You’d like to quickly open an incognito browser window in Google Chrome. Usually you would click on the three dots on the top right and click New incognito window.
Windows: CTRL + Shift + N
Mac: Command+Shift+N
Windows: Ctrl-Shift-P
Mac: Command-Shift-P
Mac: Command+Shift+N
A new incognito window opens instantly. You can browse the web without Chrome recording every page and activity in its history.
You’ve closed some tabs in your browser, but you want them back. How can you do this quickly?
The following works for Chrome, Safari, and Firefox.
Windows: Ctrl+Shift+T
Mac: Command+Shift+T
If you key that shortcut once, it’ll bring up the last tab you closed. Hit it again, and it’ll bring up the one before that. And so on.
So, you like our FMS TEL blog and you’d like to have something similar. How do you do it?
Go to blogs.ncl.ac.uk. You will see the following page with a choice to create a personal blog or a team blog. FMS TEL use the Team Blog as everyone in our team contributes to it.
Click on the button for your choice of blog. You will then be asked to sign in.
For a Team Blog, if you are not already logged in, you will have to login using your University email (username@newcastle.ac.uk) and password. You will then be presented with a form to request your Team Blog.
You can also use the form here to request a team blog: Team Blog Request Form
For a Personal Blog, if you are not already logged in, you will just enter your username and password . You will then be presented with a form to register your personal blog site.
Please make sure you read the university Rules and Policies regarding publishing content on university servers and applications.
More information can be found at the IT Services Blogs page.
Download the Blog Service User Guide
Maybe you have deleted a lot of text and changed your mind, or decided you wanted it after all. Maybe you undid some of your work but changed your mind. How can you get it back without starting from scratch? You can use Undo to reverse your last action, or Redo to put it back. You can undo and redo up to 20 of your last actions in Microsoft applications. All actions must be undone or redone in the order they were done.
Windows: Ctrl + Z
Mac: Command + Z
Windows
Microsoft and other software: Ctrl + Y
Adobe Software: Ctrl + Shift + Z
Mac
All software: Command + Shift + Z
Your text is restored without you having to type it all in again. Whatever action you previously undid you can redo (there are exceptions though, and the Undo and Redo commands will be unavailable if the previous actions cannot be undone or repeated, e.g. clicking a command on the File tab in Microsoft applications.)
Dr Aleksey Kozikov, School of Mathematics, Statistics and Physics presented on 3D holograms and showed examples of using them in lecture theatres.
Dr Aleksey Kozikov discussed the uses of 3D holograms and showed examples, including the projection of lab equipment, objects, and presenters into lecture theatres.
In traditional teaching approaches, students are taught in a sitting and listening manner. To provide a more participatory learning experience, help students to visualise, clarify the taught concepts and enhance the way students learn, we are planning to introduce 3D “holograms” into the real space learning environment. We will discuss ideas to use holograms of research facilities and extend to any practical activities that are otherwise not possible to do in a lecture theatre
This can enhance in-person teaching and could be a resource used in FMS.
There could be live projections of speakers or leading experts in the field, who could not be there in person. They could join the conversation from abroad but look like they are physically in the room with other speakers.
Lecturers could explain a piece of equipment which was previously too cumbersome to transport to lectures. Students could see a visible representation of equipment beside them as they discuss it.
We could show experiments without the person and equipment physically being in the room. This could be done in multiple rooms simultaneously, relieving the need for large lectures halls or repeated sessions.
NULTConference – Augmented reality in physics laboratories how might this help in FMS?
An extremely interesting talk from Dr Aleksey Kozikov on using AR to allow students to operate equipment in a lab remotely.
We introduce augmented reality (AR) in online physics laboratories and demonstrate their operation. It allows students to see the real and virtual world overlaid with each other. Webcams stream videos of real hands-on experiments live into students’ computers. Virtual objects (buttons, switches, cables, etc.) overlay with the real scenes. As users handle virtual tools, they perform required tasks of experiments. We will also discuss advantages of having AR labs.
The full talk can be viewed here
Equipment was set out with a webcam in front of it. . The webcam was linked to a micro controller which allowed students to control it remotely. Students logged into an onscreen control panel. Virtual buttons were placed over the top of real buttons on the machines to allow students to have the effect of pressing them. The camera worked by using markers which were placed on the machines to help the camera with tracking and keep the virtual buttons in place.
