SCHOOLMASTER. Schoolmaster for PDA. Student Information Systems. Revised - August Schoolmaster is SIF Certified

Transcription

1 SCHOOLMASTER Student Information Systems Schoolmaster for PDA Revised - August 2005 Schoolmaster is SIF Certified Schoolmaster uses ctree Plus from FairCom

2 2005 Printed Documentation Revised August All Rights Reserved Published by Olympia Computing Company No part of this publication may be produced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, translated into any language or computer language, in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of Olympia Computing Company, Incorporated. Olympia Computing Company, Inc. makes no representations or warranties, real or implied, to the contents hereof and specifically disclaims any warranties, real or implied, of merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose. Olympia Computing Company, Inc. reserves the right to revise the contents of this publication without prior notification to the user. All names used in this publication are fictitious. Any similarities between persons living or dead is purely coincidental. SCHOOLMASTER is the registered trademark of Olympia Computing Company, Inc 7249 Capitol Boulevard South Tumwater, WA (360) All other product names, trade names, or trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

3 Table Of Contents Schoolmaster for PDA... 1 Chapter 1 - Introduction... 3 Licensing and Acquiring PDA Applications... 3 PDA Requirements for Schoolmaster PDA Applications... 3 Application Setup and Management... 3 Program Installation (System Managers)... 4 Schoolmaster Access Rights and Palm Access Rights... 5 Program Installation -- Workstation... 6 Program Installation -- PDA Device... 6 HotSync Preferences (PDA Users)... 9 Setting HotSync Preferences Disabling Administrator Sync to Sync Other Applications PDA Security Program Uninstall PDA Device Workstation Chapter 2 - Using Classroom PDA Applications Attendance - Classroom PDA Recording Attendance Synchronizing to Submit Attendance/Update PDA Data Backup/Restore Past Attendance Data Reporting Previous-day Attendance Data Mark Entry - Classroom PDA Elementary Mark Entry Secondary Mark Entry Synchronizing to Submit Marks/Update PDA Data Viewing Student Data with PDA Classroom Chapter 3 - Using Schoolmaster Administrator Synchronizing to Update PDA Data Disabling Administrator Sync to Sync Other Applications Navigating and Searching Basic PDA Device Navigation Operations Searching Files -- Students, Rosters, and Staff Accessing PDA Data Viewing Student Data Viewing the Student Data Screen Accessing the Student Schedule Screen Viewing the Student Views Screen -- Contacts Viewing the Student Views Screen -- Guidance, Health, Etc Viewing Staff Data Viewing the Staff Details Screen Viewing the Staff Schedule Screen Viewing Class/Course Data...35 Table of Contents - Schoolmaster for PDA i

4 Viewing Class/Course Rosters Viewing Class/Course Details Index...37 ii Table of Contents - Schoolmaster for PDA

5 Schoolmaster for PDA For Palm OS Devices This manual provides details about using Schoolmaster for PDA applications. Schoolmaster for PDA Version 1.02 features the following applications: PDA Administrator -- Designed for use by principals, assistant principals, counselors, security officers, lunchroom monitors, and supervisory personnel. It provides access to student, staff, and class information from the Schoolmaster database. PDA Classroom -- Attendance and Mark Entry -- Designed for use by teachers without ready access to a workstation (e.g., PE teachers, band directors, substitute teachers, etc.). Topics covered in this manual include: 1 -- Introduction Describes acquiring and managing PDA applications including: equipment requirements; passwords and data encryption; controlling the amount of data loaded onto devices; and procedures for installing/removing the programs PDA Classroom Applications Details how teachers use the PDA Classroom applications to access their assigned rosters for attendance collection, for mark entry of elementary or secondary marks, and to view selected student data PDA Administrator Explains how to access to student, staff, and class/course-section information including basic navigation/searching techniques. Except as it pertains to Schoolmaster applications, Schoolmaster does not provide information or support concerning the installation, configuration, or operation of PDA devices or Palm software. If you require assistance in those areas, see the palmone Customer Service and Support Web page at Schoolmaster for PDA 1

6 2 Schoolmaster for PDA Information in this printed documentation is supplemental and

7 Chapter 1 - Introduction Licensing and Acquiring PDA Applications The PDA Administrator program may be licensed and installed by any site currently using Schoolmaster Version 5.20 (or higher). The PDA Classroom programs for Attendance and Mark Entry may be licensed and installed at sites using Schoolmaster Version 5.20 (or higher) and licensed for the Schoolmaster Classroom Module for an appropriate number of teachers. For information on licensing our Palm applications, contact Schoolmaster Sales at 800/ or via to sales@schoolmaster.com. PDA Requirements for Schoolmaster PDA Applications PDA Classroom applications (Attendance and Mark Entry) require PDA device(s) running Palm OS 3.5 or above. Classroom applications downloading student detail and the PDA Administrator application require Palm OS 4.0 or above (see the chart below). PC desktop computer with Palm Desktop software and HotSync cradle installed. Schoolmaster Network Edition (DSS) Version 5.20 or above. Teachers who are to use PDA devices must have Schoolmaster user rights established as Classroom Users. Memory Requirements for Schoolmaster PDA Administrator Memory requirements vary depending on the data downloaded. The following recommendations are offered as guidelines to minimum requirements only. Num. Students: With Pictures 8MB 16MB OR 16MB + 64MB Expansion Card 8MB + 32MB Expansion Card Without Pictures 2MB 8MB 16MB About PDA Products with Palm OS -- For specifics about Palm hardware with the required capacity see Application Setup and Management The activities required for setup and routine use of Schoolmaster for PDA applications are divided between those completed by the System Manager and those performed by the PDA device user. Each stage of the process is described here and the steps for each stage are detailed in the following sections. Should it be necessary to uninstall PDA applications from a workstation or device, see Program UnInstall (System Manager). Schoolmaster for PDA 3

