ePALS - Frequently Asked Questions
Table
of Contents
I
am a new user. What is my password?
I forgot my password. Who
do I call?
How can I
change or update my password?
Where can I get an
application for an e-mail account?
Who will be responsible
for establishing new student accounts?
My school site does not
have a site sub administrator. How do we get one?
How
do I access my e-mail?
How do I setup my
computer to dial in to LAUSDnet?
What is my maximum mailbox
size?
How can I see how much
space I am currently using?
What is the attachment
limit on sending e-mail?
How can I archive my e-mail
in ePALS?
How do I send an attachment with my e-mail message?
Can
I pop my E-mail?
How can I import my
contacts in to ePALS?
Does ePALS SchoolMail
automatically log a user off after a period of inactivity?
Will I lose
the message I was composing when I time-out?
How do I turn
on the auto-responder?
How do I create a signature?
How do I
create e-mail folders?
How do I create
mailing groups?
Can I save
addresses into my address book?
What Can I Do To Stop
SPAM?
What is ePALS?
What
are some of the features?
Where can I find
educational projects using ePALS for my students?
How can I get training on
using ePALS?
Where can I request more
information?
I
am a new user. What is my password?
The default password for students is their 6-digit birth date. For example, if the birth date is April 8, 1990, the password would be 040890. The default password for employees is their six-digit employee number. If an employee number has five digits, a "0" is added to the beginning of the password. Everyone will be required to change the default password when signing on for the first time.
I forgot my password. Who
do I call?
For
employees call the helpdesk at 323-224-2277. Students should see their school sub administrator.
How can I change
or update my password?
Select the
My Account link on the left hand navigation bar to update or change your
password. There are three boxes where you must enter information. In the first
box, type your current password. In the second, type the new password that you
wish to use. Type this new password again, this time in the third box.
Click "apply" to
enact your new password. You will use your current username and this new
password to log in from now on.
Where can I get an
application for an e-mail account?
Applications
for e-mail accounts can be found on-line at:
http://techsupport.lausd.net/lausd_applications.htm
Applications
for staff must be sent to ITD for creation. See the application for more
details on where to send or fax your application.
Student
applications are processed at the school site. When entered, the student e-mail address will be immediately
created. As currently required, the school site will be responsible for
maintaining the student application and signed Acceptable Users Policy which is
available at http://techsupport.lausd.net/lausd_applications.htm
Who will be responsible
for establishing new student accounts?
The staff person designated by the school administrator, who is known as a "sub-administrator."
My school site does not
have a site sub administrator. How do we get one?
The principal
needs to send a request via his/her e-mail address with the following
information to epals@lausd.net:
1. School Name and Location Code (if applicable, include magnet school(s) and corresponding location code(s)
2. Sub Administrator's First and Last Name
3. Sub Administrator's employee number
4. Sub Administrator's LAUSD e-mail address
5. Sub Administrator's contact telephone number
Go to the
following url: https://epals.lausd.k12.ca.us
How do I setup my
computer to dial in to LAUSDnet?
For more
information call 323-224-2277 or go to for setup instructions at:
http://techsupport.lausd.net/email_setup.htm
What is my maximum mailbox
size?
The maximum
mailbox size is 20MB.
How can I see how much
space I am currently using?
When viewing your inbox, click on "Folders". It will list your folders, the number of messages, and space used by each folder. The total mailbox space is shown in the upper left corner labeled as "Space Used" See the following sample:
How can I archive my e-mail
in ePALS?
The easiest
way to archive ePALS e-mail is to download it to a pop client (see Can I POP My Email,) then delete it from the
web interface. If you are not popping your mail, then copy and paste an
e-mail message into a document and save to your hard-drive or continue to store
e-mail messages in your folders.
Users can
create as many folders as needed. For more information on folders see page 19
of the TeacherÕs Guide. Again, you will not be able to download that mail
with POP.
What is the attachment
limit on sending e-mail?
