KVA Tech Tip Guides

Computer Help App

Keyboard Shortcuts

Downloading

Applications

Save to OneDrive

for Access Anywhere

Customization

Get to Know Windows 11

Splitting Your Screen

Screenshots with Win+Shift+S

Customization

Change your Profile Picture in Teams

Tech Tip for Tuesday,

Megan Heineman, Melissa Cook, and Angelica Clark

Fix Basic Tech Issues with Computer Help

Use this handy tool, developed by our KSD TSS team, to check on the health of your device and correct simple problems.

On the desktop of all KSD devices you should find a shortcut for the Computer Help app. The tool was built specifically for KSD devices to help reduce the need for outside help in resolving routine issues experienced on district devices.

Upon opening the app, staff and students are presented with some basic information about the computer as well as a colored indicator to quickly assess the status of the computer.

Jumping to the Health tab, you'll find more colored indicators to show the current state of each of the listed items. If any of the indicators are not green, you will be presented with a button which you can use to make the appropriate correction to resolve the issue.

In the Tools tab, you'll find a multitude of buttons which can be used to fix a variety of possible issues. If you are experiencing a specific problem with your computer, click through and read the brief descriptions to see if there is a fix to your issue.

Use the Links tab to find a list of potentially helpful links used in KSD.

How to update your drivers

If you are experiencing a lot of issues with your device, it is helpful to check the status of your driver. You can check the status by following the steps below:

1. Open the computer help app
2. Go to “Health”
3. Click on the “Check Drivers” Button
4. Click on “Drivers” (Note, it could take 5 minutes to check for updates).
5. If it finds updates, select “yes”.
6. If it does not find any updates, click on the “Network” and “Firmware” buttons to check for updates.
7. If updates are found and installed, please restart your computer.

Downloading Apps with Company Portal

KSD no longer has access to the Microsoft Store. Staff and students will need to go to the Company Portal to find their favorite applications such as Minecraft Education and Adobe Cloud. Watch the video below to learn how to find school approved applications.

Tech Tip for Tuesday,

Megan Heineman, Melissa Cook, and Angelica Clark

Using Keyboard Shortcuts for Quickly Splitting Your Screen.

Have you ever wanted to be able to view more than one thing on your computer screen at the same time? Use these keyboard shortcuts to quickly split your screen and view up to 4 things at once.

Windows logo key + Left arrow key: Maximize the app or desktop window to fit the left side of the screen.

Windows logo key + Right arrow key: Maximize the app or desktop window to fit the right side of the screen.

Tech Tip for Tuesday,

Megan Heineman, Melissa Cook, and Angelica Clark

Using Keyboard Shortcuts to Switch Windows Quickly

Have you ever needed to jump back and forth between two programs on your computer, but didn't want to take the time clicking on each program in the taskbar every time you want to switch? Use Alt+Tab to quickly switch between the windows that you have open on your computer.

• Quickly press the Alt+Tab keys together to switch from your current window to the last one you had open. Pressing them again will switch back.

• Keeping the Alt key pressed and releasing the Tab key allows you to see all currently open windows. You can cycle through them by tapping the Tab key, using the arrow buttons, or by clicking on one with your mouse.
  

Tech Tip for Tuesday,

Megan Heineman, Melissa Cook, and Angelica Clark

Taking Quick Screenshots with Win+Shift+S

Try this simple keyboard shortcut to quickly snap pictures on your computer screen.

While many are familiar with the Snip & Sketch tool available in the Start menu, less are aware that there exists a handy keyboard shortcut to take screenshots instantly, Windows + Shift + S.

Pressing Win + Shift + S dims the screen and brings up the snipping tools. The 4 snipping tool options are:

• Rectangular Snip - Allows you to select a rectangular box for your snip

• Freeform Snip - Allows you to draw any shape as the bounds for your snip

• Window Snip - Allows you to select an on-screen window for your snip

• Fullscreen Snip - Captures the full visible screen in your snip

After selecting your snip, your image sits in your clipboard and can be pasted anywhere as an image. Additionally, when you capture your snip, you may notice a notification pop-up. Clicking on the notification will open the Snip & Sketch tool and allow you to mark-up and edit your snip before copying to the clipboard or saving as an image.

