Microsoft Office Lens: Free Scanning App

What is Microsoft Office Lens Free Scanning App?

Microsoft Office Lens is a free mobile scanning app. As a student you can use it to create scanned copies of photos, documents, text books, whiteboards, posters, business cards and other content. It is available on both iOS and Android devices. Microsoft Lens allows users to further edit the file after scanning, convert them to other formats, and share them with other users. You do not need an Office 365 subscription or any other subscription package to assess the Microsoft Office Lens app. As long as you have a free Microsoft account, you can access this app for free.

Office Lens makes use of Optical Character Recognition (OCR) which even allows the source document to be converted into editable Word document.

Microsoft Office Lens Interface

When you open the Microsoft Office Lens app, your device’s back camera opens with a full-screen view and four content type options. You can swipe through these content options to choose your preference for the content you’re about to scan. Though the on-screen display of each content quality differs, all you have to do is press the white button in the centre of the screen, and your scanned file will be ready in a moment.

Different Content Types in Microsoft Office Lens

Document

You can use the document option to create scanned copies of paper pages, large amounts of texts, books and posters. Using the built-in cropping tool, you can crop out other items in the background to achieve a clear image of the target document.  You can also convert the scans to editable Word documents using OCR.

Whiteboard

Teachers and students can use the whiteboard option to create scanned copies of dry-erase or large boards. This option comes with an automated lightening for improved contrast, and the OCR feature comes in handy to make it possible for a screen reader to read the text and use the file on another application.

Photo

The Photo function is useful for taking pictures of other pictures. You may use it to create scanned copies of printed pictures, or even take new pictures. The front or selfie camera works in this mode, but it does not support the automatic cropping feature.

Business Card

This function is suitable for taking pictures of business cards or contact information and turning them into scanned copies. It is ideal for businesses and corporate individuals.

Microsoft Office Lens for those with a visual impairment.

 If you have a visually impairment you can also make use of office lens as the app supports screen reader functionality.  In this screen shot above you can see the Android reader is called immersive reader.  So you can scan handouts, text books or whiteboards using the app and then have this content read back to you. Alternatively, if you prefer to read yourself you could zoom in on the content to increase the font size.

Conclusion

Microsoft Office Lens is an excellent free tool and we would definitely recommended it to make your life easier when at University.

Download on the Apple App Store

Download on the Google Play Store

 

Visit the A2B Blog for more apps and software.

Thanks for reading,

A2B Assessments DSA Assessment Centre

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Chris Nikic’s Inspirational Story

Chris Nikic – The Iron Man

21-year-old Chris Nikic has made it into the Guinness World Record book as the first person with Down’s syndrome to complete an entire Ironman Triathlon event. According to Guinness World Records, Chris’s achievement is ‘awe-inspiring.’

The tri-athlete who hails from Florida swam 2.4 miles, cycled 112 miles, and ran a 26.2-mile marathon on the same day to complete the Ironman event. The event organised by the World Triathlon Corporation is one of the most taxing single-day sporting events in the world.

The Ironman event has been ongoing for the past 42 years, but Chris is the first athlete with Down’s syndrome to attempt and finish the event and go on to earn global recognition for his performance.

The race wasn’t all smooth sailing for Chris, who injured his knees and blood was shed when he got involved in a bike crash during his cycling. However, he didn’t let this stop him and through grit and determination he persisted on.

Chris successfully crossed the finish line after 16 hours, 46 minutes, and nine seconds, arriving 14 minutes under the official cut-off time, which was an outstanding performance.

If you are struggling to get motivated to exercise in lockdown, Chris’s moto is 1% better. Where each day he just tries to be 1% better than the last. Something most can manage. Check out his website where he has an awesome 1% better 30 day challenge you can get involved with.

Below is an emotional clip of Chris and his father discussing his journey on Theo Von’s podcast “This Past Weekend”… the full episode is also a great listen.

 

Thanks for reading and watching.

learn more about the disabled students allowance

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Todoist Organisational App

Managing time effectively is important when at university, whether it’s studying, completing coursework or exam revision. It is easy to quickly become overwhelmed and feel that there is just not enough time to fit everything in. Making lists of your tasks each day is a great way to keep on top of your work and life.

