Computer Sense Blog and News

Using Copilot as Your Copilot

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 15:21:18 GMT

Microsoft Copilot Can Truly Help You FLY Through Tasks!

Copilot is Microsoft 's AI ( A rtificial I ntelligence) assistant tool that is automatically integrated in the Edge internet browser and, depending on licensing, appears within the Windows environment as well as in Microsoft 365 apps.

Even though AI is not a new concept and has been around for decades whether you have realized it or not, what has felt newer to many people is having AI tools at our fingertips in everyday life more than ever. The commonly known AI tool named ChatGPT is where many people got their literal first touch at using AI firsthand, but there are several AI tools including Copilot who have earned their wings to fly just as well as the other trailblazing AI tools.

Here are some of our favorite highlights to point out about AI tools like Copilot:

WHAT CAN AI DO?
It boils down to input and output . What you ask AI to do is exactly what you will get out of AI.
Think of AI like a new sidekick that you can ask to carry out tasks that you either might not want to do or simply do not know where to begin.
PROMPTING FINESSE
Using an AI tool such as Copilot is like engaging in an electronic two-way conversation , so the more in-depth you want that conversation to be then the more specific your prompts need to be with questions and instructions given to Copilot.
Remember that prompting is as much for asking AI for guidance as it can be for telling AI what you need done.
AI IS NOT A TOTAL REPLACEMENT FOR HUMANS
AI cannot exist without humans. Real human intelligence is what feeds the artificial intelligence . AI cannot reason, judge or feel like humans can. Full stop. Granted, there are AI tools being built and taught to mimic more human behaviors but at the end of the day there will always be a need for humans. After all, who is going to maintain the AI machine language and tools?
AI is data driven and can gather information in a manner and speed that would otherwise take humans a long time to do. So efficiency is the key to why we should lean on AI to perform tasks and pull information together for us.
The common fear we hear is that people are afraid of AI taking their jobs or taking over their lives in some other manner. Not to say there is not some of that happening, but perspective can be powerful if we view AI as a tool that's intended to help make our lives better and to free our time to focus on tasks that only WE can do as humans! Plus, there are new jobs evolving because of AI as well.
AI IS YOUR NEW FRIEND BUT YOU NEED TO BUILD UP TRUST
We understand the hesitation and resistance about using AI tools. The reality is that AI isn't going away. So we like to think of AI like a new friend you're getting to know better and learning to trust .
As impressively intelligent and responsive as AI tools have become, it is still imperative to VERIFY the information being provided by AI tools.
Many AI tools will show their sources or you can include that as a component in the prompt to show sources. Click on those sources to review and verify.
Go to an internet browser to search on the facts given by AI to verify the information is indeed true.

With Copilot being a Microsoft tool, it appears in many places within our computers and other devices at home and in the workplace. Since Computer Sense focuses on workforce upskilling, we conduct training classes in Copilot and offer coaching and consulting to clients as they implement Copilot within their organizations.

Computer Sense would love to help you and your organization to face and embrace the inevitable AI era that is upon us,
so please contact us and let us know how we can assist you!

Getting In Touch with AI and ChatGPT

Mon, 12 Jun 2023 17:52:47 GMT

AI (Artificial Intelligence) and ChatGPT are part of our world...ready or not!

AI stands for Artificial Intelligence. It is a broad field of computer science that focuses on creating intelligent machines capable of performing tasks that typically require human intelligence. AI systems aim to simulate human cognitive functions, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and natural language understanding.

ChatGPT is an AI-based language model developed by OpenAI. It belongs to the GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) family of models, specifically GPT-3.5. It is designed to generate human-like text responses given a prompt or a conversation context. ChatGPT has been trained on a vast amount of text data from the internet, allowing it to understand and generate coherent and contextually relevant responses.

ChatGPT can be used for various purposes, such as answering questions, engaging in conversation, providing explanations, generating creative content, and more. However, it's important to note that ChatGPT is a language model and not a human, so its responses are generated based on patterns it has learned from training data and may not always be accurate or reflective of real-world knowledge.

So how do we recognize when we're reading content that has been generated by a tool like ChatGPT? THAT, my friends, is the challenge! The three paragraphs above were generated by ChatGPT...did you even realize it?!?!

Like it or not, AI tools are a part of our world and will continue to be. Proceed with caution and please use the tools for what they are intended as an enhancement to our human capacity rather than as a total replacement.

For more help on AI tool implementation or training in your organization, please contact us at Computer Sense to let us know how we can assist!

