The purpose of this lesson is to show how students

typically enter their courses.

Step One: is to choose a browser. Our recommendation is to use the Internet Explorer Browser.

Mozilla's Firefox browser will also work, but for these purposes, we'll demonstrate using the IE Browser. The little blue "e" icon can be located several places on your machine, but most typically are found on the desktop on the Task bar, or in the Start Menu. Double click the icon to begin.

Step Two: In the address bar, type the web address used for your course. I'm going to type in http://www.greenbushonline.org/. Students may want to reference the Virtual Greenbush home page to get started and link back to their course from there. The Virtual Greenbush student handbook provided to you in your course, also contains directions for getting started. At the Main screen, look for the area in blue that says: "Login here." You should have received a confirmation email that gave you username and password for your class. Type those into the appropriate areas and hit enter or the LOGIN button.

Step Three: This is the My Institutions page. You may want to look this over more later. However, take note that not only is there a class listing here, but in addition you will also see announcements for that course. Also, take note of the tabs at the top. Each tab performs a different function and may take you outside of your course. For example, the Courses tab is just another way to view your courses, the Email tab will take you to your email account that was set up on your behalf as well, and the my institutions tab will always take you back to this page here. Go ahead and select the course that you are taking from this window here. It's possible you could have more than one...and each course is specific to the one you choose. For these purposes, I'll select my course listed here.

Step Four: This is the announcements screen. Take note here, there may be several important announcements listed here, some examples might be a teacher on maternity leave, spring break, changes or issues with curriculum, or posted office hours. The links to the left all perform a different function as well, and it may be a good idea to go over these yourself when you have more time. To start choose the button marked, Course materials. At this screen, you should see your course Chapters listed individually. Depending on your course, you may see a different layout. Choose the unit or lesson you're interested in reading by clicking on the blue hyperlink.

Step Five: As I mentioned, some courses are structured differently depending on the course vendor. In this case, my example will be the Health Science course, created by Class.com. At this screen, I should now see a blue interior window. This window should have the version of the Flash Player you are using (should be the most recent) and it should be followed with a pop up window asking if you want to use your CD or not use your CD. If you do not see this window, odds are you have a popup blocker inhibiting this from displaying. Please review our Customer Services page for hints on how to disable them. If you continue to have problems you may want to contact your parent or teacher at school to help correct the issue, otherwise, you can contact Virtual Greenbush for some suggestions.

Step Six: If you are on a Broadband Connection, such as DSL or Cable, Select the DON'T USE CD button. If you are on a Dial-up, such as AOL or have a local Internet Service Provider, or ISP, you may want to put your CD into the appropriate drive and then in the area provided, type the drive letter and then select USE CD. Your course should load in the window formally occupied by the "blue screen." You are now ready to begin your course.

Step Seven: Lastly, let’s talk about the course and the way it's displayed. I said earlier that your course may be designed differently. So for those of you not taking the Class.com structured courses, this won't apply to you. These types of courses also have tabs above them, each serving a different function. In addition, you will also see left and right arrow buttons that are designed to help you scroll through your pages easily. Your course will prompt you when it's time to do assignments and exams so make sure you are reading the directions thoroughly, as it will instruct you on what needs to be done.

Conclusion: Your systems' setup can determine how your course performs. Obviously different platforms, like those of a Macintosh vs. Windows machines can play a part. The tools and options are different, as well as the versions in Operating Systems like Windows 95, 98, 2000, ME, and XP and OS 8, 9, and X. For your convenience we've set up some pages to help troubleshoot or answer some of these Frequently Asked Questions or FAQs, or the Customer Services Page. Please feel free to use these areas to assist you, or if you continue to have problems, you may also contact our offices through our Contact Us Page or Staff Section, or toll-free at 1-800-231-3056 and talk with our technical support to assist you.