Tech Tip for Tuesday,

Megan Heineman, Melissa Cook, and Angelica Clark

Win+V the Clipboard History Shortcut you may not know you already have

The Windows key pressed with the v key is a shortcut that everyone should really know about. This shortcut adds a clipboard history of snippets that you have copied which can be retrieved and used later.

How to Enable Clipboard History in Windows 10

• First, click the “Start” button, and then click the “Gear” icon on the left side of the Start menu to open the “Windows Settings” menu. You can also press Windows+i to get there.
• In Windows Settings, click on “System.”

• On the Settings sidebar, click on “Clipboard.” In Clipboard settings, locate the section called “Clipboard history” and toggle the switch to “On.”

• Clipboard history is now turned on. You can now close Settings and use the feature in any application.

How to View Clipboard History in Windows 10

• Once you have enabled Clipboard history, you can call up a list of items you have copied recently while using any application. To do so, press Windows+V.

• A small window will pop up. The most recent items you’ve copied are at the top of the list.

• You can click on any item in the Clipboard history list to paste it into an open application.

• To remove items from Clipboard history, click on the ellipses (three dots) beside the item you’d like to delete. Select “Delete” from the small menu that pops up.

• If you’d like to remove all the items from Clipboard history, click “Clear All” In the ellipses menu.

• It’s also possible to pin an item on the Clipboard history list. That way, it will stay on the list even if you reboot the computer or click a “Clear All.” To do so, click on the three-dot menu and select “Pin.” You can unpin the item later by selecting “Unpin” from the ellipses menu.

• Clipboard history stores a maximum of 25 entries, with the oldest items disappearing as new ones appear. Also, unless an item is pinned to the Clipboard, the Clipboard history list will reset every time you restart your computer or device.

Tech Tip for Tuesday,

Megan Heineman, Melissa Cook, and Angelica Clark

Expanded Emojis in Teams

ICYMI Microsoft Teams has expanded the number of emojis available to users from 85 to over 800. Users can now use the expanded emojis when reacting to a chat message as well as using them directly in their messages.

React to a message

Insert in a message

• Users can use a shortcut to make emojis appear in a message. In the message they can type (happyface) or whatever emoji they want to insert in the message.
• Click HERE to learn more about all the available emojis and keyboard shortcuts.
  

Tech Tip for Tuesday,

Megan Heineman, Melissa Cook, and Angelica Clark

Restoring Closed Tabs in Your Browser

Have you accidently closed a web site? Here is an easy way to get it back. This keyboard shortcut works in most web browsers including: Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome and Firefox.

Using the keyboard shortcut "Ctrl+Shift+T" allows you to reopen the most recently closed tabs in your browser. You can repeat this shortcut if necessary to reopen multiple tabs. This way if you closed multiple tabs you can quickly and easily reopen them by pushing "Ctrl+Shift+T" multiple times until all the desired tabs are open.

Tech Tip for Tuesday,

Megan Heineman, Melissa Cook, and Angelica Clark

Saving Directly to OneDrive for Access Anywhere

Your KSD OneDrive is a cloud-based storage space that allows you to access your documents from anywhere. You can find OneDrive in File Explorer making it even easier to save files and folders directly to OneDrive.

How to save directly to OneDrive

When you go to save your document be sure to select your KSD OneDrive. You can then select a folder you already have or create a new folder. You can access your OneDrive in two ways, either at the top under Kent School District or select "Browse" to open file explorer.

How to drag and drop to OneDrive

You can select files and folders that are saved on your desktop or other places and quickly drag and drop them to your OneDrive. Simply select the files using your mouse and drag them to where you want to save them in your OneDrive.

Check the status of your OneDrive

If you run into problems with your OneDrive, be sure to check to make sure it is syncing properly. In the taskbar look for the blue cloud icon, this is your OneDrive sync icon. Click the cloud to open your OneDrive sync status. If there is a problem with your account, you will see an error message here. You can also manage your settings and storage, pause your sync or quit OneDrive from here.

