Now that you’ve created a Merge account, you’ll want to get familiar with the Merge EDU Dashboard. This article will give you a general overview of the dashboard, and it will also link to the dashboard help articles for administrator, teacher and student accounts.
In this article, we’ll introduce you to the main sections of the Merge Dashboard:
- Home Section - Check out what’s new, view your stuff, and upload 3D objects
- Science Section - Explore digital teaching aids and interactive science simulations
- STEM Section - Experience the future-career-based Merge STEM projects
- Help & Support Section - Find help resources or send a question to our support team
- Apps Section - Get the links to our Merge EDU apps, Merge Explorer & Object Viewer
Sign In to the Merge EDU Dashboard
Signing into your Merge account is what gets you access to the dashboard. Simply go to https://dashboard.mergeedu.com and sign in using either your username and password, or the single sign-on credentials that you used when you created your account.
Tap here if you need more help signing in to the Merge Dashboard
Home Section
As you learn to use Merge EDU, you will create your own objects, collections and favorites. You will also want to check out what’s new for the newest content.
First, tap “What’s New” in the left-side menu to see the new teaching aids & science simulations on the Merge EDU Platform. Tap on the images to get more information, or tap “See More” to be taken to the teaching aids or science simulations tab.
Next, tap “My Stuff” to view and upload your own 3D objects, see your collections, your favorites, and your profile. You can tap on any of your objects, collections or favorites to get more information about them, as well as how to share those objects using “Share Options”.
If you tap on “My Profile” on the “My Stuff” page, you will be able to see your Profile information. Go here to Reset Password or Sign Out of the Dashboard.
Next, you can tap the “Upload” button from the objects page, or simply tap “Upload” from the left-side menu to open the Object Uploader. The Object Uploader allows users to upload their own 3D objects to view on the Merge Cube.
Tap here to learn how you can upload your 3D objects using the Object Uploader
Administrator/Teacher/Student Section
The next section is different depending on if you have an administrator, teacher or student account. For more information about this section, check out the following help articles:
- Getting Started with your Administrator Account
- Getting Started with your Teacher Account
- Getting Started with your Student Account
Science Section
This is where you’ll get to explore the digital teaching aids and science simulations that are located in the Merge EDU Platform apps.
First, tap “Teaching Aids” on the left-side menu to view the list of teaching aid collections. Use the Search Bar to the top-right to look for a specific collection, or browse our collections by scrolling down. You can also tap on “Objects” (located to the right of “Collections” at the top of the page) to search for specific 3D objects.
Tap here to learn how to use Digital Teaching Aids
Tap on the image of a Collection to open the Collections’ Details. We’re going to tap on the “Rocks” Collection as an example:
Here you can see some information about the teaching aid collection, as well as a list of the objects inside the collection. You can enter the Rocks Collection Code (MYV18D) into the Object Viewer app (as long as you are signed in to the app), to view this collection and view the objects on the Merge Cube. You can also tap “Share Options” to find a direct link or QR code for the collection.
Tap here to learn how to Share Digital Teaching Aids
Next, tap “Science Simulations” in the left-side menu to view our list of Science Simulation Topic Cards. Tap the “Show All” drop down menu to the top-right of the page to select and sort by Category, use the Search Bar to look for a specific Topic Card, or simply browse the topic cards by scrolling down.
Tap here to learn how to use Science Simulations & Topic Cards
Tap on the image of a topic card to open the cards’ details. We’re going to tap on “Types of Reactions”, as an example:
Here you can see some information about the topic card, as well as which science simulations or “Activities” are inside the Topic Card. This particular Topic Card has 6 different activities. Tap on the thumbnail of any of the Science Simulations to learn more about it. We’re going to tap on the science simulation, “Water Maker”, as an example:
If you are signed into the Merge Explorer app on the same device, you can tap “Launch In App” to immediately launch the Topic Card or Activity in the Merge Explorer app. You can also tap “Share Options” to find the direct link & QR code to the topic card, to open in Merge Explorer.
Tap here to learn how to Share Topic Cards
On the Topic Card details page, you can also tap “Quiz Results”, to see which in-app quizzes your students have completed.
Tap here to learn how to learn more about the integrated Quizzes in Merge Explorer
You can also tap “Activity Plans” on the Topic Card details page to navigate directly to the Activity Plans for that particular Topic Card. You can also tap on “Activity Plans” on the left-side navigation menu, to go directly to the activity plans page.
Tap here to learn more about our standards-aligned Activity Plans
STEM Section
Tap on “STEM Projects” to navigate to our brand new STEM Section. In this section, you’ll find our new future career-focused, challenge-based STEM Projects.
Tap on the thumbnail of one of the projects to get started. We’re tapping on “Future Inventors” as an example:
The Merge EDU STEM Projects come with a main project document (located to the left of the worksheets), as well as several worksheets students will complete during the course of the project. Our STEM Projects are designed to be completed over the course of several lessons.
Tap here to learn more about our career-focused STEM Projects
Help and Support Section
In this section, you’ll find links to our Help Center, where you’ll find more help articles like this one, and other support resources to help you be successful using Merge EDU.
Tap “Help Articles” to be taken back here to our Help Center for easy-to-follow tutorials about all things Merge EDU, including Getting Started Guides and Tips and Tricks.
Tap “Contact Support” to send our Support Team any question or issue you have with our dashboard or apps. Our Support Team is always happy to help!
Apps Section
Finally, in this section, you’ll find the links for both the Merge Explorer app and Object Viewer app. Download Merge EDU apps onto your classroom device, or onto your device at home.
Tap “Explorer” to find the download links for our Science Simulation app, Merge Explorer.
Tap “Object Viewer” to find the download links for our teaching aid and 3D object app, Object Viewer.
Now that you’ve learned how to navigate the dashboard, you’re ready to learn science and master STEM using the most powerful new educational technology!
The next step to unlocking all of the content the Merge EDU Platform has to offer is to Manage Your Classroom.
Happy learning!