There is a
2MB limit for each file attached from within the e-mail system, however, you can have
multiple 2MB attachments per e-mail. The size of a single e-mail is exceeded when sending it
would cause your mailbox to go over your 20MB limitation. Also, please be aware
that the larger the e-mail attachments, the longer it will take the system to
send.
How do I send an attachment with my e-mail message?
After opening the compose screen in your e-mail account, click "Attachments", then browse to find the file you wish to attach on your computer. Select the file with your mouse and then click "Open" followed by "Attach" file. You can continue to add files to your message (up to 2 MB each). Once you have finished adding the files, click "done" to return to the compose message screen. You will see a list of the files you have attached below the address field.
Can
I pop my E-mail?
Yes you can
download your e-mail to your local computer using Secure POP (Post Office
Protocol). Instructions for enabling Secure POP for the most frequently used
e-mail clients are below.
Note: If
you need assistance, please call the ITD HelpDesk at 323-224-2277.
Microsoft Outlook Express (Windows)
1. Launch Outlook Express
2. Click on Tools->Accounts
3. Highlight your mail account and click 'Properties'
4. Click the 'Servers' tab
5. Under Account Name enter 'username@lausd.k12.ca.us'
6. Change the Incoming mail (POP3) entry to 'epals.lausd.k12.ca.us'
7. Click on the 'Advanced' tab
8. Put a checkmark in the box beneath Incoming mail (POP3) which reads 'This
server requires a secure connection (SSL)'
9. Click the OK, then Close buttons.
Microsoft Outlook (Windows)
1. Launch Outlook
2. Click on Tools-> Email Accounts
3. Select the radio button 'View or change existing e-mail accounts' and click
Next
4. Highlight your mail account and click 'Change'
5. Change the Incoming mail (POP3) entry to 'epals.lausd.k12.ca.us'
6. Under User Name enter 'username@lausd.k12.ca.us'
7. Click on the 'More Settings' button
8. Click on the 'Advanced' tab 8. Put a checkmark in the box beneath Incoming
mail (POP3) which reads 'This server requires a secure connection (SSL)'
9. Click on the OK, Next then Finish buttons.
Microsoft Entourage (Macintosh)
1. Launch Entourage
2. Click Tools->Accounts
3. Select your account and click "Edit"
4. Change the Receiving mail: Account ID to 'username@lausd.k12.ca.us' and POP
server entry to 'epals.lausd.k12.ca.us'
5. Click
'Click here for advanced receiving options' button.
6. Put a checkmark in the box beneath Incoming mail (POP3) which reads 'This POP service requires a secure connection (SSL)'
7. Click the 'OK' button
How can I import my
contacts in to ePALS?
From the ePALS log on main menu, click on the "Teacher's Guide" and go to "Your Webmail Account" pages 25-26 for step by step instructions.
Does ePALS SchoolMail automatically log a user off after a
period of inactivity?
Yes. You should always log out of your ePALS
SchoolMail account when you are done using it. Although ePALS SchoolMail will automatically log a user off
after a period of inactivity (90 minutes), the best way to protect privacy is
to always log out.
Will I lose
the message I was composing when I time-out?
No. Even if you are timed-out, you can
return to your message by immediately logging back in with your user ID and
password. When users time out,
they are taken to the login screen page.
How do I turn on the
auto-responder?
On
your home page, select the auto-responder view/edit and check the box to
activate your responder. Compose your message and apply your changes if you
have not yet done so. Remember to
deactivate it upon your return.
How do I create a signature?
After opening your Webmail screen, select
Signature. Click the New Signature button above the text box and type the name
for this signature. This will be your default signature. In the text box, type the signature as
you want it to appear at the end of your e-mail messages. Be sure to click update at the end of
your e-mail messages. You also have the option to cancel and recompose your
signature.
How do I
create e-mail folders?
