Category: Announcements

Announcements/Updates to the BMC community

Week 4: Beeline Reader

Beeline Reader is a unique tool that transforms the appearance of your text so it has an ombre color gradient. The gradual blending of colors sweeps your eye across the text, making the task of reading less taxing. Because your brain doesn’t have to focus as much on the task of reading, it frees up focus to be spent on comprehending what you are reading. 

There are a variety of color themes you can choose from.  You can also use Beeline Reader to change the size and line spacing of text as well as apply the Dyslexie font to your text. Beeline Reader offers a focus mode that allows you to blur out distracting advertisements and links on the page you are reading. 

Beeline Reader can be used on websites as well as PDFs. If you want to use Beeline Reader for PDF, you must also download the Beeline Reader PDF Viewer. 

Beeline Reader is available for free to members of the Bryn Mawr College community. Follow the instructions in this Ask Athena article to get started with using Beeline Reader today. 

Contact the Help Desk with questions: help@brynmawr.edu or 610-526-7440.

New Look and Feel for Blogs Homepage

LITS recently updated the Blogs at Bryn Mawr College home page. Community members will notice changes to the branding, look, and feel of the site. Functionality remains the same and Bryn Mawr, Haverford, and Swarthmore blogs users can continue to access their blogs and/or create new blogs just as before.

If you have any questions about this change or about the new look and feel of the site, please contact the Help Desk at 610-526-7440 or help@brynmawr.edu.

RESOLVED: Network Unavailable in Brecon and Batten (Saturday, 10/8)

Update, 3:45pm: Internet service in the dorms as been restored. Please report any lingering issues to the Help Desk.

Both Brecon and Batten dormitories are currently without internet access. LITS is investigating the issue and will work to restore access as soon as we are able. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Please contact the Help Desk with any questions: 610-526-7440 or help@brynmawr.edu.

Zoom: Meeting/Webinar Registration Changes Coming Oct 17

Currently when a person registers for a Zoom meeting or webinar, they see the link need join the meeting on both a registration confirmation page displayed immediately in the browser and a confirmation email sent to the address they used to register.

In order to help prevent Zoom-bombing, Zoom will stop displaying the join link on registration confirmation pages by default on October 17. Meeting and webinar participants will only be able to find this information in the confirmation email they receive at the email address they used when registering.  (Hosts can resend these emails at any point.) Note that this change will apply to all upcoming meetings, even if registration started before the change took place.

Hosts will be able to optionally reveal join links to participants who register immediately before an event begins if desired. Since this allows participants to enter without verifying their email address, hosts who do this should familiarize themselves with the in-meeting security features for controlling and removing unwanted or disruptive participants.

Please contact the Help Desk with questions: help@brynmawr.edu or 610-526-7440

RESOLVED: Unable to Access Adobe Products

Update, 2:45pm: We’re very happy to report that Adobe has resolved the issue and that community members should again be able to access all of their usual Adobe products. Thank you so much for your patience while we worked through this situation.

If you continue to experience issues, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the Help Desk.

This morning, when working with Adobe products, community members started receiving a message stating that “This feature is not included in your current Acrobat license”.

LITS staff have been working with our vendor since receiving the other notices last week and were assured that all of our licenses are in place. We are working with them again now and have indicated that this is a work-stopping issue. We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused and are working to resolve things as quickly as possible.

We will continue to update you as we get more information. Please contact the Help Desk with any questions: help@brynmawr.edu or 610-526-7440.

Week 3: Immersive Reader

Immersive Reader is a fantastic reading tool that Microsoft has implemented into many of its products. Check out this link to see the updated list of which Microsoft products have Immersive Reader. 

Immersive Reader allows you to modify the way text appears as well as provides tools to help increase understanding. You can choose the font, size, and spacing of text, as well as what background color you would like the text to be on. You can also change the text so that you can see the words broken up by syllables or labeled by parts of speech. Additionally, Immersive Reader has a feature that allows you to only see one or three lines of text at a time to help you focus. 

If you are having trouble comprehending the text, Immersive Reader has some tools to help. Using the picture dictionary feature you can click on a word and an image of what the word means will appear. You can also use the translation feature to translate words one by one or to translate the entire text into a different language.  All of the grammar features of Immersive Reader are still available when you translate text to a different language. 

Lastly, Immersive Reader will read text aloud to you in a natural sounding voice. Depending on what language your text is in, you will have an option of either or both a male and female voice. You can adjust the speed of the voice as necessary.  

Use this Ask Athena article to learn more about using Immersive Reader. 

Contact the Help Desk with questions: help@brynmawr.edu or 610-526-7440.

Messages about Adobe Apps Expiring

Starting today, community members may receive a message that their Adobe license has expired. We are currently working with our vendor to resolve this and to ensure that no one loses access.

In the meantime, all Adobe apps should still be functioning as normal. Please feel free to click “OK” on the error message if it pops up.

Please contact the Help Desk with any questions or concerns: help@brynmawr.edu or 610-526-7440.