Additional Resources

• Upload Files to Personal OneDrive Instructional Guide (KSD Sharepoint document)
• Sync files with OneDrive in Windows (Microsoft Support page)
  

Organizing files for the end of the year

Tech Tip for Tuesday,

Megan Heineman, Melissa Cook, and Angelica Clark

How to Clean up your Taskbar

I don't know about you, but if I pin too many icons on my task bar, I have to scroll to find them. Check out this tech tip to find out how to gain more real estate on your task bar.

Follow these three quick and easy steps:

• Right click on the taskbar and click Search.
• A pop-up menu will appear.
• Click Show search icon.

The Search box will now be reduced to a magnifying glass icon, leaving you plenty of room to pack your taskbar!

Tech Tip for Tuesday,

Megan Heineman, Melissa Cook, and Angelica Clark

Customizing Your Mouse Pointer Size and Color

Are you tired of the boring white mouse pointer? Do you sometimes have trouble seeing the standard size mouse cursor on your screen? Here is how to get to the mouse size settings and how to change your pointer’s size and color in Windows.

In the search bar type pointer to locate and open the Change Mouse Pointer Color settings.

Once you've opened the mouse settings you can drag to adjust the size of your pointer. You also have different options for your mouse pointer style;

The first two options are white with a black border (which is the default) and black with a white border.

The third option, shown as black on a white background and white on a black background, has an inversion effect, making your mouse pointer always visible, by changing it to a color complementary to the color you’re hovering over. This does not just happen for black and white: hovering with your pointer on a blue background makes it turn orange, a red background turns it cyan, and so on.

The last mouse pointer style allows you to customize the color of your pointer. Clicking on it reveals a rainbow of recommended pointer colors you can choose from. If you like a color from the list, click or tap on it. If you have a different color in mind, click or tap the plus button under the recommended colors. In the new color selection window that pops up, choose any color you like from the whole RGB spectrum. You have absolute freedom in your choice, and a slider at the bottom helps you fine-tune the color you choose.

Librarian

Digital Learning Coach

How to change your photo

How to take a Photo for your Profile Picture

Uploading a photo for your profile picture

If your picture is not showing up right away, Try updating your Teams Cache.

Change your computer password

If you know your password, and want to change it, you can do it in office 365!

Follow these steps

1.Click on your picture icon.

2.Click “view account”.

3.Click “change password”.

Tech Tip for Tuesday,

Megan Heineman, Melissa Cook, and Angelica Clark

Cleaning Up Your Chat Messages in Teams

Are all those chat messages cluttering up your Teams? Users can now quickly delete a chat in Teams.

To delete a chat, go to the message and select More options (the 3 dots). then select the delete chat option from the pop-up menu. Then click delete.

• Visit the Microsoft support page for more information on how to delete a chat.
  

Tech Tip for Tuesday,

Megan Heineman, Melissa Cook, and Angelica Clark

Exporting Your Minecraft Education World

Have you ever had your laptop reimaged and afterwards realized all your Minecraft Education worlds were gone? Well then, this tech tip is for you.

Why would I need to export a Minecraft World

Since Minecraft Education worlds are specific to a device anytime your device is reimaged, you will lose those Minecraft World files unless you have exported and saved them to OneDrive or a flash drive. Exporting a Minecraft world is also how you can share a copy of your world with colleagues or students.

How to export a Minecraft World

1. From the Minecraft Education start screen, click “Play”
2. Click "View My Worlds" to see all of your worlds
3. Click on the world you want to export, and then click "Manage"
4. Click “Export World”
5. Save the world to your location of choice. The exported .mcworld file can be placed anywhere (network drive, USB, etc.) to provide maximum flexibility. I suggest creating a folder for your exported worlds.
   

Additional Resource

• Check out this article from the Minecraft Community with tips for importing, exporting and managing worlds.
  

How to use the ​Book & Quill in ​Minecraft

Do you use Minecraft Education in your classroom? If the Answer is ​yes, have students show what they know using the Book and Quill! The ​Book and Quill is a journal that provides students with an opportunity ​to record adventures and tell stories. The Book and Quill provides ​enough space for text to allow for deeper student reflection.

Step 1 - Find the Book and Quill

Step 2 - Add Pictures

If you want to add pictures to your book, you will need to add them with your camera first.