8 System Managers Enter the PDA activation codes in Schoolmaster provided by /fax when licensing (as described in the System Manager Reference manual). Optionally, use the User Group called palm to set up access rights that restrict the data that may be downloaded to any PDA (if required by district/school guidelines). On workstations with Palm Desktop software and a HotSync cradle installed, run the Schoolmaster for PDA application installer(s) for the required application(s). Synchronize each PDA device and access the Schoolmaster for PDA application(s) to set initial HotSync Preference settings, user names, passwords, server address, and data encryption. PDA Users PDA users synchronize their PDA device for the first time to load Schoolmaster data. Optionally, each PDA user may edit individual HotSync Preferences to customize if/how often the data is reloaded. Then, depending on the application, synchronize to transmit data to Schoolmaster and/or update the data stored on the PDA: PDA Classroom Attendance -- Requires frequent synchronization of PDAs to receive current Schoolmaster attendance data and submit attendance data changes (see Using PDA Classroom for details). PDA Classroom Mark Entry -- Requires synchronization of PDAs that is properly timed for the grading period's mark submission and to occasionally receive updates to rosters or student data (see Using PDA Classroom for details). PDA Administrator -- Synchronizes less frequently, depending on the data required, and may optionally disable Administrator synchronization to speed up other PDA applications' synchronization (see Using PDA Administrator for details). Except as it pertains to Schoolmaster applications, Schoolmaster does not provide information or support concerning the installation, configuration, or operation of PDA devices or Palm software. If you require assistance in those areas, see the palmone Customer Service and Support Web page at Program Installation (System Managers) Prior to installation license the desired applications, acquire the PDA application installer(s), and enter the PDA activation codes into Schoolmaster (provided by /fax when licensing). The installation process involves: In Schoolmaster, establish appropriate access rights for PDA users. Computer Workstation Setup PDA Device Setup Assist the PDA user with the subsequent synchronization to acquire Schoolmaster data. Optionally, provide the user with information to customize their HotSync Preferences. 4 Schoolmaster for PDA

9 Schoolmaster Access Rights and Palm Access Rights PDA applications honor the access rights of the Schoolmaster User Group to which the user belongs; a user's access rights apply to the workstation and PDA alike. Thus, if a user has access to Test History data in Schoolmaster, they would also have access to download Test History on their PDA. Optionally, the System Manager may restrict the Schoolmaster data available to any and all PDAs by specifying No Access to the data in the PDA user group named palm. Each PDA user automatically belongs to this group, in addition to the user's assigned workstation user group. For example, if District policy prohibits the storage of student test scores on PDAs, the System Manager can prevent Test History records from being downloaded to anyone's PDA by completing the steps below. When the access rights are restricted in this manner, those who may normally access Test History in Schoolmaster retain those access rights, but Test History scores are never available to the Palm Desktop for download to the PDA during synchronization. The palm group is only used to restrict access; entries to allow access are recorded via User Groups. 1. In Schoolmaster, create the user group named palm; the name must be lowercase as shown (Setup, General, User Groups, Task, Add Group). Each PDA user automatically belongs to this group, in addition to the user's assigned workstation user group. 2. Click Add Rights. 3. For the example shown, select Module, click Forward, and select Test History (or your choice). 4. Set Access Type to No Access. Within the palm group, No Access means the data is never loaded to the PDA during synchronization, regardless of HotSync Preferences set on the PDA. Schoolmaster for PDA 5

10 Program Installation -- Workstation Prior to installation license and acquire the PDA application installer(s), enter the activation codes into Schoolmaster (provided by /fax when licensing), and establish appropriate access rights for PDA users. 1. Install the Palm Desktop software on the computer workstation following the instructions provided with the Palm OS. 2. Download the Schoolmaster for PDA application installer(s) PDAadmin##x.exe and/or PDAclassroom##x.exe (##x represents the current software version number) to the computer desktop or a folder on your hard drive or server. 3. From the computer workstation that has the Palm Desktop software and Hot Sync cradle installed, navigate to the downloaded file(s) and double-click PDAadmin##x.exe and/or PDAclassroom##x.exe to run the installer. 4. After the initial installation is complete, a dialog displays prompting you to select the PDAs on which to install Schoolmaster software. From the list of Palm OS devices that are registered with the Palm Desktop software, select all the appropriate devices. After you have selected all, or at least one device, click Next. 5. A dialog displays a description of everything that was done by the installer. The computer workstation installation is now complete. See Program Installation -- PDA Device to install the Schoolmaster applications on the PDA device(s). To add an application later, or to install the application on additional devices, restart the installer (step 3 above) and choose Update or Modify installation. You can then add additional users. Program Installation -- PDA Device During the PDA device installation process the System Manager installs one or more of the Schoolmaster for PDA applications and then configures the PDA device as appropriate for its user. When loaded to one PDA, settings are shared by the PDA Classroom applications (Attendance and Mark Entry); completing the steps below for either completes the operations for both. But if the PDA Administrator and PDA Classroom are loaded to a single device, they have separate, and possibly differing, preferences, user names, and passwords; you must complete steps 4-9 for PDA Administrator and again for PDA Classroom. If the PDA owners use a password on their PDA to protect access to their Palm applications/data, the System Manager must have that password in order to install and configure the PDA applications (this is the Palm password, not the Schoolmaster password). 6 Schoolmaster for PDA

