Friday Focus: Creating a VLE to Support your Staff

This week's Friday Focus explored how to create a VLE to support and develop your staff, it also gave great insights into how VLE and adult learning work, so if you missed it, take a look below. The notes for this session are available here.


Paul gave some great insights into how and why we should use a VLE system, but here are some bonus tips to help you even further!
1) Think multimedia
A key issue you may find with a VLE is engagement from those using the courses, so use multimedia options like sound and video to help keep those training involved.
2) Testing
Get someone else to test out your modules. A third party is always a great insight to make sure your message is being delivered. Try find someone who has minimal knowledge on the chosen subject, then this will give a good impression of how those using the product will find it.
3) Consider your Audience
Keep your audience in mind when writing the content, make sure examples or references you make are relevant and understandable to those using your service.

This may be less tips than usual but Paul gave so many insights in the actual stream that we don't want to repeat things! Next week we will be doing a summary stream of questions so far, a great opportunity if you have any questions!

Friday Focus: Getting Started with Video Editing

This Friday we looked at Getting Started with Video Editing, our notes for the session are available here and the session is included below.

Here are our additional tips to consider when you start editing videos.
1. Storyboard
Some people just like to get stuck straight in and make it work, but if you've made a storyboard at first, you have a plan of where you are going which will make your life easier wen trying to piece together your clips.
2. The Right Tools
Linking back to storyboarding, if you know what you want from your video make sure you have the right tool to edit. If you know you need to create a video with text then make sure your editing software does text! This will save you time later, rather than end up putting your files through multiple software and wasting time exporting over and over again!
3. Know Your Limits
Video editing is a skill that will take time to grow! You also need to consider your computer limits, a basic computer isn't going to handle multiple 4K video files with multiple layers! Just start simple and grow from there. For most businesses a simple video with text and transition will be all you need!
4. Understand Exporting
This can seem complicated but having a basic understanding of your exporting options will help you in the long run. A video file for YouTube need's to be different to one you'd use on a TV. Luckily there are great explanations online if you want to know what settings you'd need for your purpose.
5. Experiment
So slight contradiction of the first point but have a play and an experiment! Video editing is a skill and takes time and practise to perfect. If you don't explore your software and try different techniques you'll never learn more! So experiment as you never know what you'll find.

Next week we will be looking at supporting staff with a VLE system! Something we help a lot of businesses sort so excited to share some knowledge with you. See you next week.

Friday Focus: Training and Supporting with Technology

This week's stream focused on ways we can support and train others whilst we work remotely. Although a necessary tool whilst we are in lockdown, this is a fantastic tool to know when working remotely. The notes for the session are here and the stream is included below!


In the stream we looked at using Chrome Remote Desktop as the tool we demonstrated, so this week's top tips will be for training and supporting others with technology as remotely we know it can be a difficult task!
1. Motivate. A key part of training is to motivate the person being trained, they need a reason as to why learning this new programme or whatever is useful for them. People do not want their time wasted and need justification of why this is a good use of their time.
2. Communicate. Despite demonstrating on someone's screen, they still need clear, concise communication as you would if training person. Likewise make sure the person you are showing, communicates back, the signs of someone being confused are harder to see virtually.
3. Understand Learning Styles. A live demonstration may not be the most useful tool for training for all your team. People learn in different ways so this may not be effective for everyone. If someone is struggling you could type them up bullet point instructions or send a screencast they can rewatch. Everyone is different.
4. Feedback. It is important to receive feedback to make sure the software you are trying to implement is suitable for your team. Without discussion you will be unable to either help train someone further to help fix the issue or having, or even realise maybe the software wasn't suitable. Whilst in lockdown having effective and suitable tools in place is key, and just because something works for you, does not mean it does for everyone else.
5. Group sessions. If possible, teach everyone as a group. This can sometimes aid questions other's wont think of at the time, as well as demonstrate who has a clearer understanding and can assist others when having issues. This could be done on software like Microsoft Teams, where during a group call the trainer can broadcast their screen.


Since lockdown many businesses have had to adapt quickly into using digital platforms to help their business, that doesn't mean your team can't become an expert in it and still use it after the lockdown.

Due to the bank holiday next week, our next stream is on the 15th May, and we shall be focusing on creating web based apps using Glide. If you cannot wait two week, we have previously done a similar talk which you can view here. See you in two weeks!

