Getting started - district account

Welcome to Boardmaker Online!  This tutorial will introduce you to some of the things that will get you up and running quickly with Boardmaker Online.  Here are the topics we will cover:

• Section 1:  Adding/Removing Student Accounts
• Section 2:  Uploading Activities
• Section 3:  Searching for Activities
• Section 4:  Assigning Activities
• Section 5:  Playing Activities
• Section 6:  Printing Activities
• Session 7: Creating New Activities and Editing Existing Activities
• Section 8:  Adding IEP Goals and Objectives
• Section 9:  Associating IEP Goals to Activities and Education Standards
• Section 10:  Tracking Student Progress
• Section 11: Collaboration Between Team Members

Help and Training
We know how important it is to have all the information you need, organized and in one place. The Help menu on the red toolbar in your Boardmaker Online Account gives you access to all of the materials you will need to become a Boardmaker Online pro! Use the keyword search or browse the different topics. Step-by-step tutorials, videos and implementation ideas, are all just a click away!

Ready, Set, Go!
To start learning the basics, you will first need to log in. Since Boardmaker Online is a web-based program, you can go to your district’s unique web page or www.boardmakeronline.com and log in to access your account from any Mac or Windows computer.


Hint: Your District’s URL, Instructor Username and Password can be found in your Boardmaker Online Welcome email.
 

Section 1: Adding and Removing Student Accounts

The first step to setting up Boardmaker Online is to add student accounts.
Your students may have already been set up for you by your Boardmaker Online Administrator, or you may be responsible for creating your own student profiles.

There are 4 different access levels and your ability to add and remove student accounts will depend on your access level. There are 4 levels:

• Instructor – This instructor is able to assign and manage activities for specific students, but students must be added by your account administrator.
• Instructor with Local Admin Privileges – This instructor will be able to add new student accounts, but will not be able to see the list of all the students in the district.
• Instructor with Admin Privileges – All basic Instructor privileges plus access to the global student roster and the ability to assign students to instructors.
• Instructor with Org Admin Privileges – All basic Instructor and Admin privileges with the addition of the ability to set access levels and global account settings.

Note: If you have Admin or Org Admin Privileges, you will see “Admin” in the main menu bar at the top of the page. This tab is not available if you have Instructor or Instructor with Local Admin status.

To check the current status of your student accounts:

1. In the Students menu, select Student Management. 
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   • If you have students listed on the My Students tab, your Boardmaker Online Administrator has already added your student accounts; please proceed to the next section. 
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2. If don’t have students listed on the My Students tab but All Students tab is visible, your district has given you Instructor with Admin privileges and the ability to add students to your account from the global student list. Click on the All Students tab, and select the checkbox next to your students’ names. Then select Add to My Students. 
   
3. If you see the Add a Student box under the My Students tab, your district has given you Instructor with Local Admin privileges and you may add your own students individually. Select Add Now and complete the fields with Student ID, First Name, and Last Name of your student, and then select Check Global Roster. 
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   • If the student already exists in the district’s global roster, you will have the option to Add Existing Student to your instructor roster, or to Create New Student.
   • Complete the Student profile. 
     
4. If you don’t have any students listed on the My Students tab, All Students tab is not visible, and the Add a Student box is not visible, you will see the message below. Your district has assigned you Instructor privileges only. Contact your district’s Boardmaker Online administrator and ask them to assign students to you. 
   

 

Section 2: Creating New Activities and Editing Existing Activities

You can use the Boardmaker Online Editor to create new activities or edit existing activities. New activities can be created either “from scratch” or by using one of the included templates. You may edit any activities that you have made, any you have uploaded from previous versions of Boardmaker Software, or any you have added to your account from the Boardmaker Online Community.
The following information will be covered in this section:

• Creating a board from scratch.
• Creating a board using a template.
• Editing an existing board or activity.

