ApplePencil and other IOS 15 tips

Here are some new uses for Apple Pencil in IOS15,. plus some new features that you might like to know about.
[The below information was taken from www.techrepublic.com/article/ipados-15-best-uses-for-apple-pencil and from www.techrepublic.com/article/best-hidden-ios-15-features-you-didnt-know-existed]

Apple has a webpage HERE that lists the new features in iPad OS 15.

QUICK NOTE: jot down notes and drawings

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Using Quick Note to jot down notes and drawings

Quick Note is a new feature in iPadOS that allows users to quickly create a new note in the Apple Notes application. Using the Apple Pencil or your finger, drag from the bottom right edge of the screen diagonally towards the center of the screen. When you do this, a small hovering window will appear on the iPad with a new Note sheet.

Using the keyboard on your iPad, you can type a note, but using the Apple Pencil you can begin annotating a handwritten note in the same window. Write or draw with the Apple Pencil, then tap Done. Doing the same action to bring up the Quick Note window a second time will reveal your existing note. If you want to create a new note instead of working with the existing one, simply tap the New Note button in the toolbar. The note will appear in the Quick Notes folder in the Notes application.

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The Notes application in IOS 15.

Using the Apple Pencil, not only can you handwrite a note, but you can also create lines and shapes that are perfectly drawn. If you draw a line with the Apple Pencil, stop and hold the Apple Pencil on the screen when finished, and the drawn line will become perfectly straight. The same goes for squares, circles, rectangles or other shapes you may wish to incorporate in your note.

Take a screenshot with the Pencil

Instead of pressing Power + Volume Up + Volume Down [on the newer models], you can swipe with the Pencil from bottom left corner diagonally towards the center.

Change Swipe Preferences

You can turn those Swipe options on or off:

  1. Settings
  2. Apple Pencil
  3. Select an option, turn it on or off
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Changing the Swipe options in IOS 15

Scan anything into Text

You can use Scan To Text in almost any input field across iOS to scan a document and use the text as input. To do this, tap into a text field in iOS or iPadOS 15, then tap again to show the text editing popover. In this popover, select Scan Text.

Once you select the Scan Text option, a camera view will open allowing you to position the camera over top of a document to scan the text. Tap the text in the document that you wish to insert to have the camera focus on that section, then tap Insert to finalize the insertion of the text into the text field in iOS.

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The bottom half of the shot shows what the camera sees – in the top half the picture has been converted into text.

Change the size of the text for each App

Users have long been able to choose the text size across iOS through an accessibility feature called Dynamic Type by going to Settings | Display & Brightness | Text Size; however, the text size can now be set on a per-app basis instead of setting it system-wide.

To do this, you’ll first need to enable the Control Center option by following these steps.

  1. Open the Settings app.
  2. Navigate to Control Center.
  3. Add the option for Text Size.

Now open the Control Center while in any app and tap the “aA” button to get a Text Size control panel. Use the slider to enlarge or shrink the text size, and set whether you want this setting for All Apps, or only the one you’re using.

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Changing the size of the text in Safari

Keep track of what an app is doing with your information [App Recording]

In iOS and iPadOS 15, there’s a new feature that lets you easily record all of the app activity to see which apps request system-level functionality like camera, microphone, internet access and more, and be able to download privacy reports to look at per-device.

To enable the app recording functionality, perform these steps.

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Navigate to Privacy | Record App Activity.
  3. Enable the toggle for Record App Activity
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Enabling Record App Activity

Move Safari’s Address Bar

Safari made a drastic change to the user interface in iOS 15. As a result to pushback during the beta testing period, Apple has revamped the design, but it still allows users to decide if they wish to use the old look (with the address bar on top) or the new look (with address bar on the bottom).

You can make this change in Settings | Safari by selecting Tab Bar (bar on bottom) or Single Tab (bar on top). However, you can also make this change in Safari itself by opening the app and tapping on the “Aa” icon in the address bar, then selecting Show Top Address Bar or Show Bottom Address Bar to move it 

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Moving Safari’s address bar without leaving Safari

Drag-n-Drop between apps

iPadOS has long had the ability to drag and drop files between apps, but now this functionality has made its way over to the iPhone with iOS 15. You can now drag and drop a file from one app into another by dragging an image, URL or other draggable data type from one app, navigate to the Home Screen or Multitasking Launcher, open another app, and drop the text, image, URL or other data type. This gesture works just as it does on iPadOS, but does require some talent as the screen on iPhones are much smaller and keeping a single finger dragging the item while the other hand or finger launches another app can be tricky.

iPads and Printing

If you are having trouble printing on your iPad – AND other students **can** print – here are some things to check:

Step One:

Correct printer?

Are you printing to the correct printer? A surprising number of students stand by one printer while their documents is being printed in the other building.

Step Two:

Bump your Network.

This is more than just turning your Wi-Fi off and then on. You want your iPad to “forget” the MDS-student network, then reconnect it. This often clears the decks and allows your ipad to find the printer.

Thing you can multitask? Think Again.

Multitasking is a myth. What you THINK of as “multitasking” is ACTUALLY “serial mono-tasking”. You really are working on ONE task at a time, and switching from one to the other quickly.

The problem?

Everytime you switch, it costs you time, energy, and attention.

Disagree? Read the article below.

Try reading it while you are doing NOTHING else – just focus on the article.

See the source image
Multitasking is a Myth. It’s a TERRIBLE way to study.

The article below taken from https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/creativity-without-borders/201405/the-myth-multitasking

Think you’re good at doing several things at once?

Reading and listening to music? Driving and talking on the phone (hands-free, of course), or texting while sitting in a meeting?

Think again.

Research in neuroscience tells us that the brain doesn’t really do tasks simultaneously, as we thought (hoped) it might. In fact, we just switch tasks quickly. Each time we move from hearing music, to writing a text, or talking to someone, there is a stop/start process that goes on in the brain.

That start/stop/start process is rough on us. Rather than saving time, it costs time (even very small micro seconds). It’s less efficient, we make more mistakes, and over time, it can sap our energy.

Still don’t believe me?

Take a small test that I learned recently in a workshop about mindfulness, delivered by the Potential Project, a group based out of Denmark. Here it is:

  1. Draw two horizontal lines on a piece of paper.
  2. Now, have someone time you as you carry out the two tasks that follow:
  • On the first line, write:
    • I am a great multitasker
  • I am a great multitasker
  • On the second line, write out the numbers 1-20 sequentially, like those below:
    • 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
  • 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

How much time did it take to do the two tasks? Usually it’s about 20 seconds.

Now, let’s multitask.

Draw two more horizontal lines. This time, and again have someone time you, write a letter on one line, and then a number on the line below, then the next letter in the sentence on the upper line, and then the next number in the sequence, changing from line to line. In other words, you write the letter “I” and then the number “1” and then the letter “a” and then the number “2” and so on, until you complete both lines.

I a…..

1 2…..

I’ll bet you your time is double or more what it was on the first round. You also may have made some errors and you were probably frustrated since you had to “rethink” what the next letter would be and then the next number.

That’s switch-tasking on something very simple, but that’s exactly what happens when we attempt to do many things (often more complex) at the same time.

So next time you think you’re multi-tasking, stop and be aware that you are really switch-tasking. Then give yourself a time limit (10 minutes, 45 minutes?) and focus on just one task and see if you can’t complete it better, faster, and with less energy.

About the Author

Nancy K. Napier, Ph.D.

Nancy K. Napier, Ph.D., is Professor of Strategy and International Business at Boise State University.

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Beyond the Blue Podcast — Creativity

Notes, Tips, Hints, & Answers