Do you ever read an email and think to yourself, “I’ll respond to that later”, and then, forget? Do you sometimes read emails and realize that the time it would take to respond is more than you have at the moment, but again, forget to come back to that email?

You are not alone! In fact, if this was a vlog (or video blog) instead of a blog, you’d see me, the writer, pointing at myself as this, was, a problem I used to face. … Yes, was, past tense.

I’ve adjusted my Outlook so that emails are not automatically marked as read just because I clicked on them. All emails in my Outlook stay as unread until I respond to them, or mark them as unread. This way, if I just quickly read an email, but don’t respond to it, it stays as unread as a sign to myself that I need to come back to this email. This strategy, of leaving your emails marked as unread, can be used by you too, with only a few simple adjustments!

Changing How & When Emails are Marked as Read

The default is that Outlook marks a message as read as soon as you click on it. In order to change that, follow these steps:

1. In Outlook, select file, then options, and then advanced
2. Look for the section on “outlook panes”, and select “reading pane”
3. uncheck both of the following:
   • “mark items as read when viewed in the reading pane”
   • “mark item as read when the selection changes”

That’s it! Now when you go to read emails in Outlook, they will stay marked as unread until you reply to them, or manually mark it as read (which you can do by right clicking on the email and selecting “mark as read”).

Microsoft Support Article, Mark a Message as Read or Unread

Bonus Tip!

Filter your emails by “unread” instead of “all” to display unread emails at the top of your inbox!

Microsoft Support Article, View Only Unread Messages in Outlook

Availability Notice

The features outlined in this blog are available in the following Outlook versions: Outlook for Microsoft 365, Outlook 2021, Outlook 2019, Outlook 2016, and Outlook 2013.

You may have noticed a theme over the last couple of posts, and maybe, just maybe, can guess where we are going to go with this blog post (I mean, other than the massive hint of a title…).

That’s right, we’ve talked about Voice Typing and Voice Access for Windows computers, as well as Voice Dictation and Voice Control on Apple devices, now it’s time to bring Android devices into the conversation! But, we’re not just going to talk voice dictation and voice access, let’s explore some of the many accessibility features built into your Android device!

Voice Dictation

To use voice dictation on an Android device, you need to have Google’s keyboard, GBoard, installed. Odds are if you’re using an Android phone, this was already installed on your phone, but just in case it’s not, you can download GBoard from the Play Store.

Now the steps to using voice dictation on an Android device are a little complex, but I’ll break it down for you…

1. On your GBoard keyboard, touch and hold the microphone icon until the words “speak now” show up on your phone
2. Say what you want typed

…that’s it. It’s that simple. We were joking about how complex it is to use voice dictation on an Android phone. 😛

Type with your voice – Android

Voice Access

You guessed it, Voice Access allows you to access and control your Android device using your voice! Newer Android cell phones have this feature built-in and it can be found in the Accessibility Settings on your device, or, if you have “Hey Google” detection on, you can simply say “Hey Google, Voice Access”!

Don’t have Voice Access? Download Voice Access from the Play Store!

The first time you open Voice Access, you will be guided through a tutorial on how to use it. You can even access this tutorial again if you forget some of the commands!

Android Accessibility Article, Getting Started with Voice Access

Switch Access

A switch is an alternate version of a mouse, allowing a user to perform tasks typically completed with a mouse, through a switch. Switches come in a variety of types, from foot pedals, to buttons, to ones that can be activated with breath or blinks!

Did you know that you can control your Android device with a switch?! You sure can!

Android Accessibility Article, Control your Android device with Switch Access

Camera Switches on Android Devices

But wait, what if you don’t have a switch, and don’t want to buy one? No worries, your Android device has a built-in switch, one you probably use every day… your camera! That’s right, you can control your Android device using your camera as a switch!

If you are interested in using your Android device with your camera as a switch, please check out this Android Accessibility Article on Camera Switches.

TalkBack

TalkBack is a feature that not only acts as a screen reader (audibly describing what is on your screen), but it can also describe your actions and tell you about alerts and notifications! You can even use TalkBack with a braille keyboard! Wow.

Learn more about TalkBack – Android Accessibility Article.

Lookout

Through the use of your camera, Lookout provides information to users about their surroundings. This can be very helpful if you can’t see the text on a street sign (maybe it has some poor contrast, or the sun is in your eyes), or need help reading a menu. Lookout can even give audible cues to help an individual scan a barcode and find out information about that food item, or provide information about the type of currency you are holding.

Learn more about Lookout and how it can be used! Android Accessibility Article, Lookout.

To be continued…

There are too many Android Accessibility features to be covered in a single blog post, so stay tuned! We’ll continue discussing Android Accessibility features in a future blog post.