Creating a board or activity from scratch:

1. From the Homepage, select Create Activities. 
   
2. Select New Blank Activity. 
   
3. Select the Button Tool and click on the workspace to drop the button. 
   
4. Use the button handles to resize the button. Click and drag to the desired place on the page. 
   
5. Click on the Spray Tool. 
   
6. Place your mouse cursor on the button just placed on the page. Click and drag across the page to spray a grid of buttons. 
   
7. Click on the background of the page to deselect all of the buttons.
8. Click on the first button in the grid.
9. Type in a label using your computer keyboard to populate the button with Edit in Place. 
   
10. Select the enter/return button on your keyboard and symbol options will appear.
11. Click on the desired symbol, and click on Select. 
    
12. Repeat steps 9 – 11 to fill in the buttons on the page.
13. Select File > Save As. Name your activity and the Select Save. The board or activity will now appear in your My Activities list.

Note: For more detailed information, please see Creating an Activity from Scratch tutorial in the Help & Training Center.

Creating a board or activity using a template
There are two types of templates. Some templates require that you fill in the buttons (Edit in Place) on the page while others require that you fill in a table. For most templates, you will find instructions written in red that will walk you through the steps.

1. Select “Create Activities” from your Homepage. 
   
2. Choose a template that matches the type of activity you would like to create. There are filters available to help you narrow your search. Choose the type of activity you would like to create and then determine whether your activity should be Print, Interactive or Interactive with Performance Tracking. 
   
3. To view a completed sample of any template, Choose Sample below the template thumbnail.
4. To begin creating your activity from the template, choose Select below the template thumbnail. 
   
5. If the template is an Edit in Place template, directions for completing the template will be visible in red.
   • Select any button and type in a label. 
     
   • Select the Enter button on the keyboard and symbol options will appear.
   • Click on the desired symbol, and click Select.
      
     Helpful Hint: You can also click on the Web Search tab to find a digital image!
   • Repeat steps 5 and 6 to fill in all of the buttons on the template.
   • When you are finished, select File > Save As and name your activity. Then Select Save. The board or activity will now be available in your My Activities list.
6. If the template is a Table-based template, a chart will appear where you will fill in the necessary information. 
   
7. Click Table to open the Table Variable Editor to fill in the activity content. Use the additional values to modify activity settings from default settings if desired. 
   
8. Double click <Blank Text Variable> in the first column and type your first word.
9. Double click <Blank Symbol Variable> and type in term for symbol search.
10. Repeat this process to complete the table.
11. Select OK.
12. Select Save.

Editing an existing board or activity

1. Select the My Boardmaker menu button. 
   
2. Locate a board or activity in the My Activities list that you would like to edit.
3. Select the Edit Activity button in the toolbar beside the activity. A separate window will open the activity in the Boardmaker Online Editor. 
   
4. Click on an object (e.g., symbol, label, button, etc.) you would like to edit. The “handles” around the object let you know that it has been selected. 
   
5. Use Edit in Place or the Properties Panel to make the desired changes. The options you have available in the Properties Panel will be dependent on the object that you have selected on the page. 
   
6. Select Save. The edited board or activity will now be available in your My Activities list.

 

Section 3: Uploading Activities

You can upload activities that you have already created with Boardmaker v.6 or Studio software. During this process, you can also associate activities to educational standards.
Helpful Hint: If you are currently using Boardmaker Studio, make sure that you are running version 1.3. This is a free update that will give you access to performance tracking templates. For more information, see the article titled Using Studio v.1.3 to Create Performance Tracking Activities in the Help and Training Center.

To upload activities

1. Select Upload Activity from the Activity menu button. 
   
2. Select Browse.
3. Click on the Select button to start browsing the files on your computer.
   • Find Boardmaker v. 6 activities in My Documents/My Boards.
   • Find Studio activities in My Documents/Boardmaker Studio/Projects.
4. Click on the activity you wish to upload.
5. Select Open.
6. Select Upload. Once the file is uploaded you will see “File uploaded successfully.”
7. Use the prompts on the screen to provide information about your activity. The more information you enter the easier it will be for others to find it if you choose to share it with other Community members.
   • Use the title, description and language fields to describe your activity.
   • Use the Privacy drop-down menu to allow every Community member access to this activity or restrict it to your own use.
   • Select the Associate Standards button to associate educational standards to your activity.
   • Use the check boxes to describe grade level and categories.
   • Add keyword tags that describe the activity to make it easier for you and other Community members to find.
8. Select Save and Continue. Your uploaded activity will now appear in in the My Activities list (My Boardmaker menu).

