Gmail + Groups

Gmail & Groups

Resources available:

• Introduction to Apps Mail

• Take an Interactive Tour of Gmail

1. Understanding Gmail

• A Video Overview.

  • I can find and use the “Inbox” label.

  • I can find and use the “Starred” label.

  • I can find and use the “Sent Mail” label.

  • I can find and use “Drafts” label.

  • I can find and use the “Spam” label.

  • I can find and use the “Trash” label.

  • I can find and use the “All Mail” label.

  • I can search for email using the Search tool.

2. Compose an Email

• I can compose an email in Gmail.

• I can add recipients to messages in the To: field.

• I can add recipients to messages in the Cc: field.

• I can add recipients to messages in the Bcc: field.

• I can insert an invitation into an email.

• I can insert a hyperlink into an email.

• I can add attachments to my emails.

• I can save a message as a draft.

• I know how to format the text of an email including how to change the font style (bold, italics, underline), text size, text color, insert emoticons, number lists, bulleted lists, indent less, indent more, left align text, center align text, and right align text.

• I know how to quote text.

• I can use Gmail’s spell check function.

3. Reading and Responding to Email

• I can preview a message.

• I can respond to a message using “Reply.”

• I can respond to a message using “Reply All.”

• I can respond to a message using “Forward.”

4. Customizing your Mailbox

• I can set up a signature.

  • Watch: How to create a signature.

• I can enable Signature Tweaks.

• I can create a Vacation Responder.

• I understand why I would enable Vacation Responder to “only send a response to people in my Contacts.”

• I understand why I would enable Vacation Responder to “only send a response to people in The Blake School.”

5. Understand Gmail’s Conversations

• I can read a conversation thread.

• I can print an entire email conversation. (But why would you?)

• I know how to turn off conversation view in Settings

6. Organize your Emails with Archive and Labels

• I can archive a conversation that I am currently viewing.

  • I can archive a conversation that I have sent. (After enabling Send and Archive in Settings.)

• I can delete an email that I am currently viewing. (But why would you?)

• I can star important messages.

• I can find email using Starred Messages.

• I can create a label for an email that I am currently viewing.

• I can rename a label for an email that I am currently viewing.

• I can remove a label from an email that I’m currently viewing.

• I can manage Labels from my Inbox.

• I can use labels to organize.

• I can search within a label.

• I can create nested labels (sub-labels).

7. Manage your Inbox Automatically with Filters

• I can create a filter.

• I can create a filter from within a message.

• I can create a filter to apply labels.

• I can create a filter to archive messages.

• I can edit or delete existing filters (Please Scroll Down).

• I can automate my inbox with filters and templates.

• I can automatically mark or move my messages using filters.

8. Search within Gmail

• I understand the difference between sorting email by a label (Inbox, Starred, etc.) vs. Searching for an Email.

• I can use Gmail’s basic search function.

• I can search my mailbox by keyword, subject, or sender.

• I can use Gmail’s advanced search options.

• I can find an archived email by search

• I can find an archived email by all mail.

9. Gmail Settings

• I can disable “Web Clips.”

• I can enable “Button Labels.”

• I can upload and enable “My picture”

• I can enable forwarding to a different email address.

• I can receive email from multiple accounts.

• I can setup a Priority Inbox

• I can enable the Undo Send Lab.

• I can modify the time allowed for Undo Send (to 30 seconds).

• I can set my notification settings for email.

• I can show or hide labels (Please select Organize your labels).

10. Help and other resources

• I know how to refresh my web browser.

  • (in order to solve 95% of Google related problems).

• I know how to access and search the Google Gmail help resources to help me figure out answer to my question.

• I know how to access and search the “Quick Answer” resources in Support @Blake.

• I know that I can ask a colleague for help when I get stuck.

• I know how to submit a request or case to Support @Blake when my colleagues, Google’s help resources or “Quick Answers” at Blake comes up dry.

• I understand to login to my Google Calendar that I use my “network password,” the same password that I use to login into my computer at school, internet, and the file server.