Voice Control is Apple’s version of Voice Access (or Voice Access is Windows’ version of Voice Control)… either way, Voice Control is a feature specific to Apple products that allows you to interact with, and control your device, using your voice.

Turning Voice Control On

If you’ve never used Voice Control on your Mac before, you will need to turn this feature on. Voice Control can be found through your system settings, and is located in the Accessibility section. If you have Siri set up on your device, you can also say “turn on voice control”.
Turn Voice Control on or off on Mac – Apple Support (CA)

What Can Voice Control do?

• Open applications
• Scroll through documents or web pages
• Select buttons (such as to close a window)

What if you don’t know the name of an item?

For example, you want to select an item on screen, but you don’t know the name of that item? Don’t worry! There are two built-in ways to help:

• Label onscreen items, either with names or numbers – use the voice control command “show names” to get onscreen items labelled by name, or “show numbers” to have them labelled with different numbers
• Show a numbered grid – use the voice control command “show grid” and a numbered grid will be displayed on your screen. You can then interact with a location on the grid by saying “click on #”, or say just a grid number to have a smaller grid added just in that location.

For more information, please visit Apple’s Support Article on Using Voice Control on Mac.

Voice Control on iPad and iPhone

As long as your iPad or iPhone has iOS 13 or later, you can use Voice Control on your device!

For more information, please visit Apple’s Support Article on Using Voice Control on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.

Patiently waiting Mac users, it is your turn! Let’s talk voice dictation on Mac products!

Now all of the same reasons why to use voice dictation still apply (such as saving time, supporting thought transfer, and helping you get started with writing, and potentially write more), so we won’t go into details on those in this post.

*If you want more information on these voice dictation supports, please see our previous post – Voice Typing (Windows 11)

Dictating on Mac (desktop or Macbook)

Please visit Apple’s Support Article, Dictate Messages and Documents on Mac for information on:

• How to turn on dictation
• How to use dictation
• How to set a keyboard shortcut for dictation
• How to change the microphone used for dictation
• How to turn off dictation

Running into problems using dictation on your Mac? Check out Apple’s Support Article on Dictation not Working as Expected.

Dictating on iPad

Please visit Apple’s Support Article on Dictation on iPad.

Dictating on iPhone

Please visit Apple’s Support Article on Dictation on an iPhone.

Hopefully you caught the last post on Voice Typing in Windows 11! This post goes (yet another) step farther, and introduces the wonderful world of “Voice Access”!

What is Voice Access?

Voice Access is a feature available on Windows computers running Windows Version 11. It allows users to interact with, and control their computer, using their voice.

Launching Voice Access

You can launch Voice Access in a couple of different ways:

• From the start menu, select settings, then accessibility, then speech. Turn on Voice Access.
• In the Windows Search bar, search for “voice access”, then open the application.

Hint: With Voice Access open, right click on the Voice Access icon on your toolbar, and then select either “Pin to Start” or “Pin to Taskbar”

Getting Started with Voice Access

Voice Access has an amazing “Voice Access Guide” that is built right in. The first time you launch Voice Access, we’d highly encourage you to go through this guide. You can access the Voice Access Guide in the following ways:

• from the Voice Access UI (user interface, or window), select the help button, and then select the option to “Start Interactive Guide”
• say “Open Voice Access Guide” while Voice Access is on and listening

“States” of Voice Access

We like to think of the states of Voice Access like different phases of being awake.

If Voice Access is in the Sleep State, it’s not really listening to you, but, if you say the magic words (a voice command) it will turn on and listen (just like if someone is asleep and you yell loud enough, you’d probably wake them up).

Once you’ve “woken” Voice Access up, it’s in the Listening State, which is when it is fully awake and listening to anything you are dictating or any voice commands you are using.

The last state of Voice Access is the Microphone off State which means Voice Access isn’t hearing a thing you’re saying, not even voice commands. The only way to “wake” Voice Access (or to turn it on from this state) is to click on the Microphone button.

There are also keyboard shortcuts and mouse click sequences that you can use to move Voice Access between states.
Switch Between States with your Keyboard or Mouse, Microsoft Support

Using Voice Access

Using Voice Access may take some time, but it is helpful to think of how you might want to use Voice Access, and then stick to learning how to use it piece by piece. Given this is a lot of information to cover, rather than type it all out in this blog, we are going to categorize a few major ways to use Voice Access, and then reference Microsoft Support Articles.