11 1. Once program installation is complete on the workstation, insert each PDA into the cradle and press the HotSync button to install one (or more) Schoolmaster application on the PDA. Only the application installation takes place at this point; no Schoolmaster data is downloaded. 2. Remove the PDA from the cradle when the operation is complete. 3. Start the PDA device, entering the user's Palm password if required. 4. Open the home screen that displays the application icon(s) and tap the Schoolmaster application icon. 5. The first display shows the HotSync Preferences dialog. Use these settings to tailor the data stored in the PDA to the user's requirements and to streamline the HotSync process (for complete details, see Overview of HotSync Preferences). As Schoolmaster system data is loaded/updated from the Palm Desktop to the PDA via the HotSync process, the data provided is limited by: a. The user's User Group access rights in Schoolmaster, b. The initial HotSync Preferences set during this first synchronization, c. And, optionally, by HotSync Preferences the user sets via this dialog during subsequent synchronization. Tap the down arrow ( ) to select appropriate timing; for checkboxes, tap to check/uncheck (check = yes, blank = no). Indicate the proper settings for each of the following: Reload All Data -- During HotSync, reloading all data replaces everything on the PDA with the data from Schoolmaster; depending on the configuration, reloading all data can be a time consuming process. Consequently, this setting is used to limit "Reload All" to specified intervals. Reload All Data is normally set to Weekly (the default setting); under normal circumstances, it should never be set to Always. During synchronization at times not scheduled for Reload All Data, the following are always updated: changes to student schedules, changes to enrollment (new students or withdrawals), and the current day's attendance. Student Relations -- This information pertains to parents, guardians, uncles, day care providers, doctors, etc. Chose to load All, None, or Primary Contact Only which loads only the adult/parent record of the relationship that has the highest contact priority and the Primary Guardian Basis specified in the Configuration file (Lives With or Legal Custody). Student Health -- Chose to load All, None, Current Year Only which loads only records for the current school year and all Health Alert records, Summaries which loads the date, record type, and topic of each record and complete detail for Health Alerts, or Alerts Only which loads only Health Alerts with all details. Schoolmaster for PDA 7

12 Student Guidance -- Chose to load All, None, Current Year Only which loads only records for the current school year, or Summaries which loads the date, record type, and topic of each record. Student Test History -- Chose to load All, None, Current Year Only which loads only records for the current school year, or Summaries which loads the date, record type, and topic of each record. Load Student User Defined -- Check to Load All User Defined records or leave blank if User Defined records are not required. Load Student Photos -- Remove the default check if displaying student photos on the PDA device is not desired. If PDA Administrator and PDA Classroom applications are loaded to a single device, their settings and photos are stored separately; this could result in a duplication of the photos that may significantly slow synchronization and device operations. Put Photos On Memory Card -- This option does not display until photos have been downloaded to the PDA's memory at least once. After the first synchronization with Load Student Photos checked, this option allows you to move photos from the PDA's memory to a memory card. 6. Tap OK when settings are as desired. 7. The Schoolmaster Setup screen displays; enter the user's Schoolmaster Login Name. 8. Tap Enter Password, enter the user's Schoolmaster Password, and tap OK. 9. After entering the password, the cursor advances to the Schoolmaster Server Address field. The first time you run the program auto appears in the Server Address field. If you synchronized from a workstation that has been connected to Schoolmaster leave as is and tap OK -- the program automatically detects the server location. Otherwise, enter the network address of the FairCom server associated with your Schoolmaster system. If you do not know the Schoolmaster server address, start Schoolmaster on your workstation and click Help, About. The About Schoolmaster dialog includes a line for Data Server followed by the address required in the format (server name@ip-number). 8 Schoolmaster for PDA

13 10. If there is a Palm password established for the device, Encrypt Data is checked by default; otherwise the option is not checked. Data encryption is optional, but strongly recommended; ensure that the option is checked. 11. Tap Close and exit the application. If PDA Administrator and PDA Classroom are loaded to a single device, repeat steps 4-11 to configure the second application. 12. Deliver the PDA to its owner and demonstrate the synchronization process for the owner as follows: Return the PDA device to the HotSync cradle and press the HotSync button. When the HotSync operation completes, tap the application's icon to access the current day's information. HotSync Preferences (PDA Users) Schoolmaster data is copied from the Palm Desktop to the PDA by means of the synchronization process. Access rights and District policy determine the data types that can be downloaded to a user's PDA. HotSync Preferences are set on a particular PDA device to further control the amount of data downloaded and determine how often data is updated. For example, where teachers may access Health Alerts, but not other Health records, full Health records never download to PDAs used by teachers, but Health Alerts are downloaded unless a teacher sets the HotSync Preferences for Student Health to Load None. Synchronization either replaces all the selected record types or updates them depending on the Reload All Data schedule. Reload All Data is normally set to Weekly (the default setting); under normal circumstances, it should never be set to Always. When synchronized at times not scheduled for Reload All Data, PDAs are always updated with changes to student schedules, changes to enrollment (new students or withdrawals), and the current day's attendance. PDA Administrator and PDA Classroom applications loaded to a single device have separate Preferences settings that may differ. Preference settings are shared by the PDA Classroom applications (Attendance and Mark Entry). This makes it possible to optimize PDA memory use between applications (e.g., load one photo set on the device rather than two by checking Load Student Photos for the PDA Administrator application but not for PDA Classroom). The HotSync Preferences dialog resembles the example shown -- except that the "Put Photos On Memory Card" option is displayed as a checkbox until photos have been downloaded. Schoolmaster for PDA 9

14 Setting HotSync Preferences Schoolmaster data is copied from the Palm Desktop to the PDA by means of the synchronization process, as determined by the PDA user's access rights. HotSync Preferences are set on a particular PDA device to further control the amount of data downloaded and determine how often data is updated. PDA Administrator and PDA Classroom applications loaded to a single device have separate Preferences settings that may differ. Preference settings are shared by the PDA Classroom Attendance and Mark Entry applications. 1. Tap the desired icon: Administrator, Mark Entry or Attendance. 2. Establish preferences (tap Schoolmaster, Options, Preferences). 3. Reload All Data -- Regardless of your choice for other data, attendance data is always reloaded. During synchronization at times not scheduled for Reload All Data, the following are always updated: changes to student schedules, changes to enrollment (new students or withdrawals), and the current day's attendance. Always Never Once Daily Weekly Monthly All data replaced each time. Never replaced; always updated. All data replaced the next time you synchronize; thereafter, never (until you change this setting). All data replaced daily. Default -- All data replaced weekly. (Recommended setting) All data replaced monthly. Mondays, etc. All data replaced each selected weekday (e.g., each Monday ) Schoolmaster for PDA

