Cisco Spark Windows Reference Guide

ICIT Technology Training Department

Training@uww.edu

Updated on April 10, 2018

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1 TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 Table of Contents .................................................................................................................................. 2

2 About Cisco Spark for Windows ............................................................................................................ 4

3 Installing Spark for UWW Staff and Students ....................................................................................... 4

4 Downloading Spark ............................................................................................................................... 5

5 Logging in for the First Time ................................................................................................................. 6

6 The Profile Menu .................................................................................................................................. 7

6.1 Editing your Profile........................................................................................................................ 7

6.2 Settings .......................................................................................................................................... 7

6.3 Health Checker .............................................................................................................................. 9

6.4 Exit Cisco Spark ........................................................................................................................... 10

6.5 Signing Out .................................................................................................................................. 10

6.6 Do Not Disturb ............................................................................................................................ 10

7 Teams .................................................................................................................................................. 11

7.1 Creating A Team .......................................................................................................................... 11

7.2 Managing Your Team .................................................................................................................. 11

7.3 Inviting Others to your Team ...................................................................................................... 12

8 Spaces ................................................................................................................................................. 14

8.1 General Space ............................................................................................................................. 14

8.2 Creating a Space .......................................................................................................................... 14

8.3 Managing a Space ....................................................................................................................... 15

8.4 Adding a Space to a Team ........................................................................................................... 18

8.5 Moderate Space .......................................................................................................................... 19

8.6 Joining a Space ............................................................................................................................ 19

8.7 Sending Content .......................................................................................................................... 20

8.8 Messaging People ....................................................................................................................... 22

9 Archiving Content ............................................................................................................................... 27

10 Meetings ......................................................................................................................................... 27

10.1 Creating a Meeting ...................................................................................................................... 27

10.2 Joining a Meeting ........................................................................................................................ 29

10.3 My Personal Room ...................................................................................................................... 30

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11 Calls ................................................................................................................................................. 31

11.1 Calling from a Space .................................................................................................................... 31

11.2 Viewing Call Log .......................................................................................................................... 31

11.3 Dialing a Call ................................................................................................................................ 32

12 Sparkboard ...................................................................................................................................... 33

12.1 Sharing Screen............................................................................................................................. 34

12.2 Whiteboard .................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

12.3 Calling .......................................................................................................................................... 36

13 Troubleshooting .............................................................................................................................. 36

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2 ABOUT CISCO SPARK FOR WINDOWS

Cisco Spark is a two-part product featuring a Spark Board and an online space. Using the whiteboard

feature you can create and share handwritten notes. Use the Cisco Spark online space for everything

from communicating with a Team of your choosing, performing live video calls to groups and sharing

your and annotations on your computer screen. It is the merging of your favorite Cisco products and

more.

3 INSTALLING SPARK FOR UWW STAFF AND STUDENTS

By default, everyone with a UWW email has a Spark account. To get started you need to download Cisco

Spark from either an email invitation or by going to the CiscoSpark.com download page. Please contact

the TSC Helpdesk for additional assistance on installing Cisco Spark on your office machine.

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4 DOWNLOADING SPARK

To log into Spark, you must have a valid Net-ID and password.

Note: For campus users that have a Net-ID that ends with digits, please make note that your username

is case sensitive.

Step 1.) Go to https://www.ciscospark.com/downloads.html

Step 2.) Locate and select the platform that you would like to download.

a) NOTE: We recommend using the Desktop

App to use the tool to its fullest potential.

Step 3.) Once you have downloaded and installed the app click on the blue Get Started button.

Step 4.) Enter your University provided email address and click the Next button.

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Step 5.) Spark will validate your email address and then you will be taken to a screen where you must enter your Net-ID and Password.

Step 6.) You will then be taken to the Spark home menu

5 LOGGING IN FOR THE FIRST TIME

Spark will give you brief descriptions as you click around for the first time. These can be dismissed by clicking the GOT IT button. Be sure to read these to help you acclimate and get a better idea of how you would like to start operating in Spark.

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6 THE PROFILE MENU

After logging in for the first time and exploring Spark we recommend that you take the time to complete

these initial first steps. Doing this helps ensure familiarity with the application and smoother adoption.

6.1 EDITING YOUR PROFILE Step 1.) In the upper left corner of the window,

click on the circle next to your name.

Step 2.) Click Profile.

Step 3.) Here you can change your name and profile picture to whatever you would like. a) NOTE: We recommend choosing an

updated photo of yourself so that you will be recognized by your peers.