Working with Windows (of Programs and Applications) with your Voice

Working with Windows of programs and applications covers actions such as opening or closing windows, switching between windows, scrolling through windows, etc…
Use voice to work with windows and apps – Microsoft Support

Using the Mouse with your Voice

You can move the mouse either using a grid overlay, or with motion commands, as well as perform mouse clicks all using your voice!
Use the mouse with voice – Microsoft Support

Interacting with Items on your Screen with your Voice

Interacting with items on your screen would account for actions such as selecting or focusing on an item.
Use voice to interact with items on the screen – Microsoft Support

Using the Keyboard with your Voice

Sounds similar to Voice Typing (or Voice Dictation), but adds in how to replicate common keyboard presses (e.g., pressing the “esc” key to close a window), with voice commands.
Use the keyboard with voice – Microsoft Support

Resources:

Set up voice access – Microsoft Support

Long time blog followers might remember a previous post about voice dictation built into specific applications… and while that post is still relevant today, Windows 11 has taken voice dictation in applications a step further, and made it available across (nearly) your entire computer!

Why Use Voice Dictation or Voice Typing?

• Save time!
  Most individuals can speak faster than they can type – using voice dictation can mean that your document/email/etc… is written in a faster time.
• Supports thought transfer!
  Some individuals find it difficult to transfer what they are thinking into written words, whether on physical or digital paper. Often, it’s easier to transfer our thoughts into spoken words, rather than written words.
• Write More!
  Similar to the above, with less of a barrier in thought transferring, and a faster means of getting your ideas out, you can write more! Hopefully reducing how often you lose your “train of thought”.
• Gets you started!
  No really. Sometimes just getting started is the hardest part of writing. With voice dictation, just start talking! Don’t worry about what your opening line is, or your thesis statement, just talk, and edit later.

How to use Voice Typing?

Remember: Voice Typing is available to Windows computers, running Windows Version 11.

You can launch voice typing in one of two ways:

• pressing the Windows logo key and the letter h key at the same time
• selecting the microphone icon (next to the spacebar on the onscreen touch keyboard)

Voice Commands

A voice command is something that you can say, that the computer understands as something to do, not something you want it to type for you. Some of the more common voice commands are:

• “stop listening” = stop voice typing
• “hyphen” = –
• “exclamation point” = !
• “left parentheses” = (
• “right parenthess” = )
• “comma” = ,
• “period” = .
• “smiley face” = 🙂
• “heart emoji” = <3

We know, those last two were the most important ones!

Additional Information

For additional information, including a full list of voice commands, check out this article on Voice Typing, by Microsoft Support.

Are you a Mac User?

Don’t worry, your turn will be coming up!

Did you miss the Live Demonstration we held back on February 14th showcasing the awesome-ness that is Read&Write?

Were you overwhelmed by all of the phenomenal features available?

Do you want to rewatch the recording because it was too much greatness all at once?

Have you been waiting on the edge of your seat to share Read&Write with your coworkers and fellow students?!

…or maybe you just think Read&Write is a regular amount of amazing, but still want to watch the recording!

Well, wait no more! The recording is now available!
Recorded Version – Read&Write Live Demonstration

And just a friendly reminder, Read&Write is available to all staff and students at Red River College Polytechnic for the unbelievable cost of, free!!! That’s right, you can access Read&Write for free, right now (or shortly after you check out these resources):

• Read&Write at RRC Polytech Information
• Read&Write Self-Directed LEARN “Course”
  Think of this “course” more as a tutorial, or a way for us to house information. This course is completely optional – you are not marked, and it does not impact your grades. Pick and choose which modules you want to go through, and go through them at your own pace.
  • Enroll in the Read&Write Self-Directed LEARN “Course”

Just when you thought we had “cooled our jets” (or calmed down) with our posts about how great Edge is, here we are again! Surprize! Another post about why Edge is great, and you should use it as your primary browser. But first, let’s recap some of the other features of Edge we’ve highlighted…

Previous “Edge is Great” Blog Posts & Features Highlighted

Tech Tips: Work Smarter, Not Harder – Collections in Edge

• Immersive Reader
• Automatic meaningful text when copying/pasting links
• Sidebar feature
• Collections

Tech Tips: Work Smarter, Not Harder – PDF Files in Edge

• Read aloud
• notetaking on PDF files

Tab Groups

What are “tab groups” in Edge (and why should I care)? Tab Groups are a way to organize webpages in Edge. They allow you to take multiple webpages and group them together. Sound (kind of) familiar?… That’s because they are similar to Collections in Edge, but, there are a couple of key features that make Tab Groups stick out (and maybe work better for you than Collections):

Color!

Both Collections and Tab Groups allow you to custom name them so you can recall what’s stored in them, but Tab Groups allow you to choose a color for your group! (yes, we made a whole point, and the first point, about color!)

Maybe you want to have personal tab groups in one color, and school tab groups in another?

Pin Tabs!

