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Category: Microsoft 365

Free IT resources and services for students, faculty and staff

Posted on by Cathy Rodriguez

The Division of Information Technology provides various resources and services for free. Get your semester off to a good start by checking out a few of them.

More IT resources for K-Staters are on the Welcome to IT at K-State webpage.

End-of-Year inbox refresh: Clearing the clutter so you have a fresh start in the new year

Posted on by Cathy Rodriguez

There comes a point when your inbox stops being helpful and starts feeling a little crowded. Messages from the same senders stack up. Subscriptions you never read linger, threads you meant to file keep sitting in your inbox “just in case.” It all adds up.

Eventually, we want that weight lifted. Getting prepared for the next semester is often a time when people do some housekeeping.

Outlook provides several helpful tools to help you cut through the noise. The following are a few ways to get started cleaning up your inbox:

  • Use Sweep to filter messages for easier deletion or archiving.
  • Use Copilot to summarize threaded messages, allowing you to decide whether they are worth keeping.
  • Unsubscribe from outdated mailing lists.
  • Mark low-priority threads as read so they no longer compete for attention.
  • Remove old calendar invites that are no longer relevant.

To learn more about these tips, visit these Microsoft articles:

Using Microsoft Loop to keep your meeting notes organized

Posted on by Cathy Rodriguez

Every meeting has two outcomes. Either your notes work for you, or they vanish into the digital void. Loop provides a simple way to keep track of what has happened, what needs to happen next, and who is responsible for what without having to dig through old notebooks or endless email threads.

Why Loop  for meeting notes

Loop blends the flexibility of a shared document with the structure of a task list. It’s collaborative in real time, easy to reuse for recurring meetings, and it connects naturally to Teams and Planner. That means fewer scattered notes and a smoother handoff after every discussion.

Start with a meeting notes template

Open Loop and create a new page for your meeting. Add a workspace if you want to keep everything in one place for your committee or project team. Use a simple layout with three parts: agenda, notes and decisions, and action items. The template keeps every meeting consistent so you don’t start from scratch each time.

Continue reading “Using Microsoft Loop to keep your meeting notes organized” →

Build a task system in Microsoft Loop and Teams

Posted on by Cathy Rodriguez

Managing daily tasks across messages, meetings, and apps can pull your attention in different directions. Microsoft Teams and Loop work together to bring everything into one simple place. By creating a Loop component in your self chat, you can build a lightweight task list that syncs to the Loop app whenever you are ready to expand.

Create your Today task list in Teams

  1. Open Microsoft Teams.
  2. Open Chat, then select your name to open self chat.
  3. In the message field, click the Loop component button.
  4. Select Table to create a small task table.
  5. Add simple table headers for a quick start, such as Task, Due and Notes.
  6. Click Send.

This creates a Loop component directly within your chat, which can update automatically across apps, such as in the Loop on the web.

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Open the task list in the Loop app Continue reading “Build a task system in Microsoft Loop and Teams” →

Microsoft Loop or Copilot Pages?

Posted on by Cathy Rodriguez

Screenshot of Loop and Copilot comparison. The Loop side shows a task list and a poll. The Copilot side shows a summary page.Microsoft 365 offers a variety of tools to help you collaborate, organize and create content. But with so many options, knowing which one fits your needs can be tricky. Two tools, Loop and Copilot Pages, both support collaboration and content creation, yet they shine in different ways. Here’s how to decide which one to use.

Loop: Your evolving workspace

Loop works whether you’re organizing ideas for yourself or building resources with a team. It’s a space where content can grow and adapt over time.

Example: Create a personal planning page to track goals, or set up a shared reference page for project guidelines.

Loop is ideal for any content you’ll keep revisiting and refining.

Copilot Pages: Organize and fine-tune

Copilot Pages can also be used on your own or with others. It helps you take scattered notes and conversations and turn them into something clear and usable.

Example: Pull together research notes into a first draft, or combine team updates into a structured summary everyone can build on.

Copilot Pages works best when you need help organizing, explaining and refining your content.