6.2 SETTINGS Step 1.) In the menu in the upper left corner,

select Settings.

Step 2.) You can select this if you would like to adjust your, audio, video, notification, calling, and general Spark settings. Click through the list menu along the left to know what that entails.

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a) General: Here you can choose if you want Spark to start when your computer starts, whether you want to enable spell-check or not, and whether you want to show other contact’s online status or not.

b) Audio: Set and adjust your default Microphone, Speaker and Ringer. This is also where you can set whether you want Spark to automatically send error reports.

c) Video: Choose your camera source for

video calls.

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d) Notifications: Select your preferences for your Spaces Notifications, Scheduled Meetings and set your preferred notification sound.

i) NOTE: Space notification settings do

not apply to 1-on-1 calls or messages. These can be muted in the Space Details.

e) Devices: Locate and select different

calling devices, and Spark boards. Toggle on and off Automatic Pairing.

Step 3.) After making any adjustments to the settings, make sure to click the blue Save button at the bottom of the window.

6.3 HEALTH CHECKER If you are having trouble establishing a connection, connecting to the cloud or having trouble with any other services, Spark has the Health Checker option, located right below Settings. If everything is functioning as it should, your health checker should look like the image to the right.

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6.4 EXIT CISCO SPARK

6.5 SIGNING OUT If you would like to allow someone else to sign in to Cisco Spark or you just would like to make sure no one else accidentally signs into your Spark account, click on your profile picture in the upper left corner of the window and select Sign Out when you are finished with Spark.

6.6 DO NOT DISTURB If you are working and you would like to not be disturbed by frequent messages or notifications, you can set a Do Not Disturb time.

When you are finished with Spark you can exit out of it by either clicking the “X” in the upper right corner of the window or by clicking on your profile picture and selecting Exit Cisco Spark.

NOTE: If you just exit out of Spark you will remain signed in the next time the program is opened.

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7 TEAMS

The second symbol on the navigation bar represents the Teams tab. A Spark Team is a large connected

group. They can be used to for share information with your Class, about a project or any other topic that

you would create a team for. When you click on this you should see one or more colored boxes that

represent the different teams that you are a part of.

7.1 CREATING A TEAM Step 1.) To create a team, make sure you are in the

Teams tab by clicking the button along the left navigation bar.

Step 2.) Click the +New Team button.

Step 3.) A window will appear where you can give your new team a name and description of what your team is about.

Step 4.) Click the blue Create button.

Step 5.) Once you have created a Team, you should now be able to enter it and start inviting others.

7.2 MANAGING YOUR TEAM By creating a new team, you become Moderator of that team. This means you have access in this team that no one else does.

Step 1.) To change the name or description of your team, click on the Pencil icon ( ) to the right of your team’s name and description. They will then become editable.

Step 2.) Make your changes and then when you click outside of the form the change will save.

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Under the Spaces Tab of the Team, there is a General Space. You can enter the Space by clicking on the name General. This is where all of your content will be shared with your Team. You have additional access as a Moderator in the General Space. You can access additional preferences under the Information Menu.

Step 1.) Click the button to the left of the title inside the Space.

a) Turn on announcement mode: This setting

enables you to turn your General Space into an announcement board of sorts. Allowing only the Moderators to start calls, schedule meetings, or create whiteboards.

b) Archive Team: This will hide the team and all of its Spaces from all Team Members. A Team may be restored from the Teams tab in the Navigation bar.

c) Leave Team: This allows you to leave the Team. All other Team members will still be able to access Space content.

7.3 INVITING OTHERS TO YOUR TEAM Step 1.) If you would like additional team members

to help you manage your team, you can add other Moderators by clicking the Add Team Moderator button. This can be found when you first enter the Team.

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a) NOTE: Moderators have certain privileges

that other general team members to not, like having the ability to Add other team members. Add another Moderator only if you want them to have the same privileges as you.

Step 2.) If you would like to add other team members to your space, click on the team Members Tab

Step 3.) Click the +Add Team Member button.

Step 4.) A search bar will appear. Type in the name or email of the person that you would like to add to your team.

Step 5.) Verify that the person that you would like to add pops up and select them.

a) NOTE: If the person that you would like to add does not appear, type their full email and click the Add Team Member button. They may not have created their account yet, but it will connect when they do.

Step 6.) Your new Team Member Should now be listed under the Members tab.

