To create new courses:

• Click on Add a New Course icon to create a course.
• Enter new course information, including name, grade level, and general information.
• Click on Add this course when you are done.

To update existing courses, choose one of the following:

• Edit Course Info to change the general course information
• Delete This Course to remove the course and all assignments associated with it
• Add Assignments orto add any assignments for that course
• View Assignments to see assignments linked to a course, or to delete or modify individual assignments
• View This Course As Student to view the course as it appears to a student or parent (through Students/Parents, View Homework)

Edit Course Info

You may edit any of the general course information. In the Course Information editor, you may enhance your text with various styles using the word processor-like interface, and also add images, sound, or links to files. (See Adding Links for more information.)

Assignments

View the course assignments by clicking the View Assignments icon. After clicking this icon, you may also modify or delete existing assignments by clicking on Modify or Delete after the corresponding assignment.

To View an assignment as a Student would see it, click

Click Add One Assignment or Add Multiple Assignments to input a new assignment. Add Multiple Assignments allows you to enter up to five assignments at once.

To add a new assignment:

• Select the date assigned and the due date for this assignment.
• Enter as much homework information as you wish in the space provided. Overflow is permitted. This space has a word processor style editor attached and you can use the buttons provided to enhance your information, or even go to source mode and enter your own preformatted information.
• Send a Library Alert: A check box is available if you want to send your local public library a copy of this assignment. Click the Library Alert tab on your Personal Page to select specific libraries to receive your alerts.
• Show this assignment to my students: This option is always checked when you add an assignment. To hide an assignment, simply remove the check to hide it from student view. You can modify the assignment at any time to check the box and SHOW it to the students.
• Click Add this assignment when you are done.

You may Copy + Paste text from your word-processor to save time, but formatting may not be retained.

There is no need to delete assignments since students can display either the 7 most recent assignments or all assignments. You may wish to re-use assignments in future.

Click Major Maintenance to perform year-end tasks or modify a batch of assignments. In Major Maintenance, you can:

• Delete assignments within a date range
• Delete all your assignments without removing the course
• Roll forward the year on your assignments, and opt to HIDE them from view
• Roll back the year on your assignments and opt to HIDE them from view
  

To HIDE assignments from student view, leave the check OFF the Show Assignments box. Always refresh your browser after using Major Maintenance to view your assignments with the new changes.

Enhancing your Assignments

Assignments can contain bold text, color, italics, superscript, and more. Simply use the icons in the word processor-style interface to change the appearance of your text. In most cases, you may select the text you wish to change, then click the appropriate icon. For more information on the purpose of each icon, click the button on the editing page.

If you are familiar with HTML and wish to edit the code for your assignment directly, you may click the 'Source' icon in the editor panel.

Adding Links

You can put web links into assignments for guided Internet activity! Your students will love it, and you can be very creative!

To insert a link, select the text you wish to change into a link, then click the Insert/edit Link icon in the panel above your text. A small pop-up appears that allows you to enter the link you want. If the file you wish to link to is a file you have previously uploaded into your web page folders, click the Browse Server button and navigate to the file you want. If the file or page is not one on your yourhomework.com web space, we recommend that you copy and paste the link from a browser window address bar that is already opened at the correct page. Then click 'OK'. Your link will be inserted into your assignment information.

If you wish to link to a new file that is not yet uploaded, first select the Upload tab in the Link popup instead of the Link Info tab, and use the Browse feature to upload the file you want to display. The correct link will automatically be inserted as the linked URL when you click Send it to the Server. Click OK and it will upload the file and automatically insert the new link into your text!

To further enhance links, you may wish to select the Target tab in the Link popup. Here, you can select if you want your link to appear in a new window or a popup. (Be aware that some students will have popup blockers installed that may cause them problems if you choose this option.)

Feel free to experiment, and don't forget that further information is available at the icon on the page.

Linking to your files

It's very easy to put your important files on yourhomework.com for students and parents to view and print. Save time and empower parents! Stop reprinting lost worksheets and put the responsibility on the students for replacing lost papers!

There are two ways to provide links to your files:

• All files that you have uploaded into your 'Public' folder will be available automatically from the My Files link on your yourhomework.com web page. Your students can view or download these files at any time by simply visiting this link, and no further action is required on your part. Or…
  
• You can link to an uploaded file from an assignment, which is useful when the assignment requires access to a worksheet, quiz, or list you've created. See the section above Adding Links on how to add a link to your files from your assignments.

Before you begin:

If you have not already done so when registering, click the Site Builder tab to set up a yourhomework.com web page. A personal folder for your account will be created by yourhomework.

Your personal folder and web page address is http://teachers.yourhomework.com/YourUsername, where YourUsername is your user ID (or the name you selected to replace your user ID).

Click on the View your Home Page icon from the Site Builder tab to open your web page. We automatically create a sub-folder called 'public' when you set up a web page. All files uploaded into the 'public' folder are automatically accessible through the My Files link on your template web page.

