mathportal instructor quick start - bfw integrated learning solutions

MathPortal Instructor Quick Start Reconceptualizing Mathematics: For

Elementary School Teachers Sowder, Sowder and Nickerson

For technical support call 1-800-936-6899

MathPortal Quick Start For Sowder, Sowder and Nickerson, Reconceptualizing Mathematics

Table of Contents Overview.......................................................................................................................................... 1 System Requirements ..................................................................................................................... 1 Accessing MathPortal...................................................................................................................... 2

Instructor Access - Adopting MathPortal ..................................................................................... 2 Directing Your Students to Access MathPortal............................................................................ 2

Student Option One: Purchase Access Directly Via the Site ................................................... 2 Student Option Two: Register with an Activation Code ........................................................... 3

Logging in to the Course.............................................................................................................. 3 Customize the Portal ....................................................................................................................... 5

The Home Page Layout ............................................................................................................... 5 Adding a Course Description ....................................................................................................... 6 Tab Setup..................................................................................................................................... 6 Diagnostic Quizzing (Personalized Study Plan) Settings ............................................................ 7 Setting the Time Zone.................................................................................................................. 7 Viewing the Course as a Student ................................................................................................ 7 Online Help .................................................................................................................................. 8

MathPortal eBook ............................................................................................................................ 8 eBook Functionality...................................................................................................................... 8 Customizing the eBook .............................................................................................................. 11

Instructor and Student Resources................................................................................................. 12 Quizzes and Assignments ............................................................................................................. 12 Gradebook ..................................................................................................................................... 14

For technical support call 1-800-936-6899

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For technical support call 1-800-936-6899.

Overview Welcome to MathPortal for Sowder’s Reconceptualizing Mathematics . MathPortal combines an array of instructor and student content with numerous assessment and course management tools. In this guide, we have outlined steps you can use to set up your course and get started quickly.

This quick start guide is designed to get you up and running in the course software. You will be introduced to the main features, and should be comfortable enough to begin working in MathPortal. After working your way through this guide, you will be able to:

Ensure your computer is properly set up for MathPortal

Access MathPortal eBook content and customize the eBook page

Understand how instructors and students access MathPortal

Find MathPortal resources and add new resource content

Login to MathPortal Create a MathPortal quiz assignment

Customize your MathPortal Access and use MathPortal Gradebook functions

System Requirements The following Web browsers are formally supported and tested for use with MathPortal:

Windows: Internet Explorer version 6 or 7 and Firefox version 1.0 and above.

Mac OS X: Firefox version 1.5 and above.

In addition, some MathPortal resources require Adobe Shockwave Player, Adobe Flash Player, Apple QuickTime (5.0 or above), Java, or Adobe Reader (version 6 or above). The latest versions of these plug-ins can be downloaded free of charge from Adobe, Sun, or Apple Web sites.

To see which plug-ins you have installed and to find installers, do the following.

1. Click the System Check link from the bottom of the MathPortal welcome screen or go directly to http://courses.bfwpub.com/syscheck/ .

Note: To view some features of the Portal, you may need to turn off your browser’s pop-up blocker, and any pop-up blocker(s) in third-party toolbar(s) you may have added to your browser, such as the Google or Yahoo toolbar.

http://courses.bfwpub.com/syscheck/

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Accessing MathPortal This section describes the procedures for instructors and students to access MathPortal.

Instructor Access ‐ Adopting MathPortal If you don’t yet have access to your own MathPortal course, take the following steps to begin your course activation process: 1. Go to the MathPortal login page at

http://courses.bfwpub.com/reconceptmath 2. Click the ADOPT MathPortal link. A form will

pop up. Fill in all the requested information. 3. Click the Submit button at the bottom of the

screen. 4. Once you have completed these steps, the

course will be created within 48 hours. You will receive all of the necessary information and instructions by email.

Directing Your Students to Access MathPortal Once you’ve set up your course, you will need to make sure your students know how to register and access your course. To get access to MathPortal, your students have two options, described below.

Note: We can provide you with an electronic handout/syllabus insert and PowerPoint slides to help explain the registration process to your students.

Student Option One: Purchase Access Directly Via the Site 1. Students should go to http://courses.bfwpub.com/reconceptmath, select PURCHASE access

to MathPortal and then select their state/province from the drop down menu. Student will then be prompted to select their institution and your course from additional drop-down menus.

2. Students will set up the profile that they will use to access the portal. They must enter their name and email address and choose a password.