A Note About OneNote

Fri, 02 Jun 2023 12:32:00 GMT

OneNote is a Phenomenal Electronic Notebook Tool, so Let's Unpack It a Bit

Microsoft OneNote is a powerful organization software that many of our clients utilize to collect their thoughts, notes, and other snippets of information. A digital notebook of sorts. It can also be a valuable collaboration tool to share with others when working on projects.

This article details some changes to OneNote you may want to be aware of.

Feel free to contact Computer Sense with any questions. Our expertise may be able to assist you with upgrading to a newer computer software version and learning what's new and different!

DISCLAIMER : Computer Sense is not responsible for information that changes from publish date of this post. Refer to www.microsoft.com as the official resource.

Our Environment

Thu, 01 Jun 2023 12:46:00 GMT

Read What People Say About the Computer Sense Learning Experience

“Very comfortable training environment with thorough instruction. Learned a lot!”

Kristine L., Buehler’s Food Markets

"The energy in this class was great, and I had a blast learning! Having the steps to refer back to in the book is amazing."

Kristen H., Columbus Regional Airport Authority

“It was a low stress class with plenty of opportunity to stop and review when questions were asked.”

Tom E., ArtiFlex

“The instructor's manner and happy disposition made a long class with fairly dry material fly by! Bravo!”

Alan R., dlhBOWLES

“Comfortable pace with explanations of each topic plus the take-home materials will be helpful.”

Janet C., Certified Angus Beef

“What I really enjoyed about the class was that it was taught hands-on from a standpoint of practical application rather than just reading us

the book on how to do things.”
Megan S.; The Babcock & Wilcox Company

“The best thing about this class was that the instructor was very knowledgeable and informative - not many instructors can make computer training fun like she did!”

Michael Y., Lincoln Electric Company

"It’s very helpful to work through examples as each topic is presented."

Tyler W., Schaeffler Group - LuK USA

"Another great class at a great speed for learning!"
Mike R., Tekfor

“The instructor took the time to answer questions specific to our needs. I learned a lot and got my questions answered.”

Rachel C., Wayne County Sheriff's Department

“I really enjoyed the small class size and being able to ask questions about specific problems and what pertained to my job.”

Ashley G., Wooster Brush Company

“It was extremely helpful to be able to ask questions pertaining to our business.”
Brenda P., Compass Systems and Sales

“The class was very beneficial to what I work on. Excellent instructor and presentation. I got a lot out of the class!”
Lisa M., Alpha Security Products

“The best thing about the computer class is that it was very informative and laid back. Great class! Great teacher!"
Beth T., MTD Products

“There were good explanations provided of everything we learned which made it easy to understand. I really enjoyed the class!”

Jenny F., Wooster Brush Company

"The instructor is engaging with a clear and precise presentation, and the course lessons are easy to understand."

Charles L., Columbus Regional Airport Authority

Effortlessly Replicate a Format

Sat, 25 Sep 2021 12:35:00 GMT

When You Have Created a Format That You Wish to Re-Use, Format Paint It!

One of the most versatile tools Microsoft has ever given us is the Format Painter . It's the easiest design tip ever!

Once you’ve found just the right combination of font, size, color, bold, italic, underlined, etc. for a portion of a file (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) you're working in, you don't need to remember all those elements to apply them elsewhere in the document. Simply do the following:

Select a portion of the already formatted text
Click the Format Painter button (on the Home tab of the Ribbon)
Select the text to apply the formatting to

The Format Painter tool turns off after the format is applied.
OR
To keep the Format Painter turned on for multiple uses, double-click the Format Painter button. Now the tool remains active to apply the formatting to as many places as you wish, until it is clicked again to be turned off, or you press the [Esc] key on the keyboard.

To learn more quick and easy tips like this one to make your life easier, contact us to schedule a class today!

Demystifying Microsoft Office Versions

Mon, 22 Feb 2021 13:29:00 GMT

Microsoft Office Versions Can Get Slightly Confusing, So Here Is the Clarification

Should I get Microsoft (Office) 365 or Office 2024? A lot of confusion persists when it comes to Microsoft Office licensing options. There is no one “right” answer; only the best answer for YOU!

Versions like Office 2024 (and prior) are a one-time purchase , good for one computer, and include the core productivity software programs (like Excel, Word, and PowerPoint).

Microsoft (Office) 365 is a monthly or annual subscription , for one or more devices, and currently includes all the latest version Office productivity software programs, cloud storage, automatic upgrades as new software versions are released, and more.