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8 SPACES

The top symbol on the Navigation bar is called the Messages tab and it is where you can access all

different communications with people, including Spaces.

A Spark Space is an area within your Team that you can chat, call, meet virtually, share screen shots,

images and documents, and share Whiteboard files. All within your shared Space. Spaces can be used

to divide a classroom into discussion groups or an office into different project groups. When you click on

the Messages tool in the Navigation bar, you will see a list of all of your recent conversations, both in

Spaces and with different individual people.

8.1 GENERAL SPACE Once you have created a Team, you will notice that there will be a General Space under the spaces tab. This is created automatically and it will contain everyone that you add to your team. For more information See 7.2

8.2 CREATING A SPACE Step 1.) If you would like to create a new space

Click the +New Space button.

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Step 2.) A cursor will appear and you can type the name of your new space. Click the plus sign button.

Step 3.) Your new Space should have appeared at the bottom of the Spaces list.

8.3 MANAGING A SPACE Within a Space there are additional preferences and options in the Space Information Menu.

Step 2.) The information menu can be accessed by clicking the button to the left of the title inside the Space.

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a) Edit Settings: This allows you to change the name of your Space or change your Space’s Display Image. We recommend that you choose an image that will be both relevant and recognizable to your group.

b) Add to Favorites: This allows you to Favorite you Space. Favoring a space means it appears on your Favorites list.

i) NOTE: Once you favorite a Space, the

star symbol will turn gold and instead display the words Remove favorite.

c) Notifications: This allows you to adjust the notifications for this particular Space. The default is that it defers to the Global notification settings. Which you can change in Settings (See 6.2) If you would like add Custom notifications, you can choose from All Messages, @Mentions only, and Off.

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d) Add Integrations and Bots: This takes you to the Cisco Spark Depot: https://depot.ciscospark.com/

Here you can add different Integrations which work with your Space and allow you to show and share more dynamic content. Click on the blue More Details button to get more information about each Bot or Integration.

e) View Space Policy: This is a disclaimer for the Space. It claims that UW-Whitewater owns the Space and explains what that means briefly.

f) Removing Space from Team: If you

would like to remove the Space from your Team, this is where you do it. This allows all of the conversations and content shared in the Space to remain accessible, but it will no longer be listed under the Team. It will only be accessible under Messages.

g) Archive Space: If you would like to hide the Space from all Team members except you, you can Archive it.

h) Leave Space: This allows you to leave the

space. You will no longer receive notifications for the Space’s activity.

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8.4 ADDING A SPACE TO A TEAM Sometimes a Space will be created while you are using the Spark board or you have removed a Space from your Team and then that Space is only accessible from the Messages tab. If you would like to add a Space to a Team you can by using these steps:

Step 1.) Locate the standalone Space that you would like to add to your Team.

Step 2.) Within that Team, click the button to open up the information menu.

Step 3.) Select the +Add this space to a team option.

Step 4.) Choose the Team that you would like to add the Space to and click Add to team.

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8.5 MODERATE SPACE If you would like to manage the Space but do not want to add it to a Team, you can choose to Moderate the Space.

Click the Moderate space button. You will now have additional moderator privileges in the Space. See 7.2 for Details. Once you choose to Moderate the Space, the Key Symbol Turns blue and changes to Remove moderators.

8.6 JOINING A SPACE If you are not the Team Moderator, there may be Spaces that you are not part of. They will be displayed as “Spaces to Join”. This could be for a variety of reasons depending on how the Moderator is using Spaces.

Step 1.) If you would like to join a Space select the space and click the blue Join Space button.

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8.7 SENDING CONTENT Step 1.) Click on a Space to get started sending

content.

Step 2.) Located in the upper right corner of the messaging window, click on the symbol, which is the App Grid button.

Step 3.) All of your different messaging tools will be revealed:

a) Click Message to return to the messaging window.

b) Call will start a call with everyone in the Spark Space.

c) Click Meetings to schedule and create meetings for the People within your Space. For additional details, See 10.1.

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d) Whiteboard displays all of the whiteboards created and shared within your group Space.

e) People shows the list of everyone in your Space. It is also where you can add new members to your Spark Space by clicking on the + Add People button.

f) Files displays all of the files shared within your Space.

Step 4.) Click on the X to close the App Grid.

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8.8 MESSAGING PEOPLE One of the key functions of the Messaging tool is of course to send messages to your different Spaces and Contacts. To send a message, you need to select either a Space or another Spark contact from the left panel in the window. Your chat will appear in the right panel of the window.