Todoist is one of the best to-do list apps available. All your information and data is stored and synced in the cloud, which means you can access your lists on any device at any time.  If you need some help with organising your life and becoming more productive then Todoist is a good place to start.

Organising your tasks in a list that you can tick off as you complete them can also be beneficial for your mental health. Firstly, knowing you have all of your jobs in a list can give you mental space and stop you worrying or feeling like you have forgotten tasks. Secondly, looking back at your list at the end of the day can really give you a sense of accomplishment. Especially with the current lockdown, it can feel like days are blending into one, but if you can look back at your lists and see that you have actually done quite a lot.

Some of the Key Features of Todoist

Todoist can give you a sense of confidence from knowing that all your tasks are organised and accounted for. It gives you a clear overview of your day and the tasks you need to accomplish.  Some of the key features include…

Quick Add

The Quick Add feature allows you to add your tasks in seconds. You can then easily view all your tasks for the day and mark them as complete as you go along.

 

Recurring Due Dates

This feature helps you commemorate the deadlines and build habits.

Favourites

You can let go of all the clutter and only focus your energy on the important things by easily organising and prioritising your projects and tasks on Todoist. You can plan out your schedules according to what’s most important first and needs immediate attention. The favourite tab helps you do this.

 

Delegate Tasks

You can also share the workload by delegating tasks to your teammates on Todoist. It’s very efficient and productive for students while working on group projects. The notifications segment in this feature keeps you updated whenever someone completes the task, or post comments. With this feature, you can make all the important information accessible to all the involved members.

Boards

Todoist boards let you easily organise different areas of your life. You could have a board for your studies, a board for your exercise, a board for your social life etc.

Karma

Karma gives you a broad view of your total progress with using the app. Set weekly or daily goals and foresee your work rate trends. Students can use this feature to keep track of how much preparation they’re doing before the exam.

Conclusion

Todoist is an excellent tool that you can use in all areas of your life to help keep yourself productive and motivated. It’s free to get started and to use the basic features however there is a pro option which costs around £30.00 per year, however students can get 70% off at this link.

Download on the mobile app on the App Store and Google Play store.

Or, get the desktop version from Todoist Website.

Learn about other useful apps on our blog.

Thanks for reading, A2B Assessments DSA Needs Assessment Centre

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The Best Mindfulness Meditation Apps

Lockdown is back upon us, we are again restricted from doing things we enjoy, seeing our friends, going to the gym, going to the cinema etc. The current situation can easily have a negative impact on our mental well-being, resulting in feelings of anxiety and depression.

One thing you can do from the comfort of your home is practice meditation and mindfulness. This study from Science Daily found that just one session of mindfulness meditation can reduce anxiety.

If you would like to reap some of the benefits of meditation but don’t know where to begin we have put together a list of the most-effective mindfulness smartphone apps for you. These apps are easy to navigate and are readily available in your app stores.

These aren’t ranked in any particular order…

Calm

Calm teaches mindfulness and offers daily meditation practices in a simple manner that everyone can understand.

The calm app contains guided meditations, including a 7-days-of-calm series. It also has a body scan and meditation that eases tension.

You will also enjoy timed meditation sessions, over 20 visual and audio nature backgrounds.  Calm is free to use but you can unlock more features by purchasing one of their subscriptions.

Get on the App Store or Google Play Store.

Headspace

The headspace app is a creation of a famous meditation teacher, Andy Puddicombe, who describes it as a gym membership for the mind.

This application has a free and paid variant, and users can opt for either option depending on their preferences.

After downloading the headspace app, begin with the ten-day mindfulness and meditation program that helps users to improve their health.

The headspace app has brain development as its focus, and it entails a list of special meditations in areas like a relationship, health, and general performance.

You can also explore tons of quick, one-time guided meditations to redirect and calm the mind quickly when you need a fix.

One of the more unique features of headspace compared to the other apps in this list is that you can connect with your friends on the app and meditate together.

Get on the App Store or Google Play Store.