You can easily create your own custom folders to keep your messages organized. After opening Webmail, click folders. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and find the area for creating new folders. Type the name of your folder in the "Folder Name" box. You can also choose a color for your folder. Finally, click Create. The folder will
automatically appear in your list unless you wish to create it as a sub-folder
at which time you would then use the pull-down menu to add it to the list.
How do I
create mailing groups?
The Groups
feature allows you to sort your email contacts into categories. For example,
you might want to organize your student accounts according to clubs, academic
level or teams. You can then e-mail all the members of the group with a single
click, by choosing the group listing using your Address Book. Please note that
you must create each contact before they can be added to a group.
Creating
Groups
1.
Make
sure you are logged in to your ePALS SchoolMail account and click Webmail.
2.
Click Address Book.
3.
Scroll down to the "Add new group" area. Enter the name for the new group in the text box.
4.
Click Add Group.
Moving
Contacts to a Group
1.
Make
sure you are logged in to your ePALS SchoolMail account and click Webmail.
2.
Click Address Book.
3.
Select
the contacts to be moved by selecting the checkbox at the left end of the entry
row.
4.
At the bottom of the screen, use the pull-down menu to choose "Move Selected Contacts To".
5.
In the
next pull-down menu, select the name of the group to receive the contacts.
6.
Click Apply.
(Note:
Instructions extracted from pages 34-36 in the The Teacher's Guide to ePALS SchoolMailª which is available on-line at the ePALS SchoolM@il Home page.)
Can I save
addresses into my address book?
Yes.
You can use the save address option when viewing received e-mail messages. Simply click the Save Address link
which will bring up the address book screen. You can choose to save this
contact as an individual or associated it with a group.
The best
defense against "spam" is to hide your e-mail addresses from the bulk
mailers.
Tips to
guard against junk mail:
1. Ensure that e-mail addresses are not posted anywhere publicly viewable
on the Internet. Using an e-mail address on a webpage, a public bulletin board
or newsgroup posting is a sure way to be picked up by spam mailers who comb
online resources for more addresses.
2. Users should also be asked to avoid signing up for free offers and
commercial mail distributions lists (joke-a-day mailing lists are a good
example), as the main way many of these companies make a profit is by selling
lists of e-mail addresses to spammers.
3. Users should never reply to spam e-mail, as it often simply serves to
confirm to the spam mailer that the mailbox in question is a valid address.
4. Once an e-mail address is known to spam mailers, it is essentially
impossible to completely stop the flow of spam messages.
ePALS blocks known spammers from sending messages to our clients. We are always
investigating methods to reduce the volume of spam received by our users.
ePALS never sells or gives out the e-mail addresses of our users. If you are
having a particular problem with spam, don't hesitate to contact ePALS support
to report the issue.
For more information see ePALS SchoolMail and Your Safety, page 63 in the Teacher's Guide
What is
ePALS?
ePALS is the District's E-rate provider of K-12 student e-mail. By leveraging the federal E-rate program, LAUSD is able to provide an e-mail system where student e-mail accounts can rapidly be created at the school level, but also provide protection to our students. This system will allow schools to create student accounts as they need them for educational requirements. This web-based system is hosted through IBM e-business.
What
are some of the features?
á
Spam/virus
checking
á
Language
translation
á
Spell
check
á
Customizable
E-mail access which can limit access to classroom, school, District, or worldwide
á
Hierarchical
folders
á
Address
book with group capabilities
á
Import
of other E-mail address books (.csv format)
á
Automatic
E-mail replies
á
User
Profile System and Search Community Tool
á
Student
Safety Settings / Monitoring
Where can I find
educational projects using ePALS for my students?
http://www.epals.com/resources/
How can I get training on
using ePALS?
After logging on at the home page there is an Interactive Tutorial and a Teacher's Guide to help get you started, for more specific information please e-mail epals@lausd.net.
Where can I request more
information?
Call ITD's HelpDesk at 323-224-2277 or send an e-mail to epals@lausd.net
Last
revised: October 22, 2004