There were also 360⁰ virtual tours of labs. Students could enter and walk around the labs, click on icons to learn more about equipment and click a weblink to a browser to do the experiment. There was no need for software, just a browser. Only necessary functionality was available. No need to log into university computers, and students could work remotely in groups.
Red circles were used as markers for the camera. Next steps were to use Fiducial markers (small QR codes) which can provide much more information. They are also looking for students to be able to use handheld controllers with VR glasses in future development. These would also be used in person in the labs and they would be able to comment to someone through the glasses on Zoom.
This concept may be transferable to some experiments done in FMS labs.
This year, 2021/22, FMS TEL took their first steps into 3D scanning to find a solution for a project in Dentistry.
Below you will find a summary of our progress to date, with further developments to come as we learn the craft of creating 3D digital images.
This is the Artec Leo 3D image scanner. It is a structured light scanner, using light to create geometrical shapes from objects to produce digital 3D versions of real world objects.
The Artec Leo is wireless and has an inbuild screen which you can view the progress of your scan on, rather than having to view on a computer screen like the other Artec scanners. You can store scans onto a micro SD card up to 256gb.
Find out more about he Artec Leo scanner: https://www.central-scanning.co.uk/product/artec-leo/
Artec Studio is used to edit scans, taking you through various processes to create a scan that is ready for online viewing or 3D printing.
Below is a screenshot from Artec Studio 15
Sketchfab is one of a number of sites where you can host 3D scans.
Below are some examples of scans we have created and uploaded to Sketchfab
You may not have expensive software like Photoshop for image editing or you may just want to do a quick edit. There is a free option for basic editing in Windows 10. It’s called Photos.
If you’d like to find out how to do basic editing in Photos then check out this guide on the FMS TEL Community:
Canvas https://ncl.instructure.com/courses/30988/pages/basic-image-editing-in-microsoft-photos
MLE https://mle.ncl.ac.uk/cases/page/30511/
As a result of a few enquiries about extra resources and uses of some media programmes in FMS, we have compiled a few options below. Newcastle University has its own broadcast library with an array of resources. The BBC Box of Broadcasts has many BBC TV broadcasts which educational institutions can use – maybe you’ve seen a documentary or interesting programme on your subject, search BOB for it. TED talks have a plethora of subjects, many of experts talking about issues in their own fields. MERLOT covers a range of subject, with Health Sciences being particularly relevant for FMS.
Newcastle’s IPTV gives you access to more than 8,000 movies and TV shows in dozens of languages, available both on and off campus.
https://iptv.ncl.ac.uk/ (Links to an external site.) (requires university login)
More resource options from the university are available on campus at https://www.ncl.ac.uk/language-resource-centre/resources-facilities/multimedia-resources/ (Links to an external site.)
Have you seen a programme on television which you would like to recommend to your students or use in your teaching?
The BBC have a library of shows available in their Box of Broadcasts. You can search for your programme on there to see if it is available.
https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/ondemand (Links to an external site.) (You will need to login by selecting your institution and entering your university login)
These are only available for broadcast in the UK.
Talks by experts and influential people on education, business, science, technology and creativity.
https://www.ted.com/talks (Links to an external site.)
As their website says, “MERLOT is an international community of educators, learners, and researchers” across a multitude of subject areas including Health Sciences, Biology, Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Business, Chemistry, Communication Sciences and Disorders, Computer Science, Criminal Justice, Engineering, English, Fire Safety, History, Information Technology, Instructional Design and Technology, Mathematics, Music, Physics, Professional Coaching, Psychology, Sociolog, Statistics, Teacher Education, Technical Allied Health, World Languages.
There is a variety of learning materials available including simulations, animations, case studies, presentations, tutorials, quizzes etc
https://www.merlot.org/merlot/ (Links to an external site.)
The Health Sciences Portal can be found here https://www.merlot.org/merlot/HealthSciences.htm (Links to an external site.)
eLearning Brothers regularly host online events for eLearning solutions, which some of the FMS TEL team attend. They own software such as Lectora and CenarioVR, and also provide some development services. They produce webinars on their own software and services, but also produce a number of more general webinars related to eLearning.
You may find inspiration in some of their webinars, which have included:
You can find upcoming events and recordings of previous events at the link below
https://www.elearningbrothers.com/elearning-resources/webinars-events (Links to an external site.)