Want the details? Check out these links for more information:

https://products.office.com/en-us/buy/office

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/what-s-the-difference-between-microsoft-365-and-office-2024-ed447ebf-6060-46f9-9e90-a239bd27eb96?ui=en-US&rs=en-US&ad=US

Contact Computer Sense for assistance with whichever version of Microsoft Office you choose.

We can provide help with anything from an answer to a quick question to creating a customized training plan for you and your team. Contact us for more information - we'd love to help you make sense of it all!

DISCLAIMER : Computer Sense is not responsible for information that changes from publish date of this post. Refer to www.microsoft.com as the official resource.

Outlook File Attaching Made Easier

Thu, 18 Feb 2021 13:38:00 GMT

Outlook File Attachments are Easier Than Ever to Include on Emails

One of new fan favorites in Microsoft Outlook (version 2016 and later) is the improvement to attaching files to an email.

Need to send a file you’ve recently worked on?

Within an email message, simply click the Attach File button (paper clip icon) and choose it from the drop-down list that appears.

That’s it, you’re done! Productivity increased, and frustration from searching eliminated!

Excel's Super Hero - Flash Fill

Thu, 28 Jan 2021 13:41:00 GMT

In a Flash, You Will Literally Fill in Vast Amounts of Excel Data with this Tool

In the newer Excel versions ( as of Excel version 2013 ), a new super hero was born: Flash Fill

The Flash Fill tool brings a whole new level of intuitive assistance when you need to separate cell data or combine multiple cells into another cell. Flash Fill is the bigger, badder cousin to the Auto Fill handle we have come to know and love, and works almost like magic by analyzing what you type into a given cell to pick up on the adjacent columns for patterns by suggesting a fill down option accordingly.

How to use Flash Fill :

Create a new column adjacent to existing column(s) within a data list ( the list is source data where a pattern is detected )
In the newly added column, begin at the top cell and type in the data pattern to be followed
( see example in picture above where initials are typed beside the President names but only type the first entry!)
Press [ENTER]
Now in a second cell below the first cell, start typing the same established pattern and watch for a shadow box to dimly appear with Flash Fill "suggested" fill options
Press [ENTER] again to invoke the remaining Flash Fill pattern
OR
click the AutoFill handle to copy down the suggested pattern (use the Smart Tag option if necessary to select Flash Fill option)
OR
click the Flash Fill button on the Home tab under Fill options
OR
click the Flash Fill button on the Data tab

Our Expertise

Thu, 04 Jun 2020 12:43:00 GMT

Read What People Say About the Expertise at Computer Sense

"The instructor was able to answer very specific questions about ‘real’ spreadsheets that we use in our everyday jobs – very helpful!"
Sara-Ann M., Akron Brass

“By utilizing the consulting services of Computer Sense, we've been able to streamline data analysis from days or hours to literally minutes or seconds! The ideas and suggestions provided by Computer Sense create efficiencies with a minimum 10:1 ratio of savings to cost.”
Jim M., Bekeart Corporation

“The instructor was very knowledgeable and helpful. She also shared a lot of tips that aren't in the materials/book.”

Diana M., Schaeffler Group - LuK USA

“Well versed instructor, good communicator, kept class moving effectively and on time.”

Brian M., Lincoln Electric Company

"Instructor was very knowledgeable. Hands-on training is the best. I appreciate being able to contact instructor after class."

Barbara P., Wayne County EMA

"Instructor has a lot of knowledge about Excel! She made sure everyone understood everything and covered other topics that we were interested in too."

Robyn M., Tekfor

"This was an excellent class, well taught and very comfortable and easy to ask questions. Just wonderful!"

Jes C., New Hope Church

"Instructor stopped to answer every question, encouraged more, and still kept the class on pace."

John D., BWX Technologies

"Thorough class, easy to stay engaged with the good use of examples without over-simplification."

Steven M., Schaeffler Group - LuK USA

“Great instructor who’s extremely thorough and knowledgeable. The class examples were very useful, plus the instructor enhanced them to help us learn practical application.”

Cayla I., Lincoln Electric Company

“The best thing about the class was the instructor’s knowledge of the product. We could not ask a question that she didn’t know the answer to!”

Cindy N., City of Wadsworth

"Working with Computer Sense has been very beneficial to our small business. They quickly learned a new software program and made helpful suggestions in managing our data. Debi is very knowledgeable with QuickBooks and was able to be my 'right hand person' in getting our account structure changed to be more functional, while keeping the integrity of our data intact. We look forward to a long term relationship with them.”

Laura R., Runyan Industrial Gas Analyzers, Inc.

“I was most impressed by the instructor’s ability to address our needs and interests.”

Fred H., J.M. Smucker Company