• Find the Search tool.
• Type in “Camera.”
• Drop the camera into the tool bar.
• Press E again to close the Inventory.
• With the camera in hand, right-click the word Use to take a 1st person snapshot of your screen.

How to take a Selfie

• With camera in hand, right-click the word Place to put the Camera into your world.
• Control the camera by pointing and right-clicking at an existing block.
• After the camera has been placed, move the crosshair (+) to the camera.
  
• Right-click to Take a Picture. The camera will produce a Selfie.

Step 3 - Open and Edit the Book

Right click to Write in the Book. The Book will show up with Page 1 of 2 and so on.

Step 4 - Sign and Export your Book

• When finished editing, click the sign button to reach the cover.
• Personalize the book by adding a title. Finally select sign and close to lock the book!

Note: Once the sign button has been selected, the book text can no longer be edited. The completed book will appear as a purple book in your inventory.

• The closed Book displays as a purple icon in the hotbar.
• Click the book from inventory and it will open.
• Export the selected book by clicking “Export.”
• When a book is exported, it will save as a .pdf file extension. The default name will be (Book Title) (Author Name). The .pdf file will save in your documents folder by default.
  

Tech Tip for Tuesday, April 30, 2024

Easy Access ​with Pins

Tired of digging through the Start Menu to find ​that program you open every day? Sick of ​having to locate that file you open all the time? ​Use pins in Windows to keep those frequently ​used items easily accessible.

To pin an app, locate the app in the Start Menu.

• If you found it in the “All apps” section, right click on the app, select “More” and then ​“Pin to taskbar”
  

• If you found it by searching for the app, click on the “Pin to taskbar” option.
  

• Another option to pin an app is that while the app is open, you can right clock on its ​icon and select “Pin to taskbar”.
  

• Once your app is pinned, it will always show on your taskbar, even when the app is ​not running. When an app is running it’ll have a narrow bar underneath it, while the ​currently active app will be highlighted and have a wide bar beneath. Apps that are ​not open will show nothing under them.
  

• Additionally, once the app is pinned, you can then pin frequently used files that open ​in that app. Right click on the app in the taskbar and from the list of recently used ​files, hover over and then click the pin icon to pin the file to that list.
  

BONUS!

• Pinning some apps also unlocks convenient quick-access tasks to make frequently ​done activities readily available, without even opening the app.
  

Tech Tip for Tuesday, November 7, 2023

Customizing Your Notifications in Teams

Missed an important message in Teams or didn’t realize someone had sent you a chat. Microsoft Teams allows you to customize your notification settings.

Notification settings are located under Microsoft Teams Settings. To access notification settings click the 3 dots next to Kent School District in the top right corner of teams, then Settings > Notifications.

There are three ways to get notified in Teams.

The activity feed

You’ll find this in the top left corner of Teams. This is where Teams will let you know what’s happening across your teams and channels.

Then there’s chat

This is where your group and one-on-one conversations happen. As you receive multiple messages, Teams will keep a count of them for you.

Desktop—aka “Banner”—notifications

On Windows, these will show in the bottom right corner of your screen, then move to the Action Center.

You can also decide whether your desktop notifications show a preview of the message or not. Go to Settings > Notifications > Show message preview.

When you get added to a team, we’ll automatically show the three most active channels in that team. These channels will send you notifications when someone @mentions the channel. To also get notified for all new conversations and replies, select More options … > Channel notifications, or go to notification settings, and under Shown channels select Edit.

For more information and resources visit the Microsoft support pages.

Tech Tip for Tuesday, October 10, 2023

Quickly Switching Between Tabs in Edge

Ever wondered why some folks are able to quickly switch between tabs in edge. The Windows Ctrl shortcut can be used for quickly getting from one tab to another in Edge.

Windows has many shortcuts built into the operating system. One shortcut that is often overlooked is how to quickly navigate from one tab to another in Microsoft Edge.

Using the Ctrl button along with the number keys or the tab key allows users to switch between tabs in the browser.

• Ctrl+1, 2, ... 8 switches to a specific tab
  
• Ctrl+9 switches to the last tab
• Ctrl+Tab switches to the next tab
  

Visit the Microsoft support page for additional keyboard shortcuts in Micorsoft Edge.