3. Students must then enter payment information including their name (as it appears on the credit card), credit card number, expiration date, billing address and click NEXT. After confirming their information, they should click on PLACE YOUR ORDER.

4. Once the system has confirmed payment, a thank you screen will display that confirms the student’s name, email address, username, and password. Students will also receive a confirmation email. When the payment has been processed, the students will be able to log into the portal using the profiles set up in Step 2. They will not need an Activation Code.


http://courses.bfwpub.com/reconceptmath


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Student Option Two: Register with an Activation Code 1. Students who received a PsychPortal Activation Code do not need to purchase portal access

through the site. Instead, they should go to http://courses.bfwpub.com/reconceptmath and select the REGISTER an Activation Code link. The registration screen will appear.

2. Students must enter their Activation Code, name, and email address (the email address will serve as each student’s MathPortal username).

3. Students then create a password and password hint. The password must be at least 4 characters long and should be something memorable.

4. Students register for a specific class by selecting their school location (state/province) from the drop-down menu at the bottom of the screen. Subsequent drop-down menus allow them to choose their institution and course/instructor.

5. Students then click NEXT at the bottom of the screen, confirm their information on the following screen, and click CREATE ACCOUNT to complete the registration process.

Note: Students won’t be able to change their email address once they’ve registered, so they must choose an address that will be valid for the duration of the course.

Logging in to the Course Both you and your students should go to http://courses.bfwpub.com/reconceptmath to login to the MathPortal course.

1. Supply your email address and password. 2. Click LOG IN.




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Note: If you or your students have trouble with a login id or password, call 1-800-936-6899 or contact technical support via email at [email protected].


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Customize the Portal Once you’ve logged in, you will arrive on the home page. From here, you can access all the information, tools, and resources in MathPortal. As the instructor, you can access tools to customize this home page to match the needs of your class.

Course Title and Description

Home Page Components

The Home Page Layout You can customize the “components” available to you and your students on your course home page. Follow the steps below to add, delete, or change the arrangement of your home page components. 1. From your home page, select Customize Your Portal below your course title. 2. Select Home page layout from the Customize Your Portal page. 3. To add a component

to your home page,select it in the list and click the AComponent

dd button.

mn 1.

r of

The item’s position defaults to the bottom of Colu

4. Drag and drop component(s) to rearrange the display on the home page. The numbe


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columns is controlled by your placement of the components.

5. To remove a component, click the small “X” to the right of the component name in the layout. 6. Click the Save button when you’ve made your desired changes.

dd a course description that will appear at the top of your home page.

age, click Customize Your Portal in the top-left corner of the window.

n

n

add

llow

e to make edits.

. nks to a Web site. Options are also

rovided to control which tabs will be av

lect

r a description

or

ging the

Adding a Course Description A 1. From the home p2. Click the link for

Course descriptioon the Customize Your Portal page.

3. Enter your course description. You cause the toolbar toformat text, addlinks, and pictures.

4. Click Submit Description. Your new description will be displayed. If you see a mistake, fothe same steps outlined abov

Tab Setup At the top of the portal window are named tabs that jump to significant pages of the online courseYou can modify these tabs and even create a new tab that lip ailable to students. 1. From your home page, se

Customize Your Portal. 2. Select Tab setup from the

Customize Your Portal page. 3. Click the about link fo

of the tab’s function. 4. Click the checkboxes to include

remove tabs from your course. 5. Rename the tabs by chan

text in the Name fields. 6. Use the yes/no radio buttons to

indicate whether or not each tab should be available to students.

7. Reorder the tabs using the up down Move arrowheads.


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8. For Custom tabs, you will be asked to supply a URL or content item to link to from the tab.

f the page. 10. Click the Revert to Default Settings button to abandon changes.

that

lectures and exam reviews to the topics in the course where your students

e

link in the Pre-Test

change it by clicking on the date.

urses are set to US Eastern Timer your course.

ect Customize

m the

radio buttons to indicate your time

Submit button to complete the setting.

Note: Daylight savings time changes will be automatically taken care of by the Portal.

udents on't have any of the options you have to add course content or edit components.

looks to your students, click the view as button in the top-left

your usual instructor tasks. To return to Instructor view, click view as again, and click OK.

9. When you're done, click the Apply Changes button at the bottom o

Diagnostic Quizzing (Personalized Study Plan) Settings Every chapter of MathPortal includes a personalized study plan. The plans include quizzesstudents can take to assess their knowledge. Based on responses to the tests, the portal recommends specific sections of the chapter for them to review. Additionally, you can view a report showing how your students did as a group on the Self-Test questions for each section, allowing you to tailor need the most help.

