Practical IT training advice, course ideas and workplace software tips from Computer Tutoring.
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Three hours to introduce ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot to a group of beginners. What could possibly go wrong? From technical hiccups and missing logins to delegates asking about AI coding, a recent online training course raised some familiar questions about teaching technology when the technology has other ideas.
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Power BI can look fairly daunting when you first open it. But during a recent beginners training day with Broadland District Council and South Norfolk Council, I watched that change. As the day progressed, the delegates stopped simply learning the software and started seeing what they might actually be able to do with their own data.
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A Power Automate course at Cambridge's Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics left me wondering whether I had made some of the training too simple. Then I started thinking about why people come on training courses in the first place. Is it because they couldn't work the software out themselves, or because there might be a much quicker route?
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If Copilot can create formulas, analyse data and even build PivotTables, do we still need to learn Excel properly? Something a delegate said during a recent Excel training day made me think the answer is very definitely yes.
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I had until Monday to refresh my beginner's Power Automate manual... What I didn't expect was for my go-to tool to buckle under the pressure, and for a completely different one, that I'd never even used before, to step in and finish the job.
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You can often tell within the first few minutes of an AI training session who is enthusiastic, who is curious, and who would rather leave it well alone. A recent Copilot session got me thinking about what a trainer should do when someone has already decided AI isn't for them, and whether resistance to AI can sometimes be about something deeper than the technology itself.
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A one-to-one Excel session with FMG Consulting was a reminder that using spreadsheets and feeling confident analysing data can be two different things. We explored practical formulas, made room for some intermediate topics and found a useful job for Copilot along the way.
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Microsoft Word made a few jaws drop again on my latest Copilot training day at CamVac. But the more interesting question came from those who hardly use Word, Excel or PowerPoint at all. If your working day is spent fixing, building or maintaining things rather than sitting behind a desk, where does AI fit then?
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A day of Copilot training with FBC Manby Bowdler in Wolverhampton reminded me that regular AI users can still discover completely different ways of working. Sometimes it only takes a few changes to the way you prompt, research and automate to realise how much more Copilot can do.
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A one-to-one Microsoft 365 training day at City Academy Norwich made me question something I had never really considered before. Is OneDrive actually better in the browser than through File Explorer? Watching someone else use it with confidence certainly made me rethink some of my own habits.
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A day of Copilot training at CamVac in Cambridge showed just how much difference a better prompt can make. Using the simple CRIT framework, we explored how context, roles and even getting Copilot to ask the questions can completely change the quality of the answer.
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What do a 35°C e-bike ride, the Royal Albert Hall and a PowerPoint doughnut chart have in common? Quite a lot, as it turns out. A half-day training session reminded me that sometimes the simplest PowerPoint techniques can make the biggest difference.
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A simple question about the meaning of life turned into one of the best demonstrations of the day. During Copilot training with UKAHT in Cambridge, one small change to a prompt showed just how much context can improve an AI response.
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During a full day of Microsoft 365 training at the Royal Albert Hall, our discussions revealed a challenge common to many companies: people use Teams every day, but are they using its full potential or mainly just chatting?
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Twelve delegates. Five different organisations. Ninety minutes. One simple goal: to cut through the AI hype and explore how Microsoft Copilot can genuinely help businesses. By the end of the session, the most valuable lessons hadn't come from me. They came from the questions, experiences and conversations shared by everyone in the room. I've written up my biggest takeaways in this article.
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New to ChatGPT or not sure what to ask? These five practical prompts (plus one bonus) will help you get better answers, save time and start using AI with confidence.
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Outlook can be a tool you have to wrestle with even at the best of times. Now Copilot enters the ring, it feels as if you’re wrestling against two opponents rather than two assistants.
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Discover how I progressed from using ChatGPT and Dreamweaver to Codex and Visual Studio Code, creating an AI-powered workflow that helps automate website updates and SEO improvements.
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