How-To, ITS Tips, Learning Management System, Training & Tutorial 

#211 Reduce Energy Consumption 

January 30, 2014

As you may know, Penn Law is participating in the Power Down Challenge, an energy reduction competition that takes place from February 3rd to March 2nd.  Here are some tips to consume less energy in the office.

Environment, How-To, ITS Green, ITS Tips 

#210 Customize the Courses Menu in Canvas 

January 23, 2014

The Courses drop down menu in Canvas displays courses that you are enrolled in.  Courses are listed alphabetically by default, but you can customize the courses that are displayed.

Canvas, How-To, ITS Tips 

#207 Writing Effective Survey Questions 

December 5, 2013

Creating surveys that produce useful insights and actionable results requires writing effective questions.  Here are some tips for writing effective survey questions.

How-To, ITS Tips, Survey & Research, Training & Tutorial 

#206 Use Siri for Speech to Text Dictation 

November 26, 2013

Speech to text dictation can be much more convenient than typing on an iPhone or iPad keyboard. Use these Siri voice commands to make it even more useful.

How-To, ITS Tips, Mobile 

#204 Organize Your Surveys in Qualtrics with Folders 

November 14, 2013

Qualtrics is great for creating and distributing surveys, but too many surveys can clutter your home page.  This tip will show you how to create folders to organize your surveys.

How-To, ITS Tips, Survey & Research, Training & Tutorial 

#203 Use CALI to Access Free Lessons Online 

November 7, 2013

The Center for Computer Assisted Legal Instruction, also known as CALI, provides online interactive tutorials on various legal subjects.  Tutorials are authored by law faculty and peer reviewed by a member of the CALI Editorial Board.  Here is information on how to create an account and access the materials.

How-To, ITS Tips, Learning Management System, Solutions, Training & Tutorial 

#202 Lock Your Computer When Not In Use 

October 24, 2013

In support of National Cyber Security Awareness Month, this tip will focus on physical security of desktops and laptops.  Physical security of a computer is an often overlooked component of computer security.  You can use the information in this tip to lock your computer quickly before you walk away from your desktop or laptop.

How-To, ITS Tips, Mac, Privacy, Security & Privacy, Security, Windows 

#200 Using SpeedGrader in Canvas 

October 3, 2013

The SpeedGrader in Canvas allows you to view all student submissions in one place. Some document assignments can be marked up for feedback directly within the submission. You can also provide feedback to your students with text or media comments.

Canvas, How-To, ITS Tips 

#199 Reopen Closed Tabs 

September 18, 2013

Have you ever closed a tab accidentally? Most modern browsers have shortcuts that you can use to recover closed tabs. Here is how to reopen closed tabs in Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, and Safari.

Firefox, How-To, Internet Explorer, Internet, ITS Tips, Windows 

#197 Using Discussions in Canvas 

September 4, 2013

The Discussions tool in Canvas can be used for threaded discussions between students and instructors.  It is the equivalent of the Discussion Board feature in the Course Portal.  Here is how to use the Discussions tool.

Canvas, How-To, ITS Tips 

#196 Creating Assignment Groups in Canvas 

August 22, 2013

In Canvas you can create Assignment Groups to organize the assignments in your course. Here is how to create assignment groups.

Canvas, How-To, ITS Tips 

#194 Emailing Your Class in Canvas 

August 13, 2013

Announcements allow you to communicate with your students about course activities and post interesting course-related topics.  They are the Canvas equivalent of emailing the entire class.  Once you make an announcement, it is emailed to the entire class and also saved to the Announcements page on your Canvas site.

Canvas, How-To, ITS Tips 

#193 Create Student Groups in Canvas 

August 8, 2013

In Canvas, Groups are used as a collaborative tool for students who are working on projects or group assignments. You can organize your students into groups, each with its own Discussions, Pages, Files, Collaborations, and Calendar.  Here is how to create student groups in Canvas.

Canvas, How-To, ITS Tips 

#192 View your Canvas Calendar in Outlook 

August 6, 2013

Using the Canvas Calendar Feed feature, you can import your Canvas Calendar into any Calendar app that takes iCal feeds, including Google, iCal, Outlook, etc.  Here is how to export your course calendar feed from Canvas.

Calendar, Canvas, How-To, ITS Tips, Outlook 

#191 Using the Appointment Scheduler in Canvas 

August 1, 2013

In Canvas, you can use the Appointment Scheduler within your Calendar to setup appointment times. Students can see and sign up for these appointment times on their own Calendar. Here is how to use the Appointment Scheduler.

Canvas, How-To, ITS Tips 

#189 Canvas Collaborations Tool 

July 30, 2013

Canvas Collaborations allow multiple users to work together on the same document at the same time using Google Docs or EtherPad. Collaborative documents are saved in real time, meaning a change made by any of its users will be immediately visible to everyone.

Canvas, How-To, ITS Tips 

#188 Grant Students Additional Privileges in Canvas 

July 25, 2013

In Canvas, you can grant your students additional course privileges by editing your course settings.  Here is how to edit their privileges.