Insight Timer

The Insight Timer app has a huge amount of free content available to consume and experience. To explore the free content, scroll past the button that asks you to begin a free trial and you will then have access to the free library.

Insight Timer boasts over 6 million active users and is like a huge community with thousands of guided meditations from tons of teachers who add new material daily. The app houses guided meditations across fields like creativity, stress, and relationships. Another cool feature is that on the app you can see how many people are meditating in real-time, and how many meditations are active on that day.

You can also browse through the list of teachers on the app to find out what teacher you prefer and follow their profile. Some popular teachers on the app are Tara Brach, Sharon Salzberg, and Jack Kornfield. Follow any teacher you love and keep tabs on their content to help you through your meditation journey.

Get on the App Store or Google Play Store.

Simply Being

As the name suggests, this app is a simple and straightforward meditation guide created by Richard and Mary Maddux, a couple who make up the Meditation Oasis team.

Richard is a music composer, while Mary is a healing arts practitioner and counselor. The duo created this simple and appealing app that users can download after paying a one-time fee.

Once you download the app, you can listen to several timed and guided meditations with or without sounds of nature and background music.

If you thrive on simple meditative processes, then Simply Being is a useful app of guided meditations.

This app doesn’t have a free version but costs £1.99. Get on the App Store or Google Play Store.

My Life Meditation (formely Stop, Breathe & Think)

In essence, mindfulness is all about stopping, breathing, and managing your thoughts. This is why this mindfulness app has a name that instills the essence and awareness of mindfulness.

A cool feature of this application is that you can enter your current mood it will direct you to the best meditations for your day.

My Life Meditation is a completely free app created by ‘Tools for Peace,” a non-profit organisation for effective meditation.

Get it on the App Store or Google Play Store.

Conclusion

Mindfulness meditation offers many health benefits, but like many good things, it needs constant practice. If you are feeling particularly anxious try and follow along with a guided meditation and see how you feel afterwards. You have nothing to lose.

For further reading on meditation check out our previous blog post Meditation For Stress And Anxiety.

Thanks for Reading, A2B DSA Assessment Centre.

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UCAS Reports Massive Surge In Nursing Students

A record number of students have been accepted on nursing and midwifery courses this year according to the latest statistics released by UCAS.

It is believed that increased emphasis on the health and social sector over the last 9 months, due to Covid-19, has led to a much greater number of students looking for a career in healthcare.

The statistics from UCAS show that there were 6,110 (or 26%) more accepted applications for students studying on nursing and midwifery courses than last year. A grand total of 29,740 students will be studying nursing and midwifery in 2021.

The data also shows a 43% increase in mature students, aged 35 and over who have been accepted on nursing and midwifery courses.

Minister for Care Helen Whately said:

It’s fantastic to see so many people choosing to pursue a career in nursing and midwifery, with over a quarter more students starting on courses. This year has shown just how much we depend on nurses. I have no doubt that their incredible work has inspired the next generation to pursue careers in the NHS and social care.

This year we’ve also introduced a new training grant for nursing students of at least £5,000 a year, helping to remove the barriers for anyone considering this brilliant career.

With over 14,800 more nurses working in our NHS compared to last year, we are on our way to delivering 50,000 more by the end of this Parliament to help us build back better.

If you are interested in a career in health care wrote an article covering the above mentioned nursing grant back in January.

Thanks for reading,

A2B Assessments

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Mental Health Disorders In Higher Education

Moving away from living at home and being independent of your parents for the first time can be challenging. The age span of 16-24 years old is essentially the transition from adolescence to adulthood and this is a high risk period for mental health disorders, including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

64% of the University student population is between 16 and 24 years old, and this increases to 83% if you count undergraduates only.  Because of this, students span an age range where a wide spectrum of mental illness is seen.

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, a study by NHS Digital and the University of Exeter found that 13% of young men and 27% of young women between 17 and 22 years had a mental health disorder. This report shows an increase in the rate of mental health problems, especially among young women.

What Is Meant By Mental Illness?