Which tool to choose

  • Use Loop for evolving and collaborative workspaces.
  • Use Copilot Pages when you want assistance turning loose pieces into clear, usable content.

 

Using Copilot to support your communication efforts

Posted on by Cathy Rodriguez

If you’re new to using Copilot to support your communications work, the most important skill to build is prompting—how you ask for help. Whether you’re formatting emails, organizing data or creating content, the way you phrase your request can make a big difference.

What you can ask for

You can:

  • Extract and format content from files like Excel, Word or PDFs. (Don’t share sensitive data.)
  • Search the web to find information, verify facts or gather examples.
  • Automate formatting for emails, reports and templates.
  • Generate content such as summaries, blog posts or social media drafts.

How to structure your prompts Continue reading “Using Copilot to support your communication efforts” →

Get Office 365 apps for free

Posted on by Cathy Rodriguez

Office 365 desktop apps are free for students and employees. These apps can be installed on up to five PCs or Macs, five tablets and five mobile devices.

A few of the available apps include:

  • Word: Create documents, research papers, resumes and more.
  • Excel: Analyze data, build charts, manage budgets and more.
  • PowerPoint: Design presentations with built-in layouts, graphics, and more.
  • Outlook: Stay on top of email, calendar events and tasks in one place.
  • OneNote: Take notes, brainstorm ideas in a hierarchical structure of notebooks, sections and pages.
  • Teams: Collaborate seamlessly with chat, video calls and file sharing. Teams serves as your hub for group work, class projects and virtual meetings.
  • OneDrive: Store files securely in the cloud and access them from any device. OneDrive makes it easy to share documents and work on them together.

Visit K-State’s Microsoft Help and Support page for installation instructions.

If you have any questions, contact the IT Service Desk:

Top strategies for getting the most out of Microsoft Planner

Posted on by Cathy Rodriguez

Microsoft Planner is designed to help teams organize tasks, collaborate efficiently and stay on top of deadlines. Whether you’re managing a communications campaign or coordinating cross-functional projects, Planner can streamline your workflow. Here are the best strategies to make the most of it:

Organize with Buckets

Use buckets to structure your plan into clear categories. These can be by project phase, team member, priority level, etc. Buckets keep tasks visually grouped so you can see progress at a glance.

Add clear details

Use the task description, checklist, and attachments to provide context. This avoids extra back-and-forth and helps team members know exactly what’s expected.

Use Labels for quick visual sorting Continue reading “Top strategies for getting the most out of Microsoft Planner” →

Tips for making your PowerPoint accessible

Posted on by Cathy Rodriguez

""Making your PowerPoint presentations accessible ensures everyone can engage with your content. Accessibility improves the clarity and usability of your slides for all viewers.

Use accessible templates and layouts

Start with a slide template that has built-in placeholders for titles, text, and images. These placeholders help screen readers interpret your content in the correct reading order. Avoid manually placing text boxes in random locations.

Use large font sizes

Ensure all text is in a readable font, sized large enough to read easily, and surrounded by sufficient white space. Sans-serif fonts are best. in at least 18-point font Continue reading “Tips for making your PowerPoint accessible” →

Best practices for organizing your inbox

Posted on by Cathy Rodriguez

If you feel like your email is reproducing overnight, you’re not wrong. Email can quickly become overwhelming. It’s easy to lose track of what matters. With a few habits and Outlook’s built-in features, you can clear the clutter and reclaim your time,

Organize with folders

Organize emails into folders based on categories. This makes it easier to find information quickly.

  1. Right-click your Inbox name in the folder pane.
  2. Select Create New Folder and give it a name,
  3. Drag desired email(s) to the folder.

Automate sorting with rules

Manually sorting emails is time-consuming. Use rules to automate processes such as flagging, categorizing and deleting.

  1. Right-click the desired email you want to create a rule for and then choose Rules > Create Rule.
  2. Click More Options.
  3. Set conditions such as From or Subject contains.
  4. Choose actions like move to folder, categorize, or flag.
  5. Choose actions like move to folder, categorize, or flag.
  6. Confirm with Save.

Continue reading “Best practices for organizing your inbox” →