What arguably could have been the first and most important point that makes Tab Groups stand out from Collections, is the fact that you can pin them!

What this means is that a pinned Tab Group will always sit in your tabs (and if you’ve colored them, they add a nice pop of color to your window!).

Practical Application for Tab Groups

Here’s a suggestion for students on how to practically use the Tab Groups to make your academic life easier (because isn’t that our goal here at Tech Tips?!):

1. Create a Tab Group for a course you are in (name it with either the course code, TEST-1234, or the name of the course)
2. Choose a pretty color for that Tab Group
3. Within the tab group, save (if available):
   • the LEARN course
   • your online textbook
   • additional resources from your instructor
   • YouTube or LinkedIn Learning tutorials
   • your notes (e.g. Word or OneNote online)
4. Pin the tab group so it’s always there
5. Repeat for all of your courses

Now every time you open Edge, a Tab Group for each of your courses is right there! Simply click on the Tab Group to expand the pages saved within – click on the Tab Group to open all of the webpages you need for that course!

Need more space? Have too many tabs open? You can click on the Tab Group again to collapse the pages saved within back into the Tab Group.

Finished with that course and no longer want it pinned? Either unpin it, or move it to one of your Collections!

Do you ever open up a Word document, and end up spending 5, 10 (or even more) minutes on adjusting things like font style/size/color, bolding or underlining words, or adding pages numbers?

This is because when you open up a blank Word document it is automatically formatted based off of the “normal” template, and that may not match your preferred style (or match accessible best practices). However, if you take a few minutes to adjust the “normal” template and save it, every time you open a new Word document, your saved styles and formatting will be used. Saving you those 5, 10 (or even more) minutes you’d spend formatting, every single Word document!

How to Adjust the “Normal” Template in Word

1. Open Word
2. Click on the “File” tab, and then select “Open”
3. Click “browse” and then type “C:\Users\user name\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates” into the file path, edit user name to be your username, and then click enter
   • Hint: copy the file path above (minus the quotation marks) and then paste it into the file path instead of typing it out
4. Open the “Normal” template (Normal.dotm)
5. Adjust this blank document to have all of the different fonts, size, styles, etc… that you’d like to be default in Word for you
   • Don’t forget to adjust your heading levels as well!
6. After you’re done, click on the “File” tab, and then click save
7. Open a new blank document in Word, and it should be set with the formatting you just saved!

Video Instructions

Accessible Formatting

When you are adjusting your “normal” template, please make sure that you are following accessible best practices and selecting accessible fonts, colors, etc…
Accessible Documents – Red River College Polytechnic

• Sans Serif font such as Arial, Calibri or Verdana
• Minimum 12 point font (including headers, footers or page numbers)
• 1.15 line spacing (for larger fonts use a greater line spacing value)
• High color contrast between text color and page color
• Pages are numbered
• Text is not written in ALL CAPS
• There is adequate spacing between sections of text
• No watermarks or background text/images
• Appropriate use of heading levels

Additional Resources

• Change the Normal template (Normal.dotm ) – Microsoft Support
• Customize or create new styles – Microsoft Support
• Video: Check the accessibility of your document – Microsoft Support
• Video: Creating Accessible Documents in Microsoft Office – LinkedIn Learning

Hopefully we’ve sufficiently created “hype” around Read&Write and you know exactly what this software is, and how much it costs. But for those who may not have heard yet, let us formally introduce you to Read&Write!

Read&Write

Read&Write (also known as R&W) is an application with supports for, you guessed it, reading and writing. …but it’s so much more than that! R&W has features built in that allow students choice in how they interact with their course materials:

• Don’t want to read that online content? Listen to it!
• Don’t want to copy important information down by hand? Use the digital highlighters and export those highlights into a new document!
• Still learning English, or understand information better in another language? Translate the text into another language, and (for most translated languages) listen to the translated text aloud!
• Need a definition of a word but don’t want to open a new browser tab (because isn’t that a risky step towards distraction)? Use the built in dictionary or picture dictionary.
• Want to listen to course content while multi-tasking (maybe folding laundry or walking your dog)? Go ahead!

R&W has features that allow you to do all of the above (and more)!

R&W Cost

Free. $0. No cost, no credit card needed!

R&W LEARN Course

Interested in using R&W, but not sure how to make it do all of the magical things we’ve talked about?! Don’t worry, we’ve put together a Read&Write Introduction course in LEARN that is designed to walk you through installing and using R&W.

Think of this “course” more of a tutorial, or a way for us to house information. This course is optional. You are not marked, and it does not impact your grades. Pick and choose which modules you want to go through, and when you want to go through them.

Accessing the R&W LEARN Course

If you are not already registered, you can self-enroll in the Read&Write Introduction Course.