Follow the steps below to access Personalized Study Plan settings.

1. From your home page, select Customize Your Portal. 2. Select Personalized Study Plan s3. Set a due date for the Chapter 1

Pre-Test by clicking the not assigned

ttings from the Customize Your Portal page.

column. 4. Once you set a due date, you can

easily

Setting the Time Zone The time zone function affects due dates, calendar dates, and other settings in the Portal. By default, Portal co . Follow the steps below to set the time zone fo 1. From your home page, sel

Your Portal. 2. Select Time zone settings fro

Customize Your Portal page. 3. Use the

zone. 4. Click the

Viewing the Course as a Student In some places, the portal you see is very different from what your students see. Std

1. To see how the online coursecorner of the portal window.

2. Click OK to confirm entering Student view. 3. In Student view, you won't be able to modify the course, grade assignments, or do any of


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The current view mode is indicated by either (Student) or (Instructor) after your name in the top-right of the portal window.

Online Help Details on using the many MathPortal features and tools are available in Online Help.

1. Click the Help button in the lower-left

corner of the MathPortal window. 2. Explore the information available and

close the window when finished. Note: To sign up for a live, Web-based training session, visit us at http://bfwtraining.webex.com/ Sessions take about an hour and a trainer walks you through all of the tools and options.

MathPortal eBook The MathPortal eBook is a complete online version of Sowder, Sowder and Nickerson’s Reconceptualizing Mathematics.

eBook Functionality Links throughout the eBook connect to numerous study tools such as Electronic Manipulatives and Whiteboard tutorials, all designed to make the learning experience more effective and relevant.

1. To open the eBook’s table of contents, click the eBOOK tab at the top of the page.


http://bfwtraining.webex.com/

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2. Once you’re in the eBook, use the Navigation Pane (on the left) and the Previous and Next

links to get around a chapter or to go to another chapter. 3. Jump to the section corresponding to a page in the printed text by entering the page number

in the Search box in the upper right corner of the window, or enter search terms for a list of eBook sections and resources about any given topic.

4. Use the Open in new window link to keep an eBook page open while you visit other Portal content.

Each chapter contains a Personalized Study Plan. Students take the Diagnostic Quizzes and are then guided to review materials based on their responses. 1. Select a chapter from the

eBook’s table of contents. 2. Click the link for

Personalized Study Plan.

3. A description of the Pre-Lecture and Mastery Quizzes is given here, along with a link at the bottom to View the student’s perspective of the page. From the student perspective page you will see a link to Return to the instructor’s perspective.

4. Click the Try the Pre-Lecture Quiz yourself link. Complete the test questions (be sure to get some wrong) and click Submit. Your results will display. Click the Continue button at the bottom of the test result page to see a report with links to review materials. Topics highlighted in red are areas that require additional study.

Once your students have taken a Pre-Lecture or Mastery Quiz, you will see their overall results on the Personalized Study Plan page, and you will have an option to view individual scores or a class report breaking down these results by eBook section.

eBook Tools allow you and your students to access bookmarking, glossary, highlighting and note-taking functionality. 1. Navigate to any eBook section and click the eBook Tools

button on the right. From the resulting pop-up, click Add Note or Add Sticky Note. A Note (or Top Note) will appear at the top of the page. A sticky note will be positioned anywhere you choose on the page.

2. Type in a note. 3. If you want your students to see

this note, choose Public from the drop-down menu above the note text. “Private” notes will not be visible to your students.

4. Click SAVE. If you designated the note as public, your students will automatically see the note on this section the next time they log in. (Students can also add their own


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notes to each section; their notes will show up right above yours in their “copy” of the eBook.)

5. Double-clicking any phrase in the eBook will highlight the phrase.


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Customizing the eBook In addition to the annotation functionality noted above, the MathPortal eBook provides several options to customize eBook content.

You can rearrange the chapters in your course’s copy of the eBook to match the order in which you will cover topics in your course. To do so, follow these steps: 1. Click the eBOOK tab at the top of the

Portal to see the eBook table of contents.

2. Click the rearrange link just under the eBook title.

3. Drag and drop the chapters in the subsequent screen to reorder them.

4. Click Save when finished. Full chapters or chapter sections of the eBook can be assigned and scheduled for students. 1. Navigate to and select a chapter in the eBook. 2. Select the change settings link under the chapter title. 3. Click the Assignment tab. 4. Click the Assign Item checkbox. A dialog opens where you can specify a due date. Other

available options are to schedule a reminder email for students and to include the item in the Gradebook.