Friday Focus: Effective Digital Communication

Another Friday and another Friday Focus. This week we were focusing on Effective Digital Communication. If you didn't manage to watch our stream you can watch it below and here are the notes for this session.


As we used Discord as an example platform this week, our top tips are going to be focused around that. It's a really useful tool that is being utilised by work places and digital communities a like so a tool worth an explore. Here are our top tips for using Discord:

1) Active your Keybinds. We are all familar with keyboard shortcuts like CTRL+C for copy, but some tools, including Discord, allow you to set your own shortcuts. This can be used for really useful tools, such as a push to mute/talk key when in voice chat to quickly mute your mike in a chat.
2) In app audio settings. We aren't all blessed with a quality microphone, fortunately Discord has some tools that can improve your sound! The only negative is that you cannot hear your sound yourself so it'll be a team effort to get your sound right but a really great setting from the app.
3) Using the pager. This obviously is inspired by the now outdated pager, and as you'd expect it allows you send direct notifications to those in a chat or even to a direct user. Great for when you need to send out an important update or need a response.
4) Use typographical emphasis. Sometimes a word just needs to be bold to really drive home a point. Fortunately you can! Discord allows for bold, italics, underlined and strike through formatting of your text. You simply put * * around what you want to be bold and it's done. You can find a full list of options on the support page.
5) Control your notifications. Discord is used by so many communities and if you are in multiple servers, the notifications and become overwhelming. Particularly in larger groups, that can be a lot of messages! Fortunately you are able to mute servers so you aren't drowning in them every time you log in! Also great if you want to turn off notifications of a work chat when not working to be able to relax.

Will you be looking at Discord for your business? What other tools are you considering from our stream? We will see you next Friday for our Friday Focus which is going to explore Supporting and Training Others with Technology and specifically using Chrome Remote Desktop. See you Friday!

Friday Focus: Digitally Collaborating on Documents with Google Drive

Another Friday which means another Friday Focus. This week we were looking at ways to work collaboratively with your team whilst working remotely. A really valuable and practical tool to use both now and once we return to normal. Stream is below and if you would like the notes, here they are.



Now you're up to date, here's our 5 top tips for using Google Drive:

1. Google Drive has the capabilities of converting text from PDFs and images straight into a document file, so useful and time saving compared to retyping it all!
2. You can save time bu turning on email notifications when someone had edited a document. No more checking just in case someone has done some work.
3. If there are multiple people using a document at once, you can use the built in chat feature to discuss options. This is great for simple queries like does this make sense or what do you think of this font choice?
4. Google Drive allows for colour coding items, so to use our project as an example we could colour code each business we support for quick and easy access to each businesses files.
5. Take advantage of ownership levels. Sometimes a document doesn't need editing, just a second opinion. There are 4 levels of ownership on Google Drive: Owners, Editors, Commenters or Viewers. You can invite colleagues and give them as much editing abilities as you like.

So those are our 5 tips for Google Drive. Next week we will be focusing on digital communication. Definitely not one to be missed!

Friday Focus: Using Trello to Keep Your Team on Track

This week's Friday Focus saw us looking at how Trello can be used to help keep yourself or your team on track and goal driven. Think of it as the virtual equivalent of sticking to do post its too your screen, just more efficient and less waste! If you missed our stream you can view it at www.digitalucs.co.uk/live (as well as our other Friday Focus streams) but it is also embed below:

 You can find the accompanying notes here.

So now that you're up to date, here our are top tips to utilise Trello:

