Teams and Whiteboard apps add new functions for online collaboration and meetings, Outlook offers a smart way to let others know when is the best time for a consultation or work meeting for you. Learn more about the Microsoft 365 news in our overview!
Every month, the Whiteboard smart canvas receives additional improvements and functions that push the possibilities of this tool a little further. Newly, it offers ready-made templates that will make your work easier - so you don't have to waste time creating your own designs. There are over 60 of them covering areas such as brainstorming, empathy map, SWOT analysis, storyboard, journey maps, kanban boards, user scenarios and more.
Another useful feature is the possibility to use the Whiteboard when sharing the screen in MS Teams to draw over the shared content. When this function is turned on, Whiteboard creates a static image of the shared content, on which you can scribble, insert symbols, notes or otherwise mark important parts. It is suitable, for example, for analysis, specification or highlighting of content. This all works either in a team or just under the presenter - because he can choose whether to draw only by himself or allow other meeting participants to do so as well.
TIP: Whiteboard is available also for mobile devices!
Whiteboard for Android & Whiteboard for iOS
Do you need to create or edit an Excel spreadsheet with your colleagues or classmates in real time? During online meetings, sharing an MS Excel file and working on it with other participants is now possible. The document will be shared with all invitees, and they will have access to it even after the meeting ends, so it's a good idea to keep in mind who will be able to access it afterwards.
A quick and simple YES/NO voting option has been added to MS Teams. This comes in handy if you need immediate feedback from participants during a meeting or class. Voting can be anonymous, with results visible to all participants, alternatively only to the creator of the poll. You must have the Polls app added to the meeting to run a quick survey.
During presentations and sharing in MS Teams, you can use the new so-called cameo or portrait option. The view can be adjusted to complement your camera portrait and shared content. Alternatively, you can set your portrait to be placed directly in shared content (so-called reporter mode).
The option to set a so-called bookable time has appeared in the Outlook calendar. You can thus reserve time for consultations with students or colleagues. The novelty can also be used to support your own time for undisturbed work - you can let others know when they can meet with you.
The bookable time can be set according to your needs, and you can share it via a link, email or put it in your email signature. The function is currently available only in the Outlook web interface, where it is hidden under the New event button.
As of 1 August 2024, the ESRI ArcGIS Desktop licence, which was previously available to all MU employees and students, will no longer be available at Masaryk University. As an alternative, we recommend switching to the more modern ArcGIS Pro, which offers a modern user interface, greater stability, more advanced features and better user support.
Do you want to know the news about Microsoft 365 tools used at the university? What changes and improvements await us in 2024? We have prepared a webinar for you, where we will not only summarize all the current information, but also look at tips on how to work (together) more securely and efficiently in Microsoft 365.