Notes:

• Remember to change "YourUsername" to your own User ID (or your web page name if you selected a different one), and change "filename.doc" to the name of the file. For example BookList.doc, Project.pdf, or map.gif etc. Remember to include the file extension e.g. .doc, .jpg, etc.
  
• File names are CASE SENSITIVE, so use the correct capital and lower case letters in your link.
  
• If you wish to display your files in a new window or popup, first select the link, click the Insert/Edit Link icon in the editor panel, followed by the Target tab in the Link Properties popup. Select your target (New Window, Popup, etc.) from the dropdown list.

Images

Use image files to illustrate a concept, enhance learning, and to awaken curiosity. Upload any image files to your folder on yourhomework.com. Click on My Files on your Personal Page to upload your image file.

TO DISPLAY AN IMAGE WITHIN AN ASSIGNMENT (or your Course Information section) click the Insert/Edit Image icon in the editor panel, and in the Image Properties popup, browse to an image you have previously uploaded. To upload and insert a new image, click the Upload tab in the Image Properties popup.

Sound and Video

Use sound and video files to enhance your assignments. Historical events, pronunciation, and music are just a few examples of how you can make assignments come alive!

Include sounds in your assignments by creating a link as above, then clicking the Upload tab in the Link popup to upload your media file.

Guide students on the Internet with a custom set of online resources that enhance your curriculum. Use My Favorite Sites to enter your favorite web sites that students can access from both your assignment pages and your template web page. Also, every site you add becomes a part of our Homework Help database of quality Internet sites recommended by our own registered teachers. Each site is categorized, described, rated, and recommended for suitable grade levels.

Searching Homework Help

To search the Homework Help database,

• Click on Homework Help from the Student/Parent drop-down menu on any page within yourhomework.com.
• Select a subject area, grade level, and/or enter a key word.
• Select a sort option for your display preference.
• Click on the name of the site to view it in a new browser window.

Adding a Favorite Site

Please enter only quality web sites that are suitable for your students. You can add to your Favorite Sites list by 1) selecting a site from our Homework Help database or 2) adding a new site that is not yet in the database. New sites you add will be included in the Homework Help database for all subject and grade level searches.

1. Adding a new Favorite Site

• Click Add a new Favorite Site to add a web site that is not already in the Homework Help database. If you don't know if the site is in the database, it is OK to click this button. We'll let you know if it is, and you can select it for your own Favorite Sites list.
• Give the site a subject, rating, grade levels, and enter the web site address. Include a brief description of the site as well.
• Click Add this site, and you're done.

2. Search and add from our Homework Help database

• Click Search and Share from the existing Sites so that you can view sites that teachers have already contributed as quality educational web sites.
• Search for sites that correspond to your subject and grade level. Using keywords is optional, but can result in a more focused search.
• Click the Add check-box for every site you want to add to your own Favorite Sites list for your students.
• Click Add Selected Sites at the bottom of the screen to add the sites to your list.

Modifying and Removing Favorite Sites

To modify a web site in your Favorite Sites list, clicking the corresponding icon. This icon will appear only if this is a site that you have submitted.

To remove Favorite Sites from your list, select the desired sites and click Remove selected at the bottom of your list.

To report errors with any of your Favorite Sites, select them and click Report errors for selected sites.

About our pre-designed templates

Our web templates can be edited in any modern browser. We recommend the latest version of Internet Explorer (6 or greater) or Firefox (1.5 or greater) for the PC, and Safari or Firefox for the Mac. Monitor resolution of 1024x768 or more is recommended.

The template web pages offer many advantages. You can edit your web page instantly without knowing anything about web pages! Also, change the look as often as you want by selecting a new template. But best of all, your page will link to your assignments, calendar events, favorite sites, uploaded files, other teachers posting assignments, and school web site!

Modifying your web page

Your web page on yourhomework.com is an HTML file called index.html. You'll see this file in the yourhomework File Manager in your main folder (the main folder is called 'files'). The public can visit this page with any web browser. Don't delete this file! But if you do, you can always re-create it by selecting a template again. Read about our pre-designed templates section above before you proceed.

There are two ways to modify your web page:

1. Click on Use this template on the Site Builder tab to edit your content in our pre-designed templates, or
2. replace it with an index.html file created in other software (you may download your existing index.html from File Manager by right-clicking on it and selecting 'Download'.)

You can't break anything, so just have fun and try different content and inserting images. You can always delete everything and start over again.

Tip: When you are done, make sure you refresh/reload your screen so that the browser picks up the new changes.

Teachers are given 20,000KB of free space to store files at yourhomework.com. Click on Manage your files icon in the Site Builder tab to access the yourhomework File Manager. Files can be uploaded on yourhomework.com so that:

• students can view, print and download worksheets, quizzes, projects…
• web page files can be uploaded for public display
• files such as presentations or Word documents can be uploaded so you can access them at home, school or on the road.

Your web page and personal folder at yourhomework.com is named http://teachers.yourhomework.com/YourUsername where YourUsername is your user ID (or the name you selected to replace your user ID). The name of your folder is displayed at the top of the yourhomework File Manager. You can view, edit, rename, and delete any of your files stored at yourhomework.com.