If the person or group that you would like to message is not there you can click the plus ( + ) symbol in the left panel and either select Contact a Person or Create a Space. Any conversations you have in a Space will be listed under the Spaces section. While messages with just an individual are listed under the People section.

You can sort the information in the left panel by clicking the drop-down arrow next to All. You then have the option to sort by Unread, Favorites, @Mentions, and Flags.

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Unread displays the Spaces that you have unread or unopened messages in. If all messages are read there will be nothing listed under this sort.

Favorites displays conversations or Spaces that you have favorited. For more information on how to favorite See 8.3 for details.

@Mentions displays Spaces or conversations where you have been directly addressed using the “@” symbol. If you have read these messages, they will be listed under Read.

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To mention someone just type the @ symbol into a messaging window and it will give you a list of everyone in the Space. It also gives you the option to @All, which alerts everyone in the Space.

Flags displays particular messages that you have chosen to flag for later reference or follow up. When you select a previous flag it will just you to that exact point in the conversation.

Step 1.) To flag a message, hover over it and you will see a flag symbol appear to the far right. If you hover over the flag symbol, the text Flag for follow-up will appear to the far right of the window.

Step 2.) Click the flag symbol and it will fill in and the text will now display Unflag.

Once you have selected or created your space, you are ready to send a message. Type whatever you would like at the bottom of the window. There are additional options for you to explore here in the messaging window.

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Markdown Formats: If you would like to include any special formatting to your text, like adding quotes, bolded or italicized letters, you can do so by enabling Markdown Formats.

Step 1.) Open up the menu by either typing (Ctrl +M) or clicking the Markdown Symbol in the message window.

Step 2.) Then make sure that the Markdown Enabled box is checked. If it is, you may apply any of the special characters to give your text formatting. (Ex: **Text I Want to be Bold**= Text I Want to be Bold)

Attachments: If you would like to send a picture, .PDF, Excel Workbook, or Word Doc and more. You will need to send them as attachments. Files that you send in your Space can then be found under the Files tool in the App Grid. See 8.7 for additional details.

Screen Capture: If you are compelled to send a picture of what is currently showing on your screen, you can do this using the Screen Capture tool.

Step 1.) When you click on Screen Capture, your screen will freeze and turn dark. Then you just have to click and drag over the area that you would like to capture. A blue box will be drawn

Step 2.) When you release the mouse button, the image that you have just captured will be added into your message box.

Step 3.) Add additional text if you want.

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Step 4.) Hit Enter to send your message and Screen Capture. The image will be displayed in your Group as well as in the Files tool in the App Grid. See 8.7 for additional details.

Emoticons: You have the option to spice up your conversation with Emoticons if you so choose. You have many different fun options of faces to choose from.

@Mentions: You can direct comments or messages to individual group members by using the @Mention tool. This alerts only the mentioned person separately, but others can still view the comment. You can either click this button or type the “@” symbol before a group member’s name to use this function. These will also appear under the left panel under @Mentions. See 8.8 for additional details.

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9 ARCHIVING CONTENT

10 MEETINGS

The bottom tab along the left Navigation bar represents Meetings. Meetings are for starting a call

between a Team, Space or just an individual or individuals. You can call using Spark or use the WebEx

integration and call using your personal WebEx room.

10.1 THE MEETINGS CALENDAR When you click on the Meetings tool you should see a Calendar display in the left panel. There are different ways to alter this display to suit your needs. Switching Days: Click on the month display button to pull up a display of the current month. You can use the arrows to switch months and see what is coming. Alternatively, you can click on different days throughout the month to change the display.

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Day View/List View: Toggle between these two to either see a list of your different meetings for the week or see a time stamped layout of your Day.

Meeting Details: If you click on the Meeting in your list, you can see additional details for your meeting and who is attending.

10.2 SCHEDULE A MEETING Within a Space:

Step 1.) Click the waffle button to reveal the App Grid. See 8.7 for additional details.

Step 2.) Click the button for the Meetings tool.

Step 3.) Here you can Create a meeting and copy the meeting information that is automatically generated.

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Step 4.) Click the Create Meeting Invite button. This will automatically open a meeting invite through your Outlook Calendar.

From your Outlook Calendar: If you would like to create a Meeting invite for Spark through your Outlook Calendar. You can do so by typing “@Spark” in the Location field.

