FDCSD Banner

Outlook Web Access Tutorial
Access to our new web e-mail system will be the preferred way to send and receive e-mail in the District.  Other programs such as Eudora and Outlook Express will no longer be able to be used to send and receive e-mail.  Below is a simple tutorial to get you logged in and using our new web e-mail system.  Feel free to e-mail support@list.fort-dodge.k12.ia.us should you have any questions about the new system.

 

You can access the system one of two ways using your Internet web browser, such as Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator.  You can either type the URL directly into your browser (https://www.fort-dodge.k12.ia.us/exchange) or navigate to our web site (http://www.fort-dodge.k12.ia.us/) and click on the "E-mail Access" button.

OR

 

When your browser begins to navigate to the web site, you will probably receive a warning similar to the one below.  Please accept the warning and continue.

 

You should now be at the login screen, as shown below.  There are two ways to type your username.  One way is to type your complete e-mail address (username@fort-dodge.k12.ia.us), as in the first example below.  You may also choose to type your name as the network knows you (dodgers\username), as in the second example.  It makes no difference which way you choose, both methods will work.

Also on this screen are two other choices you must make.  The first choice is for the client.  Note that if you use any other browser besides Microsoft Internet Explorer, or you are checking your mail on a Mac, you will only be able to access the Basic version of the web client.  The server will automatically know what version of the web client your browser will support.  Your two options are:

  1. Premium - This version has all of the features available, but requires a pretty fast internet connection.  You can use the Premium version anywhere on the District network, or if you have a DSL line or cable modem at your house.  If you use a dial-in, you can try the Premium client, but it may be awful slow.  I will be showing you the Premium version in this tutorial. 
  2. Basic - If you are on a slow dial-in connection, select the "Basic" client and click the "Log On" button.  This version has the basic services available, but not any bells and whistles.    I will be making another tutorial about the basic client shortly, so check for that on the District's Technology Support Web Site. 

The other choice available to you is the type of security used for your e-mail session.  Please leave this set at the "Public or Shared Computer" setting, to assure that your account and messages may be accessed by someone other than you. 

OR

 

Below is a screenshot of what the main window after you login will look like.  It is divided into 4 main parts. 
  1. On the top left you have your folder list. 
  2. The bottom left contains seven shortcuts to the most often used places in your e-mail account. 
  3. On the top right you will see the toolbar, which will change depending on what folder you are in, such as your Inbox, your Calendar or your Contacts. 
  4. The bottom right of the window is you work space, which will show you a list of your e-mail or your current calendar. 

We will talk about each section in more detail below.  When you initially login, it will take you to your Inbox, where all of your e-mail will be located.  As you can see, you can enter several types of information in the new e-mail system:

  • Calendar - Maintain your personal calendar here.  You can also use reminders and recurring appointments for weekly meetings or appointments.
  • Contacts - This is your e-mail address book.  But, you can also store phone numbers, addresses and lots of other contact information.  You can also create distribution lists to group your contacts together, such as parents, supervisors or follow teachers.
  • Deleted Items - Anything you delete inside of your web e-mail access will go here, before it is permanently deleted.  So, if you accidentally delete something, check here first.
  • Drafts - Drafts are e-mails that you begin, but do not send.  You can work on an e-mail and save it here,  then come back and review or complete the e-mail and send it later.
  • Journal - Something I am not very familiar with, check back for more details.
  • Junk E-mail - This is one place our SPAM filter may put suspicious e-mail.  Below I will also show you another way to filter more SPAM out of your Inbox and put it in here to keep it out of your way.  See "Rules" later in this document.
  • Notes - Short, little documents to save information in.  Think of them as electronic "sticky notes."
  • Outbox - E-mail in here is either waiting to be sent, or has a problem being sent, such as an invalid e-mail address.  If you have item in here, verify the e-mail address and try it again.
  • Sent Items -  A copy of every e-mail you send will be placed here.  Periodically you should go back in and clean this folder out.
  • Tasks - This is a place you can store tasks to be completed, assign due dates to those tasks and also note any progress or delays on the tasks.

 

Below is a shot of the "Folders" section from the main page.  Again, you can access the different information by clicking on the different folders.  Towards the top right side of the "Folders" section is a circle made with two arrows.  This is the refresh button.  By clicking the refresh button, you will check for any new items that have arrived in your account, such as a new e-mail.  Next to the refresh button you will see a box with an "^" in it.  This button will minimize the folder window.  If it is minimized, the arrow will point down and you can click it again to make the folder list appear.