1. Keep it simple. If you over complicate a board, it isn't going to quick to see what you need to do. This is key for both an individual board or a group board. If it's not kept clear and simple, a Trello board can quickly become an overwhelming nightmare! Better to have multiple boards than cram too much into one.
2. Use comments. If multiple members of a team are using a board to complete tasks together, make sure you use the comments option. This will save time having to chase up why something has changed or why something has been done in a certain way. It allows for that quick conversation you would have in the office which doesn't seem worth an email! It's also a great way as an individual to keep a report of when you are doing specific tasks.
3. Learn the keyboard shortcuts. Trello has numerous ways to make your experience as productive as possible, one thing people miss out on is using keyboard shortcuts. We will let you explore these on your own time as there are a lot but one definitely worth noting is pressing "q" will filter the cards to show just what is assigned to the logged in individual! So much easier to focus on your own task than a sea of cards for everyone.
4. Keep it updated. We all know how annoying it can be when you're in a good work flow and someone pesters you for a task you know you've done, but did you mark it as complete on Trello? It's not just about keeping track of yourself, by updating the board, other's will know where you are up to and the time used emailing can then be used productively.
5. Turn emails into cards. Every Trello board has an email address allowing the user to forward an email to the board rather than copying and pasting the same information. Likewise each card has an email too, forward an email to that and it becomes a comment on the card (perfect for tip 2!). This can be a great time saver.

Trello is a great tool, making sure you work smarter, not harder. However it is as only as good as you make it, we all have our own practises when using Trello and now you'll be well on your way to maximise your productivity using it!

Our next stream will be 17th April (not the 10th as it is Easter Friday) and we will be exploring working collaboratively on documents using Google Drive. See you then! 

Tools for Boosting Your Productivity Whilst Working From Home

With all going on in the world at present, we thought it was high time we highlighted some great tools and platforms to use when working remote. To some businesses this a new idea for their own business, where others this is a day to day occurrence already! Whatever your circumstance, we wanted to highlight some platforms we think could assist your working remotely journey. 

Zoom

Zoom is a video conferencing app which is a perfect solution for holding meetings for your team from your own home. Available web and app based, as well as both Windows and Mac friendly so there is no excuse to not be able to join in! The basics of Zoom are free, and for most SMEs they will be more than enough! The main limit you will face is the 40 minute limit to group meetings, so keep the agenda concise, or if you are feeling like investing in Zoom for your business the next value package is £11.99 a month which grants you a limit of a 24 hour meeting! However the free package does come with plenty of exciting and useful features, including web conferencing, Chrome plugins and scheduling. You'll be wondering why you didn't meet virtually, sooner!

Google Hangouts

Although not a purposefully designed workplace app. it could definitely be utilised by your team for simple catch ups and meetings. The app is free, but video calls are maxed at 10 people, but could be a great tool for a SME, especially if you already utilise the other productive boosting Google tools, why not have everything in one place! You can even schedule meetings, direct, into your Google Calendar.

Trello

Beloved by some already, Trello is a great way to keep yourself on track or keep a team focussed with a board between you all. Trello is the equivalent of todo post it note stuck to your monitor, just virtual and less trips to the bin. Create a board based on your project, break it down to a to do list, colour code items and tick them off as you can go. You could have a board as an individual or add members of the team and make a group board, and see everyone tick their work off and make sure everyone is staying on track. Trello also allows use of Power-Ups, such as Expiration Reminders. It also can be compatible with file storage like Google Drive and Dropbox, making it an invaluable tool when working remotely.

Slack

Slack is a great multi purpose tool, and for those working as an individual or a minimal team then the free plan could be a great fit for you. The paid plans (starting at £5.25 a month) would be a better fit for a larger team due to the limits in access, but Slack has so many features that makes that investment worthwhile. Slack can be utilised in multiple ways, including message boards, file storage and video calling. Even on the free plan, you can integrate up to 10 other apps (unlimited on paid plans), including Google Drive and Office 365. Slack, for some, has become a one stop shop to streamline team work with messaging, filesharing and tools like a workflow building, it could be the perfect fit your business. 

Google Drive

Google Drive is a great choice for your cloud based storage, making your files accessible anywhere and everywhere, but Google Drive has the added bonus that multiple people can access and edit a document at once, allowing for collaboration on work even when not in the same room. This works across Windows, Macs and even mobile devices! The free version comes with 15GB of storage, though paid options are available. There is also the G Suite plans, which can incorporate multiple of the helpful tools from Google so could be a route for you if it suits.

Asana

Asana another project and task manager but attempting to create an office environment when working remotely on their platform. The free package allows you to create tasks, work boards, assign work and due dates of up to 15 people in your team. However the premium packages (starting at £9.49) allow for some really helpful tools, such as dependency of tasks, automated rules and even build a portfolio from the work done on Asana. If you are managing a team it has some interesting capabilities like Workload Tracking to make sure certain people aren't overloaded with tasks or others are keeping on top of their work. In addition to the team chat, Asana has Task Comments, so if someone needs clarification on something or just a quick question, you ask on the task rather than in the group chat. Similar to how you could just ask the person a question across the office if in person. Asana also has app compatibility so can work alongside a multitude of platforms to get the most out of working remotely.

