Workspaces Guide
SchoolMessenger’s Workspaces is a secure online portal where teachers and administrators can communicate in a password protected environment. This tool features all of SchoolMessenger’s standard collaborative modules, such as calendars, photo galleries and discussion forum as well as content authoring and document sharing modules such as Content pages, files, folders and the knowledge repository.
By default, only users with user accounts on your site have access to the workspaces. The workspace link is often available via the Published Links on your site. For ease of use, you may wish to add the Workspaces link elsewhere (for example, in a Quick Links box or via a teacher specific page on the school or district site).
Note: You can also access the workspaces area by going to http://www.examplesiteurlforyoursite.com/workspaces. Just add /workspaces to the end of your domain.
Configuring Workspaces
Editing Workspaces
The View tab displays all the objects in the workspace.
New objects can be added from the Add New Item drop-down menu.
To open any object, click on the object name.
To delete an object, select the checkbox next to the name and from the drop-down menu at the bottom, choose Delete Selected.
To move an object, select the checkbox and from the drop-down menu, choose Move Selected. In the window that opens, locate the destination of the objects.
To export an object, select the checkbox and choose Export Selected from the drop-down menu.
To import an object, from the drop-down menu, select the Import Here option.
The Edit tab allows you to change the Name of your Workspace, the Description and Icon.
To save any changes that you have made click Update Workspace.
Security
SchoolMessenger provides a flexible, powerful, and easy to use security system.
Each object within the server can have its own set of permissions.
To access the permissions settings, click on the Security tab. To learn more about Security on SchoolMessenger you can refer to the Security section.
The Direct Permissions tab lists the groups and/or users who have been assigned permissions to the page you are currently viewing. Here, you have the ability to Add and Remove permissions, and also inherit permissions from parent pages as well.
Add Permissions
In order to grant permissions to a group or individual user within the Workspaces:
Click on the Add button under the group/user list.
Click on the groups and users and click Add.
Click OK to include permissions.
Remove Permissions
To remove permissions from a group or user simply click on the checkbox next to the name and click on Remove.
Define Permissions
When users are added into the permissions box, they are given Read permission by default. The definition of the permissions is included below:
Permission | What it Allows you to do |
Create | Allows the user to create or add modules to the Workspaces areas. |
Delete | Allows users to delete modules from the Workspaces area. |
Read | Allows users to simply view the Workspaces but not make any content changes. |
Write | Allows users to edit modules added to the Workspaces. |
Full Control | Allows the users to control all aspects of the Workspaces: Create, Delete, Read and Write, as well as the ability to assign permissions to others. |
To configure a group or user’s permissions click on the + icon next to the user or group’s name. Check the appropriate permission boxes and click on Apply in the list to enable the permission.
Setting Item Visibility
In Workspaces you can set Featured Items. These items will be prominently displayed at the top of page. This allows you to make it easy for users to find the most important items as soon as they visit the Workspaces area. You can also choose to hide items from the Workspaces list of items.
To control the appearance of your workspace items, click on the folder settings icon.
You can now choose whether each item is a Featured item, a Normal item or a Hidden item.
Module: Blogs
Blogs are a great communication medium through which individuals can share information and receive feedback from an audience.
To add a blog, from the Add New Item drop-down select Blog.
Enter in the blog Name.
Fill in a Description.
Select the Blog Template from the drop-down.
Click Add Blog to create the new blog.
To learn more about blogs please refer to the Blog guide.
Module: Calendars
Calendars are used to keep track of events that occur over a period of time.
To add a calendar, from the Add New Item drop-down menu select Calendar.
Fill in the following fields:
Name: The name of your calendar.
Color: Choose the color of the calendar.
Default View: From the drop-down choose the default view from the choices of Day List View, Weekly Grid View, Monthly Grid View, Yearly Grid View, and Event List View.
Description: Fill in a description for your calendar.
Approval: Check off if you require administrator approval to publish events.
Calendar Owner: Click on the user group button to select the user.
Default Filters: Check off any filters to display in the drop-down on the calendar page.
Custom Filters: Check off any filters to display in the calendar.
Merged Calendars: Click on Select calendars to select other calendar(s) from your site or other sites on your domain.
Click Create Calendar once you have finished configuring your calendar.
To learn more about the Calendars module please refer to the Calendars section.
Module: Custom Data Table
The Custom Data Table is available exclusively within Workspaces. You are able to use this feature to create and store things like an Address Book, Contact List, Book list, Inventory List or many other kinds of items that you would use in a database.
To create a Customer Data Table, choose Custom Data Table from the Add New Item drop-down menu.
Type in the Name of the table.
Fill in the Description.
Click Add Data Table.
Another option to add a Custom Data Table to your workspace is by importing the data from an XML file. This can only be done when you are adding the table to your workspace.