15 5. Student Relations -- Generally not available to teacher User Groups -- This information pertains to parents, guardians, uncles, day care providers, doctors, etc. Load All Primary Only None All contacts are downloaded. Download the highest priority Lives With or Legal Custody adult contact, as specified in the Configuration File's Primary Guardian Basis field. No contacts are downloaded. 6. Student Health -- Generally not available to teacher User Groups -- This includes various record types found in the Student Health module. Load None Summaries Current Year Load All Alerts Only No health records are downloaded. Complete detail is provided for health alerts, but data are limited to date, record type, and topic for all other health records. Only current-year records are downloaded (except Health Alerts which load regardless of the year); complete detail is provided. All health records are downloaded. Complete detail is provided. Only health alerts are downloaded. 7. Guidance and Test History -- Generally not available to teacher User Groups -- This information includes various guidance and test history record types. Load None Summaries Current Year Load All No records are downloaded. Data are limited to date, record type, and topic for all records. Only current-year records are downloaded; complete detail is provided. All records are downloaded. Complete detail is provided. 8. Load Student User Defined -- Generally not available to teacher User Groups -- A check mark here indicates that you want to download student user-defined views to the PDA. 9. Load Student Photos -- A check mark here indicates that you want to download student photos. Schoolmaster for PDA 11

16 10. Put Photos On Memory Card -- A check mark here indicates that you want to download photos onto a memory expansion card. This option is only available if a memory expansion card is present. 11. Tap OK to exit HotSync Preferences. Disabling Administrator Sync to Sync Other Applications Those using the PDA Administrator who synchronize often to update other applications (such a Palm appointment calendar, address book, etc.) may experience a significant increase in sync time with large student databases that download significant portions of that data to PDA. If it is appropriate for their uses to refresh Schoolmaster only occasionally, they may speed up synchronization of other Palm applications by disabling the synchronization of PDA Administrator. Use with caution! Disabling HotSync negates HotSync Preferences set on the PDA -- but doesn't visibly signal that data has not been updated as scheduled in Preferences! 1. Tap the Schoolmaster Administrator icon and login. 2. Tap Schoolmaster Administrator in the program title bar. 3. On the menu select Options, Setup. 4. Tap Schoolmaster Setup in the title bar. 5. On the menu select Task, Sync. On/Off. 6. As a toggle, the option displayed next depends on the current setting: 12 Schoolmaster for PDA

17 If Sync is currently ON, the Sync. Off screen displays; tap OK to disable Synch. If Sync is currently OFF, the Sync. ON screen displays; tap OK to enable Synch. 7. Tap Close to return to the Schoolmaster Administrator. PDA Security Password and data encryption are optional, but strongly recommended. Your System Manager may require the use of both. Initially, data encryption is turned on, but may be disabled after entering your password as follows: 1. In the initial application screen, tap the program title (Schoolmaster Administrator, Mark Entry, or Attendance). 2. Tap Options, Setup, and remove the check on Encrypt Data. Schoolmaster for PDA 13

18 Program Uninstall PDA Device To remove the Schoolmaster for PDA application, software, and associated databases from the PDA device, the user must manually delete them. 1. Start the PDA device. 2. Open the home screen that displays all of your application icons. Activate the menu by tapping the Title bar. Tap the App menu and tap Delete on the list. 3. Select the appropriate Schoolmaster for PDA application from the list of applications and tap the Delete button. 4. When finished, tap Done. Workstation To uninstall a Schoolmaster PDA application, run the installer(s) PDAadmin##x.exe and/or PDAclassroom##x.exe (##x represents the current software version number). When prompted, click Remove installed conduit and then Next. 14 Schoolmaster for PDA

19 Chapter 2 - Using Classroom PDA Applications The following are designed for use by teachers without ready access to a workstation (e.g., PE teachers, band directors, substitute teachers, etc.). Attendance Entry Record attendance on a PDA and synchronize to enter the data into Schoolmaster's database. Mark Entry Record marks on a PDA and synchronize to enter them into the Schoolmaster Teacher Marks File; provides Elementary Mark Entry for classes and Secondary Mark Entry for course-sections. Viewing Student Data on PDA Classroom Accessing additional student data (depending on user access rights and HotSync Preferences). Attendance - Classroom PDA Designed for use by teachers without ready access to a workstation (e.g., PE teachers, band directors, substitute teachers, etc.). Each day, before entering attendance or marks, synchronize the PDA to refresh it with data from Schoolmaster data files. As with mark entry, there are no specific synchronization preference settings. The PDA performs attendance and grading updates every time you synchronize. Teachers enter attendance for the current school day; only office staff using Schoolmaster may enter/edit attendance for past or future school days. Teachers can't change current day attendance entries made by office staff. Recording Attendance 1. Before entering attendance, synchronize the PDA to refresh the rosters, student data, attendance history, and office attendance entries. If you synchronized earlier today for attendance purposes, synchronize again to receive the most recent office attendance entries. As with mark entry, there are no specific synchronization preference settings; the PDA performs attendance and grading updates every time you synch. 2. If the initial setup synchronization has occurred and this is a routine daily launching, your course-section and class assignments are listed and you are alerted if the attendance information is out of date. Schoolmaster for PDA 15