 

This is a screenshot of the "Shortcut" menu.  This will take you directly to area you click on.  Notice the three new options at the bottom of the list.  Public folders will not be used initially here in the district.  Rules and Options we will talk about later in this document.

 

Here is the toolbar.  The functions on the toolbar will change depending on what area you are in.  If you are sure what a button will do, place your mouse over the icon, but don't click.  A little window will appear telling you what the button does.  Should you need more help than that, click on the help button on the toolbar.  Notice the 4 arrows on the top right side.  This will help you navigate multiple screens of e-mail or contacts.  Also, when you are finished checking your e-mail, click on the "Log Off" button to make sure no one can access your information after you leave.

 

Your E-mail

Now that you are in to the web system, you will always start in your Inbox.  Your Inbox is where all of your e-mail will be.  You can click the "New" button on the toolbar to compose a new message. 

Below is the window of a new blank message.  If you will be sending the e-mail to someone in your address book (which we will talk about later on), click the "To..." button and that will take you to the address book to find your contact.  You can do the same for the "Cc..." or the "Bcc." fields.

Also, if you need to send an attachment, you can click the "Attachments:" button (below the subject) or on the "Paperclip" on the toolbar and then attach your file to the e-mail.  I will discuss the "Attachments" page later.

 

Here is the window you will get when you go to your address book to find a contact for your e-mail.  Notice the first field labeled "Find names in:".  You will also notice that this field is a drop down box that contains two options.  In the new system, you have two address books.  The first is called the "Global Address List."  This is a list of everyone that has an e-mail address with the district.  You cannot add or delete people to the Global Address List.  It is maintained by the server itself.  Click the down arrow and you will see another option called "Contacts."  (See the next screen shot for a better picture of the two options.)  This is your personal address book that you can keep personal e-mail address and distribution lists in. We will talk about adding your own addresses to your personal contacts later on.  The system will always default to the "Global Address List," unless you change that setting on your client options, which we talk about towards the end of this document.

 

Again, the drop down list with the two types of address books.

 

To find an address, enter some of contact's information in one of the fields.  For example, in the screen shot below, let's say I was not sure what the contact's last name was, but I knew it started with a P.  So, I entered "P" in the "Last Name" field and clicked the "Find" button.  This searches whichever address book is selected, and show the results of the search at the bottom of the window.  Notice I received two hits with last names that started with "P".

 

Now, click on the contact you want.  At the bottom of the window, you have the option of adding the contact to the "To," "Cc," or the "Bcc" fields by clicking the appropriate buttons.  When finished making your selection(s), click the "Close" button, and it will take you back to your new message screen, with the addresses you selected entered into their correct fields.

 

Adding attachments to a new message

Here is the screenshot of the window you will get when you hit the "attachment" button while creating a new message.  To add an attachment, you have to do two things:

  1. First, click the browse button.  This will allow you to go and find the attachment on your computer.  Once you have found it, double-click on it.  You will then be back at the window below, with the complete path to your attachment in the first field. 
  2. Now, to attach the file to your e-mail, click the "Attach" button.  It may take a little bit once you hit the "Attach" button, depending on your connection speed and size of the attachment. 

Once it is attached, you will see it in the bottom of the window.  Should you need to remove an attachment, select it from the bottom of the box and click the "Remove" button.  Note that you can attach multiple files to a single e-mail, by completing the 2 steps for each attachment you want to add.  When done with your attachment, click the "Close" button.

 

Below is a sample of a completed e-mail:
  • My contact is in the "To..." field,
  • My subject field is blank, which should be filled in with the subject of your mail message,
  • I have an attachment called "FDLogo.jpg" attached to this e-mail,
  • And the body of my message. 

To send it, just click the send button the toolbar.  Notice the other options on the toolbar.  You can save, print and spell check your message with different buttons on the toolbar.  Also, should you need help, click the help button.

 

Checking for new messages

To check for new items in your account, click the "Refresh" button above the folder list.  There are two ways to be notified of a new e-mail message.  In the left graphic below, you can see that there is a (1) next to my "Inbox" folder.  This means I have one unread message.  The other notification is the right graphic, should you have your browser minimized or working in another program, this window will pop up on the bottom right of your screen, down by your system tray.  It is a generic message to let you know you have new mail.