 Mental illness can be thought of as how we think, feel and behave. There are many contributing factors that can impact one’s mental health, such as;

• Genetics – brain chemistry and biological factors.
• Life experiences, post-traumatic stress or abuse.
• Family history of mental health problems.

With the correct support and coping methods, people who suffer from mental illness can be mentally well. And likewise, people without mental illness can experience very poor mental wellbeing in challenging circumstances where they don’t have the correct support.

Common Mental Health Disorders Among Students.

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Bi-polar disorder
• Eating disorder
• Self-harm
• Borderline personality disorder
• Post-traumatic stress disorder
• ADHD/Attention Deficit Disorder
• High levels of substance misuse

The impact on studies

A recent report from Randstad gives us some interesting statistics on student mental health in 2020.

• 37% of students report deteriorating mental health.
• In 2019 55% of students surveyed said they had considered leaving their course and dropping out of university. The top 3 reasons for this were mental health issues, not being able to cope with the stress and not feeling like the got the support they needed.

However mental health doesn’t just result in students dropping out, it can also negatively affect:

• Performance
• Attendance
• Relationships
• Wellbeing

What is being done to help?

In the above example of the 55% of students who had considered leaving their course, 71% of them said that the Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) had given them the support and confidence needed to stick at it. 96% of students who received DSA support said they would recommend it to others.

For students with mental health problems the weekly meeting with the same Specialist mentor for the duration of their course can be invaluable. In a recent training webinar by Optimum Student Support a mentor told a story of how one of her students had gifted her the only ticket to their graduation ceremony.  A lovely gesture and it helps to illustrate how the student felt about their mentoring support.

There is still some way to go though in increasing awareness around the Disabled Students Allowance and mental health as a whole.  In 2019 the BBC reported that due to confusion over what was meant as a disability and poor awareness meant that 60% of students who would be eligible for the DSA had never heard of it.  A lot of people aren’t aware that disability refers to anything that has a negative impact on how someone carries out day to day tasks, which includes mental illness.

We try our best to raise awareness through our blog and social media pages. If you are student reading this and you do feel like you struggle with mental health you may be entitled to the DSA. Click here to read more about DSA funding and the DSA assessment process.

This article was created from notes taken at an online webinar by Optimum Student Support and this Randstad Report.

 

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Video Games Can Improve Mental Health

A new Oxford University Study investigating the correlation between video games and mental wellness shows that video games can improve mental health.

If you observe the way the media portrays video games, you mainly see negative discussions around addiction, escapism, violence or how much money the developers are making. From TV to the news, video games are consistently getting the negative tag and stigmatised amongst other forms of entertainment.  It is very rare you see discussion of the positive effects of video games and we often fail to consider benefits to the life and wellness of gamers.

The Oxford study observed respondents who play EA’s shooter Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville and Nintendo’s recent hit Animal Crossing. Everyone who participated reported greater well-being and positive mental health owing to their gaming activities.

Previous studies have been done like this but they didn’t incorporate actual play-time data. Whereas thanks to the online nature of these games they were easily able to monitor the time the participants spent playing. The team at Oxford then connected their psychological questionnaires to the gaming time, making it possible to gauge a person’s mental well-being in connection to their game time.

The researchers further solidified their findings by observing several factors connected to gamer experiences, including enjoyment, feelings of autonomy, improved competence and satisfaction.

Although this research is a step in the right direction for many gamers, the findings are not all-encompassing. This research was only conducted based on the two games mentioned above, and any other game could have greater or less impact. Another factor is a person’s attitude or disposition towards gaming which can positively or negatively affect their mental health or experiences.

In light of these new findings, Oxford University hope that the study will spring up more discussions into the benefits of video games and also help to shed more light on video game addiction.

It is estimated that almost 3 billion gamers exist in the world, with a large number of them enjoying the life-improving and overall positive effects of their hobbies.

Will this research influence people to stop tagging video games as sinister, stealthily harmful, and as guilty pleasures which we should overcome and conquer?

Perhaps, now is the time to change the perspective about video games and their effect on mental and general well-being.

Check out the Oxford Press Release and read the full study here

check out more of our posts on student mental health or learn more about the dsa assessment process.

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