SymbalooEDU User Guide

  1. Open up any web browser such as Internet Explorer and go to
  2. Create a free account by clicking the “Free Version” button in the center of the SymbalooEDU homepage and then clicking the “Symbaloo Free Version” button.

  3. Use your BCPS email address but choose a different password from your email for security. You will receive an account verification email.
  4. Now you can log into SymbalooEDU.

  5. The top of the Symbaloo window has many useful tools.

1) My Webmixes – This tool opens a navigation bar that allows direct access to previously created webmixes. It also allows users to create a new webmix or view the gallery of webmixes available.

2) Home Link – Takes user to your home webmix.

3) Webmix Tabs – These tabs are unique for each user and allow direct access to webmixes.

4) Options Button – opens a navigation bar that allows the user to rename webmixes, change their appearances, and also change sizes of icons.

5) Remove button – Allows a webmix to be removed. Be careful; it is not reversible.

6) Share Button – Turn on or off webmix sharing and set other sharing parameters.

7) Republish Button – VERY IMPORTANT – Each time a change is made to a webmix click this button to save and push the changes to any viewers.

8) Search Box – Use the pull down portion of the box to choose search type (tiles, webmixes, profiles) then type keyword(s) for search.

9) Add a New Webmix Tab – This tab creates a new blank webmix.

10) Account Settings – Pull-down menu that allows the user to view their Symbaloo profile, preferences, account settings, language, and also to log out.

Creating a Webmix

  1. Start a new webmix by clicking the Add a New Webmix tab or from the My Webmixes navigation bar.
  2. Enter a title for the webmix that is descriptive. Click Add when done.

  3. A set of blank tiles will appear on the screen. Use the Options Button to create the appearance of the screen by selecting wallpaper colors and other settings as desired.

Adding Tiles

  1. To create a new tile just click on an open space.
  1. An Edit Tile navigation bar will appear. You can search for a premade tile or create your own. These directions will show how to create your own.
  2. Click Create a tile and many options appear.
  1. Paste a URL into the website box. (Depending on how the website is created the name of the site and an icon may automatically appear.)
  1. Name the tile and choose whether or not the text should appear on the tile.
  1. Choose an icon for the tile or upload in image.
  1. Set the tile and text color.
  1. Click Save when done.
  2. The new tile can be dragged anywhere on the webmix grid for organizing.
  1. Repeat the steps to create multiple tiles. Color code similar sites or categories.
  1. Tiles can also contain RSS feeds and embedded content (like videos, web 2.0 tools, and even other Symbaloo webmixes!).

Customizing Your Preferences


  1. In the example screen above there is a clock in the middle. This middle area can be customized under Account Settings (Tool 10 from page 1). A search module, widget, or Newsfeed can be selected. Try some out, they don’t all work. When selecting the center material it will be the same for all webmixes that you view. Each logged in user can choose a different center.
  2. When a webmix is shared for open access a generic Symbaloo banner is displayed in the middle.
  1. Under preferences, you can also choose your default webmix and how links open.

Sharing a Webmix

  1. Sharing a webmix allows users to see the collection created. Anyone with a web browser and the URL of the webmix can view but not change the content.
  2. Click the Share button (Tool 6 on page 1).
  3. The name of the webmix will be displayed with a box for a description. Write something informative about the webmix to describe its purpose for example. Related words (tags) can be typed to help the webmix be searched and found by other Symbaloo users. This is not required.
  1. You have two sharing options:
  1. Publicly allows any user to view the webmix and search for it in the gallery.
  2. Privately makes it “unlisted” so only people with Symbaloo accounts can view it.
  1. Click the Share My Webmix button. This will make a URL appear. This is the access address to the webmix.

  2. After a webmix is published the Share button will open up options in a navigation bar such as webmix details, update, stop sharing, and comments.

Baltimore County Public Schools

Department of Digital Learning: Symbaloo Tutorial

February 2014Page 1 of 5