Note: If you want to upload a multi-page activity from Boardmaker v.6, you must first put all of the pages of that activity into a zip file. First move the pages into a folder within your My Boards folder. Select that folder, right click, and Select Send To…zip file from the dropdown menu. Chose that zip file as the file to Upload in Step 4 above.

Section 4: Searching for Activities

Boardmaker Online allows you to search for thousands of ready-made activities. These activities can be used as-is, or edited to meet your specific needs using your current version of Boardmaker Software or the Boardmaker Online Editor.*
Activity types include:

• Boardmaker Sample Library (Premium Content included with your subscription)
  A large collection of academically aligned sample activities to get you started.
• Boardmaker Activity Packs (Premium Content included with your subscription)
  A large collection of complete, professionally-design instructional packages already aligned to standards.
• Boardmaker Community Sample Library
  A small collection of academically aligned sample activities provided free to the whole community.
• Boardmaker Online Community Activities
  Choose from over 26,000 free symbol-adapted learning activities that have been created by other community members.
• My Organization
  These are activities that are shared only within your district or facility.

To search for activities

1. Click within Search All Activities in the red toolbar, type your search term, and enter.
2. Your search term could be a type of activity, like “book” or a unit of study, like “ocean,” or a concept, like “opposites.” 
   
3. Use the Narrow Your Results filters to find an activity that best meets your needs.  
   
   Helpful Hint: If you would like to capture data as students complete their activities, make sure to look for activities that will track student performance. These activities are identified with an icon of a computer monitor with a “P” inside. You can also find performance tracking activities by selecting Interactive with Performance as you narrow your search. 
   
4. Select one of the activities in the list by clicking on the thumbnail picture. You will be able to view more details about the activity, and a toolbar.
5. To add the activity to your own Activities list, select the Add to My Activities button. 
   
6. Repeat these steps to add additional activities to your My Activities list.
7. To view the activities, select the My Boardmaker menu button to access the My Activities list. 
   

Section 5: Assigning Activities

Once you have made and/or found activities, you can assign them to your students. To assign activities to students

1. Select the My Boardmaker menu button. 
   
2. Find an activity and select the Assign Activity button in the toolbar next to it. The Assign Activity menu will open and you will see your roster of students. 
   
3. You can assign an activity to one student or multiple students.
   • Select the checkbox next to the Student ID of the student to whom you want to assign the activity.
   • Assign the activity to specific students by selecting the checkbox next to the individual student ID number.
   • Assign the activity to all of your students at one time; select the checkbox next to Student ID at the very top of the menu.
4. Select Assign.
   Note:The bubble above the Assign Activity button will tell you how many students have been assigned the activity.
   Helpful Hint:You can also assign activities to students directly from the Boardmaker Community.

Section 6: Playing Activities

There are several ways to play an activity. The one you choose will depend on the situation.
Playing Activities from My Activities
Each activity in the My Activities (My Boardmaker menu) list will have a Play button next to it. Select Play and a separate window will open where you and your students will be able to interact with the activity.

Helpful Hint:This might be a good option if you quickly want to refresh your memory of how an activity works. Student performance data will not be captured.


Playing Activities from My Classroom View
In My Classroom View (Students menu), students select their name or picture to access their activities. Once a student accesses their activities the system requires a password to return to the main menu, so students are unable to access anyone else’s activities.

Helpful Hint:This might be a good option if students are completing their assigned activities on an iPad or working in a computer lab. Student performance data will be captured.