20 An out of date notice indicates that a previous day's attendance was not submitted -- the device was not synchronized before the date changed. If the entries must be reported, see Reporting Previous-day Attendance Data; otherwise, synchronize the PDA device to erase the previous day's attendance and download current day's rosters and attendance data. 3. Tap the title of the class or course-section and the period for which you want to record or view attendance (period designations follow the title). 4. Tap Take Attendance. If the selected class/course-section meets across multiple periods a prompt allows you to select the period to which the attendance is to apply (the default is All periods the class or course-section meets) then tap OK to continue. 5. Students are initially shown as Present unless office staff have previously marked otherwise (i.e., prearranged absence). Mark students Absent or Tardy using the Menu, Stylus/Graffiti, or Navigation buttons. Using the Menu -- Tap the title of the class (or the PDA's menu icon) to access the menu; it contains three choices: Task -- Allows you to change all students to either absent, tardy, or present. Display -- Displays totals for your current roster -- how many students are marked as tardy, absent, or present and the total number of students in the attendance roster. Help -- Displays the About Attendance screen with the version number of the program. Using the Stylus/Graffiti -- Navigation with the stylus is straightforward. There are shortcuts that you may want to learn as time goes on. Within attendance, you can navigate through the list of students using Graffiti. Use the device stylus to draw the following characters on the touchpad to initiate the corresponding actions. Graffiti Drawn As Action I U P Select next student down. Select previous student up. Set selected student's status to present. 16 Schoolmaster for PDA

21 A T Space Set selected student's status to absent. Set selected student's status to tardy. Cycle the selected student's status -- present, absent, and tardy. Using the Navigation Buttons -- You can navigate the Schoolmaster Attendance application using either the stylus or the four hard-keys shown to the left. Depending on the active screen, the four buttons have slightly different behavior. Up and Down buttons -- Allow you to navigate through the list of students. Forward button -- Cycles the attendance status of the currently selected student through the three possible entries: Present, Absent, and Tardy. Back button -- Returns you to the main screen, where you can select a different roster. 6. When entries for a class or course-section are complete, synchronize to submit attendance to Schoolmaster as soon and as often as possible to make the data available to the office attendance personnel (at minimum, once daily prior to midnight). Synchronizing to Submit Attendance/Update PDA Data When synchronizing the PDA device, you upload attendance entries to Schoolmaster and download changes to rosters/student data/office attendance entries to the PDA. Place the PDA in the cradle and press the HotSync button. Or, if you have a wireless device, follow the device's instructions. Make the attendance data available to the office attendance personnel as soon and as often as possible; at minimum, synchronize once daily prior to midnight. Once the synchronization process is complete, the Schoolmaster attendance file is updated and the PDA device is receives any changes to the current day's data for the teacher's classes or coursesections. WARNING! Failure to synchronize attendance data before the date changes will prohibit the PDA device from reporting the recorded attendance entries -- teachers can only enter attendance for the current day (see Reporting Previous-day Attendance Data if such entries must be reported). Schoolmaster for PDA 17

22 Backup/Restore Past Attendance Data By default, the workstation used for synchronization maintains restorable backups for two days of attendance entries. Restore data from a selected backup day as follows. 1. Start your PDA device, open the screen displaying your application icons, and tap the Attendance icon. 2. Go to the Setup window, activate the menu by tapping the Title bar, and choose Backup/Restore. 3. Tap the Restore button and choose the date of the data you want to restore. 4. When finished viewing restored data, synchronize the PDA device to clear the old data and download the current day's attendance information. Reporting Previous-day Attendance Data Teachers cannot enter attendance for any but the current school day; only office staff using Schoolmaster may enter/edit attendance for past or future school days. 1. Do not synchronize -- Access the Attendance application. A warning may appear indicating that the date has changed and your data is not current. 2. Open the records in Read Only to view your unreported attendance entries. 3. Report the previous-day entries to the office. Your attendance will be entered manually into the Schoolmaster system. 4. Synchronize the PDA device to clear the previous day's attendance and download the current day's attendance information. Mark Entry - Classroom PDA Teachers may enter marks by transferring from Gradebooks, direct entry from the Classroom module, or using their PDA as described in this chapter. No matter how they are transferred into Schoolmaster, teachers may enter marks for the current grading period only. Once in Schoolmaster, the marks are stored in the Teacher Marks File and subsequently transferred into the Office Marks File prior to printing report cards. Elementary Mark Entry Mark entry cannot occur until the System Manager sets the current grading period in Schoolmaster (e.g., Qtr 1). The current grading period is passed to the PDA during synchronization. Grades for previous grading periods can be viewed but not edited. 18 Schoolmaster for PDA

23 1. Before entering marks, synchronize the PDA to refresh it the current grading period designation and with marks from the Schoolmaster Teacher Mark file. If you synchronized earlier today for attendance purposes, there is no need to synchronize again for mark entry. As with attendance, there are no specific synchronization preference settings. The PDA performs attendance and grading updates every time you synch. 2. Launch the Mark Entry application; your assigned classes/coursesections are listed. 3. Tap to select a roster and tap Enter Marks. The Student column displays an alphabetical list of class roster members. An asterisk precedes the name of withdrawn students. The Mark entry columns are labeled with mark titles assigned by the office -- one for each mark that is collected during the school year (Q1, Q2, Q3, and so forth). You are prohibited from entering marks that do not apply to the current grading period -- such as entering a third quarter mark during second quarter. 4. Initially, the mark column for the current grading period is displayed in the first column (in the example, Qtr 1). To view marks for other grading periods, use the horizontal scroll. Although alphabetical and numeric marks may be entered, the school administration determines which to enter for each grading period. Normally, each student receives one mark and up to three comments. Elementary mark entry is completed for each subject/skill area or comment displayed/selected above the roster (in the example below, Social/Personal Development). a. Tap the down arrow to select the desired subject/skill area or comment. All subjects/skills that appear on the report card associated with this class are represented. b. Tap a student's mark entry cell. c. Select the appropriate entry: Alpha, plus/minus, or comment. d. Tap the next student's mark entry cell and repeat. e. When marks have been entered for all students, select the next subject/skill area or comment by tapping the arrow to the right of the current subject/skill area at the top (circled in the example). Repeat until entry is completed for each applicable subject/skill area and student. f. Tap the arrow to the right of the class title to select another class or exit. 5. Synchronize to submit marks from the PDA to the Schoolmaster Teacher Marks File. Schoolmaster for PDA 19

