Information Services
Massachusetts Online Network for Education (MassONE)

Newsletter - January 2008

Happy New Year!

As the twenty-first century unfolds, it's a great time to explore ways that technology can engage students and enhance their learning. This newsletter offers some ideas to help you get started.

Learn to Use MassONE

If you'd like to know more about how to use MassONE's tools, there are several resources that can help: Once you have logged into MassONE, look for these resources:

• On the main announcements page, there are links to our MassONE Quickguide and our Student Quickguide. These quick tutorials will help you get up and running.

• For more in-depth information on using MassONE in teaching, you can take the MassONE Orientation. To access it, click the TLR in the menu bar on the left. Then click "Online Courses" and then "MassONE Orientation."

• For help with specific tools, you can use the MassONE Help tutorials. To access them, click the Help icon in the toolbar at the top of the screen. Then select the topic.

Help Using MassONE

If you need help with a problem, start by contacting your district's MassONE Admin. A list of Admins is posted on the MassONE web site at: http://massone.mass.edu/Admins/list.html If your district doesn't have a MassONE Admin, or if the Admin is unable to resolve your problem, you can contact the MassONE Help Desk at MassONEHelp@doe.mass.edu or 781-338-3020.

Contacting the MassONE Help Desk

When you need to contact the MassONE Help Desk, keep in mind that using email will usually result in a quicker reply. To help MassONE operate efficiently, be sure to include a descriptive subject line for your email. If your request is time-sensitive, you can include that information. For example, if you are taking a course through MassONE or if you have given your students an assignment that involves MassONE, include the date by which your problem needs to be resolved. When emailing MassONE, please include the following information:

• Your name
• Your MassONE user name
• Description of the problem
• Date by which the problem must be resolved (if applicable)
• Phone number and best time(s) to contact you

Creating Accounts for Students

In most cases, classroom teachers can create student accounts by simply by rostering students into their classroom workgroup. The roster tool allows teachers to search for the names of students in their school, select the names, and then add them to the workgroup. The tool will also produce a list of students' usernames and passwords. To access the roster tool, log onto MassONE, click the Admin icon at the top of the page, and then click "Roster Members into MassONE."

For students who are new to your school this year, teachers will not be able to set up the MassONE accounts until all of the SIMS data has been collected and validated by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. This includes students, for example, who graduated from middle school and are now at a high school in the same district. If you have new students who need to use MassONE immediately, you can contact your MassONE Admin for help with setting up the accounts. To find out who your district's admin is, you can refer to the MassONE Admin list. If your school or district does not have a MassONE Admin, please contact the MassONE Help Desk at 781-338-3020 or MassONEHelp@doe.mass.edu.

If you are a MassONE Admin and you need to set up accounts for new students, you can refer to the instructions in the MassONE Administration Guide   . MassONE will accommodate account requests on a first-come, first-served basis. Since accounts for new students must be set up manually at this point in time, please be patient. MassONE is working to develop a more convenient process for registering new students for the upcoming school year.

MassONE's Acceptable Use Policy

Like the real world, the virtual world offers fantastic opportunities for learning, as well as opportunities for getting into trouble. It's a good idea to talk to your students about how to be safe and ethically sound when using online resources. Take time to review MassONE's Acceptable Use Policy, as well as your district's policy before beginning an online project.

MassONE has some terrific resources on online safety, provided by NetSmartz. They include videos, computer activities, real-life stories, and activity cards-all geared to specific age groups. NetSmartz also has a teacher training program. To access these resources, click the icon for Teaching Learning Resources (TLR) on the left side of the MassONE screen. Then scroll down to NetSmartz Internet Safety Resources.

Did You Forget Your MassONE Username or Password?

If you misplaced your username or password, you can quickly and easily retrieve them anytime. To do so, just go to MassONE's home page and click "Forgot Username or Password?" To provide security, MassONE uses a two-step process. First you need to provide some basic information, along with a new password. Then MassONE will instantly email you a secure link, along with your user name and password. When you click the link in the email, your password is reset. You should do this as soon as possible, because the link expires after 24 hours. For security reasons the password reset tool cannot be made available to students. To reset a student's password, choose your classroom workgroup, click on the "Admin" icon at the top of the screen, and then click "Reset Password."

Keep Your MassONE Profile Up to Date

It's important to keep your MassONE profile up to date. Your profile includes your email address. If your profile does not have your current email address, you will not be able to receive email from MassONE, which means that you will not be able to use the password reset tool.

To update your profile, log into MassONE and click the "profile" icon at the top of the screen. To change your email address, click "personal data," enter the new email address, and click "update profile." You can also use the profile tool to change your password.

Back Issues of Newsletters

If you missed any previous issues of the MassONE newsletter, you can now find them on the MassONE web site. To access them, go to MassONE News Archives on the MassONE home page.