Playing Activities from a Playlist
A Playlist is simply a group of activities that you’ve chosen from your entire list of activities. It is a great way to collect and organize activities for a specific lesson or event.

Helpful Hint: This might be a good option if you are conducting a group activity on a computer, an iPad, or on an interactive white board. Student performance data will not be captured.

To create a Playlist

1. Select the My Boardmaker menu button.
2. Select the Add to Playlist button next to an activity. This will make a copy of the activity and add it to the Playlist. 
   
3. To access your Playlist, select the My Playlist tab.
4. Select the Launch Student Center button at the top of the Playlist tab. A separate window will open where you and your students will be able to interact with all the activities in your Playlist.

Playing Activities from the Student Center
Select the Students menu button, and then select Student Center. Students may log in with their user name and password to access their assigned activities. Instructors may log in with their user name and password to access their Playlist.

Helpful Hint: Student performance data will be captured when students log in to the Student Center.

Playing Activities from Home: Parent Access to the Student Center
To help students access their Boardmaker Online assignments at home, you can send a pre-formatted email to the parents giving them step-by-step instructions on how to log in from home.

Note: In order for this process to work, you must first add a parent email address to each student’s profile.

1. Select the My Account button from the drop down menu next to your account name and picture. 
   
2. Click on the Student Access tab.
3. Select the Get Them Started button.
4. Select any or all of your students by selecting the checkbox beside their names.
   Note: Students from your roster will only appear here if you have entered their parent email address in the student profile.
5. Scroll down and click Send Message.

The student’s parent will receive a pre-formatted email with the information they need to log in to a computer or Student Center iPad App and access their child’s assignments.

Playing Activities on the iPad
Your Boardmaker Online subscription includes access to the Student Center iPad App. This app will allow you and any student associated with your account to access Boardmaker activities on the iPad. There is no additional cost for the app and it is available for download on the Apple iTunes Store. For more information, please see the tutorial titled Boardmaker Student Center iPad App: Set Up and Use in the Help and Training Center.

Section 7: Printing Activities

1. Search for a print-based activity (see Section 3).
2. Select the Print button. The Print Options dialog will open.
3. Set an option (under Print Range) that represents the pages you want to print.
4. Use the Copies drop-down list to select the number of copies you want to print.
5. Select an option under Print Size to designate the size at which the pages in the activity or project will print:
   • Actual- Prints the pages at their actual physical size.
   • Scale to Fit - Adjusts the size of each page to fit on a single sheet of paper.
   • Center- Each page will be centered to fit on a single sheet of paper when it is printed.
6. Select Continue. Your default print dialog will open. Make any changes in this dialog (e.g., desired printer), and then select OK or Print to begin printing.
   Note:You may also save the activity as a PDF.

Printing While Playing an Activity
You can use the Print Options dialog to print out any page of an activity (interactive or print activity) that is currently playing in the Boardmaker Student Center.

1. From the activity that is playing, select the double arrow at the top left corner of the screen to open the Activity Toolbar. 
   
2. Select the printer icon in the toolbar. 
   
3. The Print Options dialog will open. 
   
4. Set an option (under Print Range) that represents the pages you want to print.
5. Use the Copies drop-down list to select the number of copies you want to print.
6. Select an option under Print Size to designate the size at which the pages in the activity or project will print:
   • Actual- Prints the pages at their actual physical size.
   • Scale to Fit - Adjusts the size of each page to fit on a single sheet of paper.
   • Center- (This is the default setting.) Each page will be centered to fit on a single sheet of paper when it is printed.
7. Select Continue. Your default print dialog will open. Make any changes in this dialog (e.g., desired printer), and then select OK or Print to begin printing.

Section 8: Add Student IEP Goals
You can add IEP goals and objectives for your students in Boardmaker Online at any time.
To add student IEP goals:

1. Select the Students menu button and then Student Management.
2. Scroll to find the student to whom you want to assign an IEP goal, and then click on their student ID.
3. Select the IEP Goals tab. 
   