We automatically create a sub-folder called "public" in your main folder. When our web page template is utilized, all files uploaded into the "public" folder are accessible through the "My Files" link on your template web page.

Your main web page file is called index.html. When someone visits your site, this is the first page that will be displayed. Don't delete this file, but rather replace it if you upload a custom web page instead of using our templates.

Uploading files

In your Personal Page, click the Site Builder tab, then Manage your Files icon. Click the Upload button and browse to a file from your personal computer. Click Upload Selected File to upload the file, and you'll see it added to your list of files on yourhomework.com. More detailed help here.

Linking to files

After uploading a file, you can link to it from your course information section or an assignment. Or, use our web page templates to automatically link from your web page My Files menu link to all files in your 'public' folder. Click HERE for details.

Creating sub-folders

Sub-folders allow you to keep your files sorted and organized. To create a sub-folder in your personal folder to store groups of files, go to the Folders area, and right-click on the folder in which you want the new sub-folder to appear. select New Subfolder from the right-click menu and enter the new subfolder name.You can create an unlimited number of sub-folders.

For more detailed help on managing your files on yourhomework.com, see the File Manager FAQ.

yourhomework.com email accounts are provided free to all registered teachers. The yourhomework.com email address will automatically appear on the assignment page for each course, as well as the teacher web page. Clicking on the email address will activate the user's local email program on their computer.

Teachers can select either their yourhomework.com email address, another email address, or NO email address to appear on assignment pages. This setting is found under My User Info on your Personal Page.

Benefits for teachers include:

• Access your email from any Internet-connected computer at any time

• Keep your other email accounts private from students

• Assist your students on-line after school

• Receive assignments from students electronically

• Communicate with busy parents without leaving messages

Benefits for schools or districts include:

• Eliminate the time and expense of managing teacher email accounts

• Provide a consistent email address format for all teachers

• Empower beginners to feel confident in using an email account

• Increase teacher training time instead of managing email servers

Using Your Email Account

• Login to yourhomework.com using your user id and password.

• Click on the Email tab to access your email account.

• From the email page you will see buttons in the left margin to write a NEW message, view your Inbox, or select a folder containing archived messages. The main screen displays your email inbox, or the template to compose a new email.

• To view the contents of an email, click on its sender or subject line. You can then reply, forward, or delete the message.

• From the inbox view, you can use the check boxes to perform functions on several emails at a time.

• Select Manage Folders to create, rename, or delete email folders.

• Selecting a folder at left will display all messages within that folder.

• Click Addresses to keep email addresses organized by groups

• Help is available within the email pages.
   

The Calendar is an organized list of events entered for either school or teacher. It is a convenient way to publish dates and details of course or school events. The public can search the calendar from the main Calendar page, and your students can see your calendar events directly from your course page.

Searching the Calendar

To Search the Calendar:

Adding a Calendar Event

As a registered teacher, please use your Personal Page to add a calendar event. This way your students can click on your name in their personal page calandar tab, and view your events directly.

Special Features Homework posting reminder frequency: Select number of days after last posted assignment to receive an email reminder. Posting new information consistently helps keep students and parents interested in your online content.

Email displayed to students: Select the email address that you want to display on your course for your students and parents. You may turn off email display if you like. If you have an existing web page using one of our templates, you'll need to re-select the template to reflect the email address change.

About the Library Alert Service

yourhomework.com provides a vital communication link between teachers and librarians. Teachers select school and local libraries to be notified of research assignments from a list of participating libraries. When the teacher enters an assignment in yourhomework.com, a box can be marked to send a copy to the selected libraries. Library Alerts are delivered directly and instantly to the library's email account. There is no technical requirement for the library other than an email account. Librarians can prepare for the students by knowing about the topic, requirements and due date in advance. To learn more about this free service, visit our Librarians FAQ section.

Sending Library Alerts

Click the Library Alert tab on your Personal Page to select all the libraries that you want to receive copies of your research assignments. Once you have selected your libraries, they will remain on your Library Alert list until you remove them. Only assignments that you request to be sent as a Library Alert will be forwarded to these libraries.

1. Click Add to Library Alert list to search for a library system near you.

2. Check the Select for Addition box next to each library you want added to your Library Alert list. You may select as many as you wish. Click Submit when you are done.

3. To remove a library from your list, check the Delete box next to the libraries you want to remove, then click the Delete from Library Alert list button.

When you enter an assignment, a check box is available if you want a copy of this assignment sent to you local public library to alert them of your assignment. Once this assignment is marked for a Library Alert, librarians will receive another copy whenever you modify this assignment. You can uncheck the box for Library Alert if you don’t want another copy to be sent.

Content of a Library Alert

An exact copy of your marked assignment will be sent to the librarian’s email account, along with your name, the name of your school, your course, and yourhomework.com email address (if you have one). There is also a link to the online assignments for the course in case more information is desired. This information is valuable for librarians to better serve your students.