24 Secondary Mark Entry Mark entry cannot occur until the System Manager sets the current grading period in Schoolmaster (e.g., Qtr 1). The current grading period is passed to the PDA during synchronization. Grades for previous grading periods can be viewed but not edited. 1. Before entering marks, synchronize the PDA to refresh it the current grading period designation and with marks from the Schoolmaster Teacher Mark file. If you synchronized earlier today for attendance purposes, there is no need to synchronize again for mark entry. As with attendance, there are no specific synchronization preference settings. The PDA performs attendance and grading updates every time you synch. 2. Launch the Mark Entry application; your assigned classes and/or course-sections are listed. Use the period designation following the course title to distinguish among multiple sections of the same course. In the example, the teacher logged in has entries for English 8: 03 and English 08: 04, which are two sections of the same course taught in third and fourth periods respectively. 3. Tap to select a roster and tap Enter Marks. The Student column displays an alphabetical list of class or course-section members. An asterisk precedes the name of withdrawn students. The mark entry column is headed by the label for a grading period. Grading period titles are assigned by the office -- one for each mark that is collected during the school year (Q1, Q2, Q3, and so forth). Mark entry is only possible in the current grading period, though you may view others as Read Only. Initially, the current grading period's mark entry column is displayed, in the example, Qtr 2; otherwise, the last you selected is displayed. To select another grading period, or to enter comments for the current grading period, tap the column title. A list displays all the school's mark positions and the comment entry selector; tap to select a grading period or tap Comments. If you attempt to enter a mark not for the current grading period OR a computed mark, the message "No marks are currently collected for (mark name)" appears. You are prohibited from entering marks that do not apply to the current grading period (e.g., entering a 2nd quarter mark during 3rd quarter). You are also prohibited from entering computed marks -- marks that appear on the report card but are computed from collected marks (e.g., marks from quarters 1 and 2 are used to compute the Semester 1 mark). You may view the computed mark but must change the currently active component mark position to affect the computed mark (e.g., edit the quarter 2 mark). 20 Schoolmaster for PDA

25 4. Although alphabetical and numeric marks may be entered, the school administration determines which to enter for each grading period. Normally, each student receives one mark and up to three comments. Enter marks as follows: To Enter an Alpha Mark -- Tap the mark entry cell next to the student's name and select an alpha mark from the list; the mark is recorded and mark entry advances to next the student. Continue selecting marks or tap outside the selection list to exit. To Enter a Numeric Mark -- (as shown below) Tap the mark entry cell next to the student's name and tap Numeric. The numeric mark is the sum of the next two choices -- select the 10s component of the number and select the units portion of the number (e.g., for 97, select 90 then 7; for 100, tap 100 and 0; for 7, tap 0 and 7). When the final digit is selected, the mark is recorded and mark entry advances to next the student. To continue, tap Numeric or tap outside the selection list to exit. Tap a student's mark column, tap Numeric Tap either 100 or 10s range (e.g., marks 90-99, tap 90) Tap zero or the final digit (e.g., mark is 97, tap 7) To Enter Comments -- (as shown below) Tap the mark entry column title (grading period) and scroll down to tap Comments. The previous comments selected for the students (or blank) display. Tap the cell next to a student's name to display the comment entry screen. The selected student's name appears in the title bar and three check boxes represent the three possible comment positions. A check appears in the first comment box; from the list below, scroll to select the comment for the first position and tap it. To enter additional comments, tap to check another checkbox and select the desired comment. To erase a previous comment and/or leave a comment position blank, scroll to and tap the blank entry -- (usually at the top). When entries are complete for the selected student, tap OK to save the entries for this student and advance to the next student or tap Cancel to exit without saving the entries for the current student. When all students' entries are complete, tap Cancel to exit (be sure to tap OK to complete the last entry prior to tapping Cancel). Schoolmaster for PDA 21

26 Tap the grading period title above the mark entry column, then scroll to and tap Comments Tap a student's comment entry column (previous grading period comments may display or column may be blank) Tap to check a comment position (top) then tap a comment (below). Select the blank (--) to erase and leave blank. Repeat (up to 3). Tap OK to record and move to next student. When done tap Cancel. 5. Synchronize to submit marks from the PDA to the Schoolmaster Teacher Marks File. Synchronizing to Submit Marks/Update PDA Data When synchronizing the PDA device, you upload marks to Schoolmaster and download changes to rosters/student data to the PDA. Place the PDA in the cradle and press the HotSync button. Normally, current grading period marks on your PDA replace corresponding grades in the Schoolmaster teacher marks file. However, if you have changed marks for the current grading period and you attempt to synchronize after the deadline (after the System Manager has changed the current marking period setting), the device displays a message of the change and affords you the option of either continuing or aborting the process. If you continue -- The marks on your PDA are updated (replaced) with those in the Schoolmaster teacher mark file -- mark changes on the PDA are lost and the teacher mark file is not updated. If you abort -- The current marking period on the PDA is updated; the PDA marks are not updated; and the Schoolmaster teacher mark file is not updated. Coordinate with office staff to relay any required mark changes to the proper file in Schoolmaster (teacher or office marks file). Be aware that synchronization involves mark exchange between the Schoolmaster Teacher Marks File and the PDA. In order for the marks to appear on the student's report card, the Schoolmaster System Manager must Post Teacher Marks to Office. Viewing Student Data with PDA Classroom After displaying a roster, tap a student's name. If you belong to a User Group that has rights to view additional student information, the student's Data view is displayed. 22 Schoolmaster for PDA