Select Custom Data Table from the Add New Item drop-down menu.
Click on Import Custom Data Table.
Click Browse and locate your XML file on your computer.
Click Import Custom Data Table to import your data.
Note: Your file must be in XML format as specified in the View Example File which is located beside the Choose File button.
Module: Evaluation
Users can add Evaluations to the workspace. These surveys can have different types of questions, including multiple choice questions, multiple selections questions and short answer questions.
Adding an Evaluation
From the Add New Item drop-down menu on the workspace select Evaluation.
Fill in the Name of the evaluation.
You can also add a Description to explain what the evaluation is about.
Click the Create Evaluation button.
Viewing an Evaluation
The View Evaluation section displays all the questions in the evaluation, along with the type of question it is. Users can click on the following links:
Take Survey: To actually fill out the survey and answer the questions click this link.
Add Question: Click the link to add a question.
Survey Submission: This allows you to see who has submitted the quiz, at what time and the number of submissions.
Export Survey: This allows you to export the survey questions to other surveys.
Export Survey Results: This provides you a compilation of the results for your multiple choice, multiple selection and short answer questions.
Export Survey Summary: This provides you a summary of the answers to multiple choice and multiple selection questions.
Import Survey: This allows you to import survey questions from other surveys.
Chart: This charts the results that have been obtained.
Random Sort Questions: When checked off and if there are multiple questions this option will display the questions in a random order.
Random Select Questions: You can use this option to randomly select a set number of questions from your question pool.
Maximum Number of Times Survey May Be Taken: This setting allows you to specify how many times a user can fill out a particular survey.
Rearrange: This box allows you to specify the order the questions will appear when you click Take Survey.
Note: If you choose to randomly sort or select your questions, the order the questions are in will not matter.
Editing an Evaluation
This section allows you to edit the following fields:
Name: This is the name that will be used in the workspace.
Description: This description will be visible when you view the evaluation.
Click the Update button to save any changes.
Security
Just like all other modules in the SchoolMessenger solution you can adjust the security of the Evaluation to only be allowed access by all or certain users.
Activity
The Activity tab will show you a list of activities that has been done to the Evaluation. You can subscribe to be notified if there are any changes by clicking on the subscribe link under Available Alerts.
Take a Survey
Click Take Survey on the View Evaluation page. Answer the questions provided.
Click the Submit button to submit the survey. If you do not wish to submit the evaluation, click the Cancel button.
Adding a Question
Click on the Add Question link on the View Evaluation page.
Select the Question Type:
Multiple Choice: This allows a user to select a single answer for the question.
Multiple Selection: This provides checkboxes for the user to select.
Short Answer: This provides a textbox for the user to type an answer in.
Type in the Question.
Set the Answer. If the question type is multiple choice or multiple selection, the different options must be added here.
Set the Points for the question. Leave this set to 0 for a survey.
If you wish, fill in the Feedback users will see after completing the question.
Click on the Add Question button to add the question to the survey.
Viewing Survey Results
To view all submissions to your evaluation, click on Survey Submission on the View Evaluation page.
To view each individual submission, click on the username under the Submitted By column.
Survey Results and Summaries
You can download spreadsheets of your survey results by clicking on the Export Survey Summary or Export Survey Results.
Submission Chart
To view a visual representation of your survey submissions, click on the Chart on the View Evaluation page.
Module: File
Users can add different types of files onto the workspace. These files can then be opened by other members who have access to the workspace.
Adding a File
From the Add New Item drop-down menu on the workspace, select File.
Fill in the required fields:
Select File: Click Choose File to select the file you wish to upload.
File Name: This is the name that will be used in the workspace. By default the name of the file will be in this field.
Description: This description will be visible when you open the file.
Click the Add File button.
Managing a File
Once you click on a file you have uploaded, you will have the following options:
Viewing a File
When a user clicks on a file, they are taken to the View File page. This section also displays any comments made on the file.
Click on the File Name to open the file itself.
Click on the padlock icon to lock or unlock the file. A locked file cannot be edited.
Editing a File
The Edit File tab allows you to update the File Name and Description of the file.
To save any changes, click Update File.
All Versions
This tab lists all the versions for the file, and it identifies which version is currently in use. It also displays any comment on the file.
You can Add New Revisions of the file. By clicking Make Live you can make an older version of your file the live version.
Linked Resources
This tab allows you to link other resources that may be related to your document.
To add a file, use the Choose File button.
Categories
The Categories tab allows you to place your resource file within one or more categories within your Knowledge Repository.
To select a category, click Browse...
Click on the Knowledge Repository domain you want and drill down to the category you wish to use and click Select.
Click the Add button to add a category.
Routing
The Routing tab allows you to use the document to start a new workflow case for a given workflow.