10.3 JOINING A MEETING If you have been invited to a Meeting, it will be displayed in the Space. Clicking on the event will bring you to the Meeting Details. For additional details See 10.1.

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If there is a meeting in progress, it will appear under your Messages tab as well as Meetings. When you select the in-progress meeting, it allows you to select the device from which you would like to call and join the Meeting. You can also join the Meeting from the side left panel and click Join.

10.4 MY PERSONAL ROOM On the Meetings home window, you will notice that it says My Personal Room. This allows you to connect to your WebEx personal room so you can connect to meetings within Cisco Spark using WebEx. Just enter the link to your personal room and your Host PIN number, both of which you can get from uww.webex.com. Once you enter in the information, you should be able to start a meeting using WebEx through Spark.

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11 CALLS

The third tool in the Navigation bar is the Calls tool. You can make calls through Cisco Spark just as you

might using WebEx or Jabber. Spark has the ability to display your call log, access contacts in your org

group and dial out.

11.1 CALLING FROM A SPACE If you would like to set up a call with your Space, open the App Grid and select the Call tool. For additional information See 8.7. You can choose which device you would like to call from and then click the Join Meeting button.

11.2 VIEWING CALL LOG If you click on the phone symbol in the Navigation bar, one of the first things you see in the tool is the Call Log. This displays all of your previous calls. You can click the Missed tab and see in Red all of the Calls that you missed and their times. You can select a call from the list you can view additional details of the call in the main window.

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11.3 DIALING A CALL You can dial a number using the Keypad or you can just start typing a name from your contacts and it will appear.

You can choose which device from which you are calling in the drop-down menu.

NOTE: If you want to dial someone outside of the University, you need to type “9” first. (Ex: 9-1-262-555-1004)

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12 SPARK BOARD

The Spark Board is a device that goes hand in hand with the Spark app. It is for sharing, touch-screen

drawing, and video conferencing. You do not have to plug in your computer and it saves directing into a

cloud space so you can access the drawings you do on the Whiteboard from anywhere.

12.1 WHITEBOARD One of the big features of the Spark board is the Whiteboard tool. The whiteboard tool can be access by pressing the Whiteboard button on the home screen.

NOTE: If you do not see the Whiteboard button, you may need to wake up the Spark Board. You can do this by tapping anywhere on the screen or on the home button.

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You then a have a full blank workspace where you can write notes, sketch ideas, and doodle. This is made easier with the Pen that should be located stuck to the lower right corner of the screen. You have four color options, Red, Green, Blue, and Black. You can switch between these by tapping them at the bottom of the screen. There is also an eraser tool where you can clean up the edges of a drawing or erase mistakes.

12.2 SHARING SCREEN The app has the capability to screen share to the Spark Board. You can do this while being in a Space or just on your own.

Step 1.) To share your screen, make sure you are in the correct Space and that you are connected to the board.

Step 2.) You can do this by going to Settings under the profile menu and selecting your Spark board as the device. For more information, See 6.2.

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Step 3.) Locate and click the Share Screen button in the upper right corner.

NOTE: If you are not connected to a board, it will allow you to choose your device here as well.

Step 4.) Once you have selected your board, the Spark app allows you to choose whether you would like to share your screen or just a certain app or window. The top option is always what is on your screen.

Annotating: If you would like to mark up what is on your screen and add annotations, tap the Pencil icon in the upper left corner of the screen. Spark will then take a screenshot of the screen and allow you to mark it up. All of your marks and notes on the screenshot will be saved in the Files tool in your Space, if you are connected to a Space. If you are not connected to a Space, you still have the ability to send the files to yourself and other contacts. Tap the share button in the upper left corner and type the person’s name with whom you would like to share your image.

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12.3 CALLING If you press the Call button on your Spark board it will take you to a Keypad much like the one in your Spark App. You can type in a number or search for others with the Spark App to call. The Spark board has a powerful wide-angle camera at the top of the screen and tons of microphones surrounding the screen so it has excellent sound and video quality. When you are in a call the same controls that are along the bottom of a screen in a call are present on the Spark board. This includes a Mute button, Camera On/Off button, a Volume button, and an End Call button. If you are connected to the Spark board in the call you have extra abilities such as being able to share your screen and adding additional people to the call.

13 TROUBLESHOOTING

For help using Jabber, please contact the TSC Helpdesk.

Email: helpdesk@uww.edu

Phone: x4357