27 If the student has no records in the selected view, the screen is blank. If <not synchronized> displays, the data was not downloaded to the PDA. If <no rights> appears, your Schoolmaster User Group does not normally have access to this data. The student data available on a PDA Classroom depends on the user's access rights and HotSync Preferences. When a Down Arrow ( ) appears next to an item, alternate items are available. In the Data screen example below, tap the arrow next to ID to change from the Schoolmaster ID (default) to District ID, SSN, Other ID, Car License, or Locker. To view the previous display, use the PDA back button or tap the Back Arrow ( ) -- upper right corner. The example below demonstrates how to access additional student information, if available on the PDA; tap Views, tap the In Down Arrow to display the views list, and tap the desired view. In a view that provides a list of records (e.g., Guidance, Health, etc.), tap any record to see additional data, if available (e.g., in the contact list below, tap the mother's name to access her contact information). Tap Views. Tap the view arrow for the list of views. Tap the View required. Schoolmaster for PDA 23

28 24 Schoolmaster for PDA Information in this printed documentation is supplemental and

29 Chapter 3 - Using Schoolmaster Administrator Schoolmaster PDA Administrator is designed for use by principals, assistant principals, counselors, security officers, lunchroom monitors, and supervisory personnel. It provides mobile access via PDA to student, staff, and class information from the Schoolmaster database. This chapter details how to use PDA Administrator -- basic navigation/searching techniques; how to access to student, staff, and class/course-section information from the Schoolmaster database; and illustrations of the data that may be downloaded. Synchronizing to Update PDA Data Schoolmaster data is copied from the Palm Desktop to the PDA by means of the synchronization process. Access rights and District policy determine the data types that can be downloaded. HotSync Preferences may further limit the data downloaded. Place the PDA in the cradle and press the HotSync button. Or, if you have a wireless device, follow the device's instructions. Disabling Administrator Sync to Sync Other Applications Those using the PDA Administrator who synchronize often to update other applications (such a Palm appointment calendar, address book, etc.) may experience a significant increase in sync time with large student databases that download significant portions of that data to PDA. If it is appropriate for their uses to refresh Schoolmaster only occasionally, they may speed up synchronization of other Palm applications by disabling the synchronization of PDA Administrator. Use with caution! Disabling HotSync negates HotSync Preferences set on the PDA -- but doesn't visibly signal that data has not been updated as scheduled in Preferences! 1. Tap the Schoolmaster Administrator icon and login. 2. Tap Schoolmaster Administrator in the program title bar. 3. On the menu select Options, Setup. 4. Tap Schoolmaster Setup in the title bar. Schoolmaster for PDA 25

30 5. On the menu select Task, Sync. On/Off. 6. As a toggle, the option displayed next depends on the current setting: If Sync is currently ON, the Sync. Off screen displays; tap OK to disable Synch. If Sync is currently OFF, the Sync. ON screen displays; tap OK to enable Synch. 7. Tap Close to return to the Schoolmaster Administrator. 26 Schoolmaster for PDA

31 Navigating and Searching This section provides guidelines for: PDA Basic Navigation Operations -- How to use Administrator screen layout, controls, and icons. Searching PDA Files -- How to search the Students, Rosters, and Staff data files. Basic PDA Device Navigation Operations List (File) Selection The names of the three available data files (Students, Rosters, Staff) are located in the Global Navigation area at the bottom of every window. The name of the selected file is bold. To view one of these lists, tap its name. Record Selection/Drilling Down After opening a list (file), tapping the name of a student, teacher, class/section, or contact displays details and affords access to additional information, if available. Options List The Down Arrow ( ) indicates the presence of additional options; tap it to reveal them. Backtracking To view the previous display, use the PDA back button or tap the Back Arrow ( ) -- upper right corner. Security Schoolmaster PDA requires that the user create and use a Palm password. To lock the PDA, tap the Quick Lockout key icon ( ) located in the lower right corner; locking also requires a PDA password. Scrolling The student, staff, and roster lists are alphabetical; use the Scroll Bar or the Up/Down buttons to scroll the lists. Searching Files -- Students, Rosters, and Staff The PDA can search for particular students, staff members, and section/class rosters. Staff and roster searches are by name; students can be located using Name, ID, District ID, Other ID, Car License, or Locker. Schoolmaster for PDA 27

32 Student Search 1. Tap Students in the Global Navigation area. 2. Tap the Search Line at the top of the screen. 3. Select one of the following Criteria and enter appropriate search characters: Tap Students above the roster and enter a name. Tap ID above the roster and enter the Schoolmaster ID numbers. Tap ID above the roster twice, select a different ID (District ID, SSN, Other ID, Car License, or Locker), and enter the search characters. 4. The Search Line displays the characters you enter; tap Search to advance to the nearest match, scroll to the student of interest, and tap the name to reveal that student's data. Rosters Search There are two types of rosters: sections and classes. Sections are secondary school course-sections; classes are elementary instruction groupings. In schools with both sections and homeroom classes, sections are listed first, then homerooms. 1. Tap Rosters in the Global Navigation area. 2. Tap the Search Line at the top of the screen. 3. Enter the first few letters of the name in the entry area; the characters appear on the Search Line. 4. Tap Search then tap either Sections or Classes to advance to the nearest match. 5. Scroll to the class or section of interest and tap the title to display details. 28 Schoolmaster for PDA