                                    

 

Below is a screenshot of my inbox with a message selected.  You can turn on the preview pane (a button in the toolbar labeled "Show/Hide Reading Pane"), as I have, to see your list of message, and the selected message all on the same screen.  To see an attachment, just click on the attachment name in the bottom window.

 

Should you have more than one page of e-mails, use the navigation option on the toolbar to move from page to page.  Or, if you know the number of the item you are looking for, you can enter the item number in the "Items" box.

 

Adding new contacts

Now, let's move to Contacts.  Click on the "Contacts" in the folder list.  (See window similar below.)  If you have contacts already entered, they will appear in the list.  To create a new contact, click "New" on the toolbar.

 

When you click "New" on the toolbar to create a new contact, you will get a windows similar to the one below.  You do not need to enter all of the information.  But, the more information you enter, the more you can filter and search on.  When finished, hit the "Save and Close" button on the toolbar.

 

Distribution Lists

Now, one thing that was missing in our old e-mail system was the ability to create a personal distribution list.  This is similar to the District's listservs, but you can create personalized ones for yourself.  A distribution list a group of e-mail addresses, grouped together under one name.  So, if you had all of your students e-mail addresses, you could create a distribution list for each class.  And then when you wanted to send an e-mail to everyone in the class, you send it to the distribution list, rather than all 30 individual e-mail addresses.  This really saves time if you send lots of e-mail to the same group of people over and over.  To create a new distribution list, click on the down arrow next to the "New" button on the toolbar and select "Distribution List."

 

Below is the new distribution list window.  Distribution Lists only use records that are in your contact list (address book).  So, to add anyone to a distribution list, they must all ready exist in your contact list (address book). 

The first field is "List Name:".  This will be the name that you use to send e-mail to this distribution list.  So, the name of the group or class or department would be a great choice.  Now, in the second field under "Add to Distribution List:", type the name of the contact you want to add to the distribution list.  Once added, they will show up in the bottom area along with their e-mail address.  (For district e-mail users, you can just type their network/e-mail username.)  When you are through adding names to your distribution list, click "Save and Close" from the toolbar.

 

Below is the error you receive when you try and add a contact that does not exist in your contact list.

 

Below is my contact list.  You can see that I have two items in my contact list.  The highlighted record is my distribution list, named "Parents."  If you look close, the little icon on the left of the record has two people in it, to note that it is a distribution list with multiple e-mail addresses.  The un-highlighted record is myself.  Notice that there is only one person in that graphic.

 

Your Calendar

On to the Calendar section.  Below is a screenshot of my calendar for Wednesday, July 21st.  You can see I am viewing my calendar by a single day.  You can change the view using the buttons in the toolbar from one day at a time, to seven days at a time and then to a month at a time.  On my Wednesday, you can see I have two things happening, one from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m.  This is also a recurring appointment  since it has the circle made from two arrows in the description.  We will talk more about that later.  I also have another appointment from 8:30 on.  You can easily see that the two overlap each other by the way they line up.  Also notice the calendar for the entire month of July on the right side of the graphic.  Bold numbers mean there is something on the calendar for that day.  Also, the red box with a square means that day is today.

 

To create a new appointment in your calendar, click "New" from the toolbar.  Below is the new appointment window you will receive.  Fill in the subject of the meeting, location, your start time and end time, and if you want a reminder or not.  If you would like this to be a recurring appointment, like weekly department meetings, click the "Recurrence..." button in the taskbar.  When you are finished editing your new appointment, hit "Save and Close" from the toolbar and you are done.

 

Here are the "Recurrence" options for your new appointment.  Make your settings for your recurring appointment here and click "OK."

 

Web Client Options

The last thing I am going to talk about in this tutorial is the web mail options.  You can get to the options from the Shortcut menu, and then clicking on the "Options" button.  I will talk about each option more below.

1 - The "Out of Office Assistant" will automatically respond to any new e-mail you receive if you are out of the office.  It is set to "I'm currently in the office" by default. 

If you change it, you can enter a message in the box below that will be sent out while you are away.  Your e-mail will still happen just like normal. You are just telling people that you are out of the office.  This is nice if people are looking for a reply from you immediately, they will know almost immediately after they send you a message that you are out of the office. 

2 - Messaging options allow you to change several things.  The first option is the number of items to display per page.  Default is 25. 

Next is what you want the system to do after you delete an item.  Default is to open the next item.  Your first check box is checked by default, which will display a notification message when new mail arrives. 

The next box is for playing a sound when you receive a new mail message.  This box is also checked by default. 