Canvas, How-To, ITS Tips 

#187 Change your Language Preference in Canvas 

July 23, 2013

English is Canvas’ default language, but you can choose to view Canvas in any of the supported languages, which include French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, Chinese, Portuguese, and Japanese.  Here is how to change your language preference in Canvas.

Canvas, How-To, ITS Tips 

#186 Roles in Canvas 

July 16, 2013

In each Canvas course there a number of Course-level roles that you can set to determine each user’s permissions in the course. Course-level roles are set for each user when they are added to the course and can be viewed in the People page of your course.

Canvas, How-To, ITS Tips 

#185 Lock Canvas Modules 

July 11, 2013

In Canvas, you can add content to modules without making them immediately available to your students.  Here is how to lock a Module until a given date.

Canvas, How-To, ITS Tips 

#183 Test Canvas Courses as a Student 

June 27, 2013

In canvas, instructors can view their course from the point of view of a student using Student View. Here is how to access Student View.

Canvas, How-To, ITS Tips 

#182 Using Favorites in Windows Explorer 

June 25, 2013

Do you have folders that you constantly navigate to? Instead of clicking through a maze of subdirectories, you can add the folder to your Favorites in the top left corner of Windows Explorer.

How-To, ITS Tips, Windows 

#181 Receive Text Messages for Canvas Course Updates 

June 20, 2013

In Canvas you can elect to receive course updates via text message.  Here is how to add your phone number as a contact method.

Canvas, How-To, ITS Tips 

#180 Managing Apps on iPhone and iPad 

June 18, 2013

Once you open an app on an iOS device, it will continue to run in the background unless it is closed manually.  Here is an easy way to close an app on an iPad or iPhone.

How-To, ITS Tips, Mobile 

#179 Easily Import All Course Documents In Canvas 

June 13, 2013

In Canvas, you can upload all of your course documents quickly and easily by importing them as a .zip file.

Canvas, How-To, ITS Tips 

#178 Time Saving Web Tricks 

June 11, 2013

Here are a few tricks that work across multiple browsers that can help you navigate the Internet more quickly and efficiently.

Firefox, How-To, Internet Explorer, Internet, ITS Tips, Mac, Windows 

#176 Using Hot Corners on a Mac 

June 4, 2013

You can use hot corners in Mac OS X to quickly activate features such as the screensaver, clearing open windows, and putting the display to sleep.  Here is how to activate hot corners.

How-To, ITS Tips, Mac 

#171 Debunking the Myth: How to Right-Click on a Mac 

May 16, 2013

A common myth is that Mac’s lack the ability to right-click.  This tip will cover multiple ways to right-click on a Mac.

How-To, ITS Tips, Mac 

#169 Find Files with Windows 7 Search 

May 9, 2013

The search feature in Windows 7 can locate files and folders on your computer.  Here are some tips to get the most out of this feature by using search filters and operators.

How-To, ITS Tips, Search, Windows 

#168 Multitasking in Mac OS X 

May 7, 2013

The current version of Mac OS X contains a feature called Mission Control that helps organize apps and windows in different workspaces. But here are some extra shortcuts to help you multitask.

How-To, ITS Tips, Mac 

#166 Streamline Mouse Shortcuts 

April 30, 2013

Feel like you are getting bogged down by constant right-clicking?  Speed up your workflow with these shortcuts for moving, copying, and selecting multiple files.

How-To, ITS Tips, Mac, Windows 

#164 Create a Secure Password 

April 23, 2013

Many cloud-based services have access to our personal information. Therefore, it is important to protect these accounts with unique, secure passwords. Here are some tips to help you create secure passwords that are easy to remember.

How-To, ITS Tips, Lawkey, Pennkey, Security & Privacy 

#163 Improve Browser Performance 

April 18, 2013

If you are unsatisfied with your browsing speed, maybe it’s time for a little Spring Cleaning.  Here are three simple tips to improve performance in any browser.

Firefox, How-To, Internet Explorer, Internet, ITS Tips 

#162 Customize AutoCorrect in Word 

April 16, 2013

You can customize AutoCorrect in Microsoft Word to create your own shorthand for note-taking or adjust specific words that you frequently mistype or need to abbreviate.

How-To, ITS Tips, Word 

#161 Work Faster with Text Editing Shortcuts 

April 11, 2013

It can be very time consuming to switch between using the mouse and the keyboard to edit text documents.  But with these shortcuts, you can perform functions such as selecting one word or one line at a time without touching the mouse.

Acrobat, How-To, ITS Tips, Outlook, Word 

#149 Access Your Workstation From Home with Remote Desktop 

February 7, 2013

Microsoft Remote Desktop is a great method to access your office computer from outside of the building. Once connected, you can access any drives or programs you use at the office.

How-To, ITS Tips 

#141 How to set a reminder to reply to a message in Outlook 

January 2, 2013

Setting a reminder to reply or follow up on a message is easy to do in Outlook.

How-To, ITS Tips, Outlook 

#15 Keep Your Most Frequently Used Folders Accessible with Favorite Folders 

January 13, 2011

Organizing your email can be a challenging task. Over time, the number of folders you keep track of can grow quickly and it can become difficult to find the ones you use most often. Start using Favorite Folders in Outlook to keep your most used folders visible at all times.

How-To, ITS Tips, Outlook