4. Select Add Goal.
5. From the drop down menu, select Create a New Goal.
6. Type an IEP goal into the text box, or copy and paste it from another document.
7. If you have learning objectives to add to that goal, select Add Objective.
8. Repeat step 7 to add any additional objectives.
9. Select Save and Close. 
   Helpful Hint: Use the Manage Goal button in the task bar next to the goal to edit a goal and add or remove objectives. Use the Delete Goal button to remove it.

Section 9: Associating IEP Goals with Activities and Education Standards

Once you’ve added the student’s IEP goals, you might want to also associate the goal with one or more
activities or educational standards. To associate an IEP goal with an activity:

1. Select the Students menu, and then select Student Management.
2. Select a student ID number to access their profile page.
3. Select the Assignments tab, and you will see all of the activities that are assigned to the student. 
   
4. Select Manage. 
   
5. You will see the student’s goals and objectives. Select any you would like to associate with the activity. Select Save & Close.

You can also associate educational standards to an IEP goal. This helps to show that a student IEP goal is in-line with educational standards from your state or Common Core.

To associate educational standards with an IEP goal:

1. Go to the IEP Goals tab in the student profile.
2. Use the toolbar beside the IEP Goal that you want to associate and select the Associate Standard button. 
   
3. Select the drop down menu arrow next to the question and answer, “What standards would you like to associate this file with?”
   Note: Common Core standards and your state standards should be available. If your state is not an option, contact your Boardmaker Online District Administrator.
4. Select the grade level.
5. Select the subject area.
6. Scroll through until you find the standard that you would like to associate to the IEP goal.
7. Select Add next to the desired standard or standards. You can select more than one.
8. Select Save.

 

Section 10: Tracking Student Progress

As students work on and complete their assigned activities, data is being collected. Helpful Hint: In order to view performance results, a student must play the activity from the My Classroom View menu or must log into the Student Center.

Helpful Hint: All activity usage information will be captured, however only those activities that were created using performance tracking templates will produce performance results.

To view student performance information:

1. Select the Students menu, and then select Student Management.
2. Select the student ID number to access their profile page.
3. Select the Performance Results tab. Here you will see the student’s performance results organized by date sessions during which he was logged in. 
   
4. Select the arrow beside the session date to expand the results to show all of the activities played during that session. 
   
5. Select the arrow beside each activity to view detailed performance data.
6. To see performance information related to activities that have been associated with specific IEP goals, select the Progress tab. Beside each IEP goal you will see activities that have been associated with that goal. 
   
7. To see more detailed information, simply click on the activity cell.

 

Section 11: Collaboration

There are several ways to collaborate with other members of the support team within your district or facility. Boardmaker Online allows you to assign multiple instructors (e.g., classroom teacher, Speech-Language Pathologist, resource teacher, etc.) to one student. Every instructor assigned to a student has the ability to assign activities, add IEP goals/objectives, and view performance data.

1. Select Student Management from the Students Tab on the red toolbar.
2. Select a student ID number to access a student profile page.
3. Select Edit Profile.
4. All assigned instructors will be listed.
5. You may assign additional instructors to a student by selecting Select an Instructor.

Add a note:
Within a student profile, you can add notes related to student IEP Goals and the standards and activities associated. These notes can be seen by any instructor assigned to a particular student, so it is a great way to communicate with other members of the team regarding student performance, additional ideas for instruction, or questions related to an activity or goal.


Create a Group:
Groups are smaller communities within the Boardmaker Community that have been created for special interests, populations, or colleagues. Creating Groups can help organize shared activities within your district or facility. You may create a group that is public to all Boardmaker Community members or private to only members of your organization. For more information about Groups, please see the tutorial in the Help and Training Center. .

Share activities within your organization:
Boardmaker Online allows you to upload activities to your account and share these activities with others. You can upload activities or boards from any versions of Boardmaker. For more information about uploading and sharing activities, please see the tutorial titled Uploading Activities.


Congratulations! You have just completed the Getting Started Tutorial. Don’t forget to visit the Help Menu for additional training videos and tutorials.