There are two ways to send an assignment to your classes. One may be used to send a freeform assignment, and the other may be used to assign your students to visit a specific Beyond Books page.
| Sending an assignment from Your Desk |
From Your Desk, click on the red button "Assignments" to reach the assignments section. Here you will see a listing of all the assignments you have sent, one per class per assignment. At the top right of the listing, click on the yellow button "Create an assignment" to write a new assignment.
Please enter a title for your assignment. If you will be sending assignments to your students often, please give each one a unique name so that your students can distinguish them from each other. For example, you may wish to include the due date in the title. Next, enter the text of your assignment in the text box. If you wish to include website addresses for the students to use, please enter the entire URL (including http://) and the URL will be hyperlinked automatically when your students view the assignment.
Finally, choose one or more classes to whom to send this assignment. You can send the same assignment to more than one class at a time. When you have finished entering your assignment information, click on "send assignment" at the bottom of the screen. The assignment will immediately be sent to each student in each of the classes you chose. Please note: Once you have sent the assignment, you cannot edit it. Please double-check your text before clicking on the button.
| Assigning a Beyond Books page |
If you are logged in as a teacher, you will see the orange button "Assign This Page" in the left column of any Beyond Books content page (focus, unit, or links page). Click on the button and the Your Desk window will open directly to the Create an Assignment screen. Enter and send your assignment as described above. When your students receive the assignment, it will include the Beyond Books page title and hyperlink at the top, allowing them to jump directly to the page you assigned. This feature may be used to instruct your students to read a certain page, write about it, do an activity on the page, or answer the study questions for the page.
| How students receive your assignments |
When you send an assignment to your class, a copy of the assignment is placed in the class portfolio of each class member. Instruct your students to open Your Desk, click on "Your Portfolios," and click on the name of your class to enter the class portfolio. Inside the class portfolio they will see the title of your assignment listed. When they click on the assignment, they will be able to complete it by writing in the text box and sending it back to you.
| Viewing records of your assignments |
To view a record of the assignments you have sent, click on "Assignments" in the Your Desk window. You will see a list of all the assignments you have sent in reverse chronological order (the most recent assignments will be at the top.) Click on an assignment title to view the assignment text as well as the date and time it was sent.