The last box allows you to create an e-mail signature and add it to every outgoing message.  The District asks that you create a professional e-mail signature, that includes at a minimum your full name, title, work address and phone number.  We also recommend that you do not use your personal contact information, such as your home address or phone number.  To create your signature, check the box and then click on the "Edit Signature...", create your signature and save it. 

The last option here is the font you want to always use when creating new e-mail.

3 - Your Reading Pane Options are next on the list.  This setting has to do when the system changes the mail from unread to read.  By default, it changes the status when you move to the next message. 

Your other options are to mark it as being read after so many seconds, which you can specify.  Or, you can tell it not to change the status at all, but I recommend not choosing that option.

4 - Here are your spell check options.  Pretty self-explanatory here.

5 - E-mail Security options are next on the list.  I would just leave this option alone.

6 - Your next set of options are for Privacy and Junk E-mail Prevention.  The system, by default, will scan for junk e-mail and put it in the Junk E-mail folder.  You can shut this off, but it is not recommended. 

You can set the next option for responding to "read receipts", and I never automatically send a response.  I want to have the option of responding to those or not, and on a e-mail by e-mail basis.

The last option is another way to protect against viruses and spyware, so please leave the "Block External Content..." option checked.

7 - The Appearance option will let you change the color of the web client.

8 - Date and Time Formats allow you to change the way the system displays dates and times.

9 - Calendar options are next, and again pretty self-explanatory.

10 - Reminder options allow you to turn off your reminders.  By default, they are on.  You can also set the "default reminder" time, which is how long before the appointment starts you get a reminder.  Also notice that you must be using Internet Explorer 5 or later for reminder options to work.

11 - Contact options tell the web client where to look for your contacts first.  If you want it to look in your personal contacts, you will need to change it from the "Global Address List" to "Contacts."  You can always manually look in either place when creating new mail messages.

12 - The last item is to Recover Deleted Items.  If you accidentally delete something, here is your change to save it before it gets permanently deleted.  The system automatically empties this folder every week.  If you want to save something, click the "View Items" button and look for your lost item here.

 

When you are done, don't forget to log out.  Click the "Log Off" button on the toolbar.  When you have successfully logged out, you will be back at the login screen.  It will also note that you have been logged out.  Make sure you log out of the system to keep others out of your account. 

 

Advanced E-mail Options

One neat feature in the new system is Inbox rules.  You do not have to use Rules at all.  This is an advanced feature, and is not necessary for sending or receiving e-mail.  With rules, you can have the server automatically forward messages to different mailboxes, delete them or forward to a different user based on the e-mail itself.  To get to rules, find "Rules" in the Shortcut menu, and click on it.  To create a new rule, click "New" from the toolbar.

                  Then 

 
Here is your new rule definition page.  Below is an example of a rule I have been using for a while.  Our SPAM filter flags suspicious looking e-mail, and adds [BULK] to the subject line to easily distinguish it from legitimate messages.  Here, we will create a rule to move this mail that has been flagged to our "Junk E-mail" folder so we don't have to deal with it in our normal messages.  You could also have the server just delete it, but it is a good idea to review those message, just in case something legitimate would be flagged by the SPAM server.

Give the rule a name that easily identify what it is trying to do.  Below, I called my rule "Filter Spam."  Now, tell the rule what to look for in the message.  You can see I am telling it to look for [BULK] in the subject.  But you could tell it to look for a specific sender, for a high importance message or who the message was sent to.  It is all up to you.  Next is what you want to do with the message.  I want to move the message to a different folder.  You can see I have selected "Move it to the specified folder."  Also, "specified" in that sentence is blue, so you can click on it and find the folder you want.  When you click on it, you will get the an icon as in the next graphic.  When done editing your rule, hit "Save and Close" from the toolbar and your done.

 
In the example above, I said I was going to move the mail with "[BULK]" in the subject line to my "Junk E-mail" folder.  So, select it and click ok.  If you wanted to make a new folder, you have the option of doing that here also.

 
Here is your list of rules.  Notice that I have my "Filter Spam" rule highlighted, so I can click the "Change Rule..." button from the toolbar if I needed to edit it.  I can also create more rules or delete the rule here by using the other icons on the toolbar.  One important thing to remember about rules,  it DOES matter which order your rules are in.  Rules are executed from the top of the list down.  So, remember to think about how the message will flow when you have more than one rule involved.

 

Last update: September 01, 2004