Serene

With Serene you set your time table and set what you can and cannot do during those times. Too tempted by Facebook? Then set it to be blocked during a work session so even if you give in to procrastination, it is quickly stopped! Setting "Work Sessions" allows you to set yourself a task, a length between 20-60 minutes and everything you have blocked is unusable until the session has completed. This then allows you short breaks between tasks, to supposedly aid productivity. It is currently only available for Macs but Windows compatibility is coming soon.

Daywise

An app to stop work! When working remotely, the lines between work life balance can become blurred so apps like Daywise are so important. Daywise allows you to control when you receive notifications for certain apps, so out of hours you won't be tempted to check every time you are notified a new work email has come through. This can be even used to stop clients from calling out of work hours! It is currently only available on Android.

Second Life
If you are really looking to get experimental with your options to work remote, why not look at virtual reality! Second Life allows you to build a virtual space (could be your office or could be the zoo, that's the fun!) and allows users to join as their own virtual person, then host your business meetings in the space. Unless you are willing to buy space it will be public so you may have some meeting crashers, but buying "Private Property" is an option if you're really committed to utilising Second Life! We are not saying VR is the work remote choice for all, but unless you try, can you rule it out?

Every business has different need and only you will know what will work for your businesses and optimise productivity! Some of these may not work for you and there are so many other great tools to try and test out there. There are so many potential platforms for you, most you wouldn't have even thought of!  We do hope that this gives you a good starting point when delving into the world of working remotely. If you have any recommendations, or any tips or tricks for working remotely, please let us know below!

Useful Business Information Covid-19

As a project supporting businesses, it is crucial we pay attention to the developing situations facing businesses and currently a large concern for businesses in COVID-19. We thought it would be useful to provide some links from official sources to gain information. As this is an ever developing situation, we recommend businesses check for updates on a regular basis on .GOV.UK but here are some useful links below:

Update (24/03/2020): New guidance in regards to the lock down in the UK

Further Information:

• Marches Growth Hub advice and guidance
• Information from Shropshire Council
• Information from Telford Council

• Guidance for businesses 
• Information on grants for the self employed
• Information for the public
• Guidance as an employee
• Staying at home guidance
• NHS advice
• Travel advice

As previously said, this is a developing and ongoing situation so stay up to date and stay safe!

South Shropshire Chamber - Paul Andrews "Creating Apps With No Code"

Shropshire Chamber recently relaunched themselves in South Shropshire, starting with a networking breakfast at the Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre. Digital Solutions were fortunate enough to be invited to talk at the event. This is Paul Andrews, our Lead Research Fellow, delivering a talk on "Creating Apps Without Code" utilising Glide. Paul creates a basic app for a randomly selected business live in the room to demonstrate the ease and capabilities of Glide. Watch the talk below and if you are interested in the notes to follow along head to our website.

DING #3 - Alex Whittles "The Evolution of Machine Learning"

12th February saw the third Digital Innovation Networking Group at University Centre Shrewsbury. Despite some logistical issues due to flooding and poor weather, we still had a great turn out but most excitingly we had Alex Whittles from Purple Frog do an excellent talk on Machine Learning. Incorporating into Darwin Week, the talk focussed on The Evolution of Machine Learning. If you couldn't make it and want to listen to the talk then look no further:


If you are interested in the next DING event, DING#4 will be happening June 10th, get your tickets here.

Introduction

Welcome to the blog for Digital Solutions, based at University Centre Shrewsbury. A little about us? We are an ERDF funding project, providing digital innovation and support to B2B SMEs located in the Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin area. Utilising our own expertise, reaching out to the wider university and being supported by Marches Local Enterprise Partnership's Growth Plans, we support SMEs in their digital development.

So what can you expect from this blog? Here we want to be a blog for all the project supports, ranging from technology news, insights and tips for businesses as well as overviews of some of the companies we have assisted and how. If you are looking for how we can help you or just interested in technology developments then this is the right place to be!