33 Staff Search After opening a list (file), tapping the name of a student, teacher, class/section, or contact displays details and affords access to additional information, if available. 1. Tap Staff in the Global Navigation area. 2. Tap the Search Line at the top of the screen. 3. Enter the first few letters of the name in the entry area; the characters appear on the Search Line. 4. Tap Search to advance to the nearest match, scroll to the staff member of interest, and tap the name to reveal staff details. Accessing PDA Data Your Schoolmaster access rights and District policy as implemented though the Palm User Group in Schoolmaster determine the data types that can be downloaded to your PDA. Your PDA HotSync Preferences may further limit the data available. When you select a view: If a selected view is blank, the student/staff has no entries in that view in Schoolmaster. If <not synchronized> appears, either the view was not downloaded If <no rights> appears, your Schoolmaster User Group does not normally have access to this data. For details about searching, see Searching PDA Files -- Staff, Rosters, and Students. Viewing Student Data Your Schoolmaster access rights and District policy as implemented though the Palm User Group in Schoolmaster determine the data types that can be downloaded to your PDA. Your PDA HotSync Preferences may further limit the student data available. Student data are stored in three areas -- Schedule, Data, and Views. Views is segmented further providing access to each student's Contacts, Counselor, Guidance, Health, ID Numbers, Test History, Transportation, and User Defined data. Schoolmaster for PDA 29

34 Viewing the Student Data Screen The Data view corresponds to the Student: Primary Data view in Schoolmaster. To access: Tap Students, search for, and tap the student's name. Tap Data from any other view of a particular student's information. Tap a student's name on any class or course-section roster. Depending on the selected student's records, the view may include: Picture -- The student's picture is displayed if it exists in Schoolmaster and was included in the download. If pictures were downloaded, but are not showing, they may have been downloaded to an uninstalled memory card or the student's picture is not in the Schoolmaster database. Heath Alert -- A cross icon ( ) indicates the presence of one or more health alerts. Tap the icon to view details. Security Alert -- An exclamation point icon ( ) indicates the presence of a security alert. Tap the icon to view details. When a Down Arrow ( ) appears next to an item, alternate items are available. In the Data screen example above, tap the arrow next to ID to change from the Schoolmaster ID (default) to District ID, SSN, Other ID, Car License, or Locker. Accessing the Student Schedule Screen To access the student schedule view, tap Schedule on any student display; today's schedule is displayed. Cycle Day -- If the student's schedule changes depending on the weekday, ensure that the correct one is displayed. Tap the Cycle Day arrow to list additional days. Tap the applicable day. View Attendance -- Tap this to change the Rm column to Status and display the student's attendance. Tap View Schedule to re-display the student's room assignments. View Roster -- From the Schedule or Attendance list, tapping a course-section or class displays its roster. 30 Schoolmaster for PDA

35 Viewing the Student Views Screen -- Contacts 1. From any Student screen, tap Views at the top of the screen. The first view displayed is either the first on the list or last visited. 2. Tap the Down Arrow ( ) to display the view list. 3. Tap Contacts; the downloaded contacts are displayed. If blank, the student has no contact records in Schoolmaster. If <not synchronized> appears, contacts were not loaded If <no rights> appears, your Schoolmaster User Group does not normally have access to this data. 4. Tap the name of the contact about whom you want additional information. Note that tapping Homeroom displays the student's homeroom roster, if any. 5. If necessary, scroll the window to view the data. Schoolmaster for PDA 31

36 6. Tap Ok to return to the contacts list. Viewing the Student Views Screen -- Guidance, Health, Etc. 1. From any Student screen, tap Views at the top of the screen. The first view displayed is either the first on the list or last visited. 2. Tap the Down Arrow ( ) to display the view list. Note that tapping Homeroom displays the student's homeroom roster, if any. 3. Tap the view name; the downloaded records are displayed. If blank, the student has no contact records in Schoolmaster. If <not synchronized> appears, data for the selected view was not loaded. If <no rights> appears, your Schoolmaster User Group does not normally have access to this data. 4. Where applicable, tap the items of the record for which you want additional information. In Health, Guidance, Test History, or User Defined views, tap individual records to see the entry's details; if necessary, scroll to read the details. In some views, you may be able to access other data files (e.g., in the Counselor view, tap the counselor's name to access Staff Details). 32 Schoolmaster for PDA

37 Viewing Staff Data Your Schoolmaster access rights and District policy as implemented though the Palm User Group in Schoolmaster determine the data types that can be downloaded to your PDA. Your PDA HotSync Preferences may further limit the staff data available. Viewing the Staff Details Screen The Staff Details view (above) may be accessed by any of the following methods. From the Staff File Open the staff file (tap Staff) then search or scroll until you can tap the desired name on the staff list. From a Roster Tap a teacher's name at the top of any Roster or Roster Detail screen, then tap Staff Details. From Staff Schedules Tap Staff Details on the Staff Schedules display. Schoolmaster for PDA 33

38 Viewing the Staff Schedule Screen The Staff Schedule view (above) may be accessed by any of the following methods. From the Staff File Open the staff file (tap Staff), search or scroll until you can tap the desired name on the staff list, then tap Staff Schedule. From a Roster Tap a teacher's name at the top of any Roster or Roster Detail screen. 34 Schoolmaster for PDA

39 From Staff Details Tap Staff Schedule on the Staff Details display. Viewing Class/Course Data Viewing Class/Course Rosters The Class/Course Roster view (above) may be accessed as follows: 1. Tap Rosters. 2. Search or scroll to the desired class or course-section and tap it to display the roster. 3. To return to the roster list tap Back To Section Roster or the back arrow ( ). Schoolmaster for PDA 35

40 Viewing Class/Course Details The Class/Course Details view (above) may be accessed by either of the following methods. From Any Roster 1. Tap the class or course-section title located on the menu line at the top of the screen. 2. Then tap Details on the drop-down menu. 3. To return to the roster tap Back To Section Roster or the back arrow ( ). From Any Student or Staff Schedule Tap the class or course-section title to access the roster then as shown above, tap the title, and tap Details. 36 Schoolmaster for PDA