Quick reference for students
Managing your classes
When you log into FirstClass ED, you can access your classes, your portfolio, and your Mailbox. This is in addition to any other conferences you have been given access to.
When you open My Classes, you will see all of the classes you are enrolled in for the current semester.
Double-click a class to enter. When you enter the class, you will see a list of containers in the left pane.
 Note You may not have all of these resources. It depends on the permissions the FirstClass administrator has set for your classroom.
Calendar
Use the Calendar to make note of due dates for assignments and the date of tests.
Class News
Use the Class News area to pick up important information that the teacher wants to share. This could be details about upcoming events, field trips, theme days, a class newsletter, permissions forms for parents, or anything else that the teacher feels the need to share.
Course Content
The Course Content area is your source for information for homework and assignments. You can use the information in the lessons to study for tests and to get information for assignments. From Course Content, you can see the lesson that was taught and start any assignments. Furthermore, if you missed a class, you can catch up by reading the lesson.
Discussions
The Discussions area of each class is the perfect place for you to discuss assignments, ask questions about lessons, and share information with classmates. It is also a good place for your teacher to monitor who is participating in class discussions, as participation isn't always limited to class time.
Resources
If there is additional information to accompany the lesson, a great web site your teacher wants to share, or if she simply wants to provide some food for thought, she may post it in the Resources area.
The Board
This is where the teacher may post urgent communications, reminders, and so on. You will see The Board each time you enter the class.
My Portfolio
Your portfolio contains examples of your work from all classes. From here, you can store examples of your best work along with work that demonstrates progress.
Mailbox
Your Mailbox contains both assignments that are in progress and completed assignments.
Further, a copy of any message you send to a teacher will be stored in your Mailbox.
Searching for specific topics
You can search for a specific topic in the Class News, Course Content, or Resources area. To perform a search, click Find and specify the search criteria.
Searching for new items
You can search for any new items in the Class News, Course Content, or Resources area. To search for a new item, click Next Unread.
Searching multiple classes
In the My Classes area, you may find some search templates in the left pane. Use these to perform a search for the indicated objects. These work with one click and the list they provide is editable.
Following the lesson plan
You can use the Course Content area to
� view which lessons will be covered
� take notes if you missed a class
� view information about each lesson to help you with your assignments and to study for tests
� receive assignments.
Viewing a lesson
The Course Content area lists the lessons the teacher has made available for you to view. Open a specific module to see the lesson and any assignments the teacher has created.
Managing assignments
All assignments are stored with your teacher. When the teacher is ready, the assignment will be made available in the Course Content area. This means that not all assignments will be available at the same time, so it is important to check for new assignments periodically.
Starting an assignment
When you open the assignment, you have the option of starting it.
To begin a new assignment
1 Open Course Content.
2 Open the assignment.
3 Click Start.
A copy of the assignment is created and stored in your Mailbox. If you don't click Start, an Assignment form is not created in your Mailbox.
Submitting an assignment
Once you start the assignment, the Start button changes to a Hand In button.
To submit an assignment:
1 Open the Mailbox.
2 Open the assignment.
3 Complete the assignment requirements.
4 Click Hand In.
After the teacher marks the assignment, it will be flagged in your Mailbox with a mark.
Managing schedules
The class calendar in FirstClass ED contains due dates and dates for tests and special events. This forces you to take responsibility for your own participation in courses. This rules out concerns that you couldn't find your agenda, you forgot to bring it home, or you forgot to record the due date, because it is always online whenever you log into your account.
Calendar entries may include additional information such as homework pages. If parents want to know what you have for homework or what is coming up, they can log into your account and look at the class calendar.
The class calendar in FirstClass ED is a FirstClass group calendar and is used the same way as other standard FirstClass calendars. You only have access to read items in the class calendar.
Learn more about FirstClass calendars.
Managing your portfolio
Your portfolio is a collection of your work that represents your performance.
Once you have decided which assignments to include in your portfolio, add them to the portfolio by dragging them from your Mailbox.
Parents can view your portfolio by logging into your account.
Once you have decided which assignments to include in your portfolio, add them to the portfolio by dragging them from your Mailbox.
Parents can view your portfolio by logging into your account.
To share your portfolio, either move your My Portfolio folder into your My Shared Documents area, or create an alias in My Shared Documents to your portfolio.
To create an alias to your portfolio:
1 Select My Portfolio.
2 Right-click and choose Add to Desktop.
3 Drag the new My Portfolio into My Shared Documents.
NoteIf you do not have a My Shared Documents folder on your Desktop, choose File > Open > My Shared Documents. The folder will be automatically added to your Desktop.
Participating in discussions
Class discussions don't have to stop when the bell rings. The Discussions area of FirstClass ED lets you communicate with classmates on class topics in your own time. Here are some scenarios where you may use the Discussions area:
� The teacher poses a question about the lesson for discussion.
� You don't understand something in the lesson, so you post a question about it to your classmates.
� You found a great web site related to a class topic that you want to share.
A chat room is an ideal forum for you to ask questions of the teacher and get extra help. Your teacher may set "chat hours" so you can go online at that time and ask questions. Further, your teacher may use the class chat room to host simulations and role-playing events, or present transcript-based assignments.
If the teacher uses a chat room, you can access it in the Discussions area.
Learn more about chat rooms.
Starting a discussion
To start a new discussion:
1 Open the Discussions area.
2 Click New Discussion.
3 Populate the message and click Send.
Replying to a discussion
To reply to a discussion in progress:
1 Highlight the message you want to reply to.
2 Click Reply.
3 Add content and click Send.
You can also use standard messaging features like Reply with quotes. For more information about replying to messages, click here.
Receiving news
From the Class News area, information is posted in a series of messages. Parents can log into your account regularly and see what is coming up.
You only have the ability to read items in this area.
Using resources
FirstClass ED provides a class area called Resources. Your teacher may use this area to provide extra materials, such as
� tutorials to help you grasp concepts
� web sites where you can find more information
� practice work
� suggested readings
� advanced work to provide more of a challenge
� extra credit work
� guidelines for parents to help you learn.
You only have the ability to read items in this area.
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