To link a workflow to a document, click Browse. Then click on workflow you wish to use and click Route.
Metadata
The Metadata tab allows you to specify the Author, Contributor, Publish Date and other information about the resource. This allows the resource to be more easily found when users are searching for it.
Security
The Security tab allows you to control which users can view, edit or delete your file.
When selecting user permissions, it is important to keep in mind that there are two types of permission designations: Direct Permissions and Actual Permissions.
Direct Permissions refers to users who also have access to your blog, as these may be inherited permissions from a parent page. You can add and remove users from the Direct Permissions button.
Actual Permissions refers to all the users, within the administrator’s group, who have access to the blog. You cannot edit the users in the Actual Permissions list since this is controlled by site and/or global administrators.
Activity
The Activity tab allows you to see user interactions with the given resource.
You also have the option to Subscribe to be alerted to future changes to the resource.
Adding a Comment
Comments can be added to files for other users to see. To add a comment:
Click on the Add Comment link on the View File page.
Fill in the comment into the text area provided.
You can add attachments with the comment by clicking on the Add Attachment link.
Click the Preview button to view how the comment looks.
Click the Post Comment button to post the comment under the file.
Module: Folder
From the Add New Item drop-down menu on the workspace, select Folder.
Fill in the required fields:
Name: This is the name that will be used in the workspace.
Description: This description will be visible when you open the folder.
Icon: You can use Select Icon... to control the icon that appears beside the folder.
Click the Create Folder button.
Module: Forums
The forum is an excellent tool for conducting quick and detailed discussions on various topics with many individuals participating at once. Here you can establish course topics for you to collaborate on, provide sections for discussion, or simply answer questions all in an organized environment.
To create a forum:
From the Add New Item drop-down menu on the workspace, select Forum.
Fill in the required fields:
Name: This is the name that will be used in the workspace.
Description: This description will be visible when you open the folder.
Select if this Forum is going to be Enabled.
Click the Add Forum button.
To learn more about Forums please refer to the Forums guide.
Module: Gallery
Photo Gallery allows you to create multiple albums with dynamic features such as the ability to view pictures as slideshows, or allowing for moderated commenting. These galleries are a great way to capture and showcase activities and events that occur.
To add a gallery:
Select Gallery from the Add New Item drop-down menu.
Enter in the Name.
Fill in the Description.
Click Create to create your gallery.
Module: Links
Users can add links onto the workspace. If a user clicks on a link, they are automatically redirected to it. To add a link:
From the Add New Item drop-down menu on the workspace, select Link.
Fill in the required fields:
Link Name: This is the name that will be used in the workspace.
Web Address (URL): This is the web page to which the user will be redirected when they click on the link.
Click the Add Link button.
Module: Vote
A vote is a poll with a single question. Users can add polls to workspaces or submit answers to polls already posted.
Adding a Vote
From the Add New Item drop-down menu on the workspace, select Vote.
Fill in the required fields:
Name: This is the name that will be used in the workspace.
Question: This is the question that the users have to answer.
Answer Options: Fill in your answer options. If you need more than 5 you can add another by clicking on Add Answer.
Allow multiple answers: Will change your question to allow multiple answers instead of just one.
Randomize answer order: Change the order of the list of answers each time that the vote opens.
Allow user to enter own answers: Adds a text box to the question so that a user can select Other and type in information.
Display Options: You can change what the submit button text will be, choose whether you want to show the results to the voters, a percentage result only, or hide all results from the voters, as well as to display as either a bar or pie chart.
Additional Options
Select the required option and click the Add Poll button.
Security Measure: Allows you to add that a CAPTCHA needs to be filled out each time that a vote is submitted to stop spammers.
Repeat Voters: You can select an option to allow repeat guest voters, block by cookie, or block by cookie and IP address.
Deadline: If you would like you vote to close on a certain date from the drop-down menu select Close On and then select the date and time.
View Vote
When users click on a vote object, the system directs them to the View Vote page. This page allows users to select their answer. Click the Submit button to submit your answer.
Edit Vote
This page allows the users to change the same options that are available on the Adding a Vote section.
Click Update Poll to save your changes.
Report
The Report tab will allow you to view the results of your vote/poll as a bar or pie chart. It will also allow you to export the results to a .CSV file that is readable in Excel as well as you can reset the results. You will also be able to see the number of votes that each option has received.
Security
The Security tab will allow you to configure who can view (and vote) in the poll, who can edit the poll and who can delete the poll.
Module: Workflow
A workflow consists of a sequence of logically connected steps. It is a sequence of operations, declared as work for a person, a group of persons, an organization, and contains one or more simple or complex mechanisms.
To create a workflow:
Select Workflow from the Add New Item drop-down menu.
Fill in the Name.
Enter a Description.
Click on Create.
To learn more about Workflow please refer to the Workflow guide.