You can also add new content items (e.g. web links, uploaded documents, or pages you write from scratch right in the Portal) anywhere in the eBook. 1. Navigate to the chapter or section folder

where you want to add the item and click the add content link under the folder title.

2. Click the option for the item you’d like to add. For example, click Link to create a link to another Web site. To add a link to an existing resource in the portal, click Shortcut.

3. You will be prompted to create the item you selected. These steps will vary depending on the assignment type. For example, if you had selected Link, you would supply a link name – e.g. Psych Link —on the Content tab. At the bottom of the Content tab you would supply a Link URL.


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Instructor and Student Resources Study tools such as video clips, spreadsheet projects, and sudoku puzzles are linked throughout the eBook sections. These tools are also available directly from the RESOURCES tab. You (but not your students) can also access instructor-specific resources, such as an Instructor’s Manual with Solutions and PowerPoint slides.

1. From anywhere in the Portal, select the tab for RESOURCES. 2. Select a resource type from either the STUDENT RESOURCES or INSTRUCTOR

RESOURCES drop-down menu. In the example shown here, All instructor resources has been selected from the Instructor Resources drop-down.

3. Use the chapters drop-down to select resources for a specific chapter, or select all chapters. 4. Click the go button. 5. Click any of the folder links to on the resulting page to access the materials. 6. To add additional resource materials for your students, go to the RESOURCES page and

click the Add a new content item button. Your students will see links to these items when they access the RESOURCES tab. The process to add these items is similar to that described above for adding a new content item to the eBook.

Quizzes and Assignments In MathPortal, you have a wealth of activities, quizzes, quiz questions, and eBook content you can access to shape your course. You can also create assignments using your own content, which you can add to the course. Anything in MathPortal can be assigned from the ASSIGNMENTS area of the Portal. Here, we’ll walk you through creating a quiz. 1. Click on the ASSIGNMENTS tab in the MathPortal banner frame. The Assignment Center will

be blank when you first get your course, but as you add assignments, they will be conveniently listed here for you and your students.

2. Click Add an assignment, then select Quiz from the Create a new assignment drop-down and click go.

3. To quickly create a quiz and start adding questions, enter the quiz name and click Create Instant Quiz. You can come back to the Assignment Center later to set the due date and other settings (for example, you can scramble the questions and/or multiple choice answers in the quiz). To edit these settings before creating the quiz, click Create Quiz & Edit Settings.


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4. Now that you have created an instant quiz, you will now be in the question picker. You can

use the From an Existing Question Bank dialog to browse, filter, and select questions from the hundreds provided in the MathPortal question bank. For now, try creating a question of your own. Under the Create your Own dialog box, use the drop-down to view your options. Select Multiple Choice and click go.

5. In the text field, type a question (in the example shown, the question is “What is 2 + 3?”). Enter the answer choices in the “choices” and add points for the correct answer in the points fields to the left of the choices.

6. You can add feedback for specific answers selected in the fields to the right of the answer choices, or General Feedback for the question in the field below the answer choices.

7. Click Save. Note that your new question will be listed on the right side of the screen.

8. Edit questions by clicking the pencil icon ( ) and delete them by clicking the ( ) icons. Use the arrow icons to move questions up and down in the quiz. Click the done adding questions link at the top of the screen when you have finished. Back at the Assignment Center, you will see your new quiz added. You can experiment and take the quiz.

9. To change settings, hover your mouse over the quiz title and then click the settings link that appears to the right of the title. Click the Remove button associated with the quiz to Unassign or Delete it.

To assign existing content (such as Resources) from the MathPortal, use the Assign an existing content item drop down to select the area where the materials are located, and click go. On the resulting page, find and select the resource(s) you want to add, then click Continue. You will be able to enter due dates for each resource you’ve selected.


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Gradebook The MathPortal Gradebook functions much like Gradebooks in other learning management systems such as Blackboard, WebCT, and Angel. 1. Click on the GRADEBOOK tab. 2. Links to your Course Roster and Attendance pages will appear at the top of the screen. 3. Click the drop-down for Other Gradebook Functions including Display Preferences and

Import/Export options.

St4. are listed in rows; assignments are listed in columns. Click on a student to see his/her grade details.

udents

5. Click a column heading to get a menu of options for an assignment or assignment category. 6. The button for a Printable Version at the top right will generate a print-friendly PDF view of

your Gradebook.

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