11. Manage Contacts

• I know how to navigate the Contact Manager.

• I can create or delete contacts.

• I can edit a contact's information, such as work and home email addresses.

• I can create contacts groups

  • Watch: I can add contacts to one or more contact groups.

• I can edit the contact label to add or remove the label.

• I can search contacts.

• I can navigate to a contact group.

• I can export personal contacts from FirstClass and import those contacts into Gmail.

• I can “Find and Merge Duplicate” Contacts (after importing them from FirstClass).

• I can send an email from my Contact Manager to a contact or a group.

• I can find and search the Google Contact Help

Extra Information

*Adding contacts from recipients filling out a Google Form*

12. Communicate with Chat and Video Chat

How to start a Chat: Chat Overview

• I can utilize the Chat feature to instant message a colleague.

• I can utilize the Chat feature to chat with a group.

• I can set my Chat Status to: Visible, Away, Invisible, or Custom

• I can use the video chatting feature.

• I can turn Chat on or off by signing out.

• I can block a contact or user in Google Chat.

• I can find and search the Google Chat Help

13. Groups

Administrative Resources

• Add user-managed groups to your domain

• Set Group Properties

• Manage a Group

• Sharing with Groups

Additional groups you may want to join

• Central K 12 Google Apps User Group

• Google Sites Help Group

• Google for Educators Discussion Group

Resources

• Google Groups Crib Sheet (PDF)

• Groups Help

• Groups Guide

• Google Groups Tour

Blake Single-Sign-On

• mail.blakeschool.org

• Use the Academic Network Password

Introduction: Logging In, Bookmarking and Overview of the Day

Module 1: Send, Receive & Reply Mail

Activity 1: Demo and Do with the person on your right!

• Compose

• Inbox

• Stars

• Sent

• Drafts

• Spam

• Trash

• Search

Activity 2: Demo and Do:

• Save a Draft

  • To: Person on your right

  • cc: Person on your left

• Send a Draft

• Find your Sent Mail

• Search for a recent correspondence from the last day

Compare and Contrast between First Class and Gmail

• Conversational Threads

• Reply

  • Reply starts at the top of a message in Gmail

  • Reply default - Trimmed Content - In a reply, click on the three dots to expand the content of the message.

  • Click reply with quote in First Class

• Reply All - You need to select Reply All

• Forward

Activity 3: Demo and Do with the person on your left!

• Reply to message

• Open a Conversation

Module 2: Managing Contacts

Overview the different preset categories:

• My Contacts - organizes the addresses you care about. If you know you'll want to find someone often, put them in My Contacts

• Most Contacted - includes the 20 addresses you use most frequently. Apps mail automatically updates this list for quick and easy reference.

• Other Contacts - includes email addresses that have contacted you.

• Directory - all staff/students in the Blake directory.

• New Group - custom

• Add or delete contacts

• Creating contacts groups

• Send email to your contacts

Activity 4:

• Create 2 personal contacts groups in Gmail and then group them together

• Search the directory

• Send an email from contacts

Module 3: Store and Organize Mail

Overview of organization

• Starred Mail - Star important messages

• Use labels to organize

• Move your messages

  • Drag into a Label

  • Check then organize via menu

• Deleting vs Archiving - Archive vs. deleting messages

  • Show All Mail

Activity 5: Demo & Do:

• Star two emails

• Delete an email

• Archive an email

• Setup a “PK-12 Info” Label

Module 4: Customize Gmail: Settings and Labs

Activity 6: Demo & Do:

• Add Labs

• Disable “Web Clips"

• Enable “Button Labels” as “Text”

• Enable the Undo Send Lab.

• Modify the time allowed for Undo Send (to 30 seconds).

• Vacation Responder

  • Only send a response to people in The Blake School

  • Only send a response to people in my Contacts

Module 5: Google Groups

Groups:

• Preset labels

  • Viewed

  • Searched

  • Posted

• Edit Membership

  • digest

  • web only

• How to create a post

• How to reply to a post

• Reply to Author

• How to browse their groups and the directory of groups

Activity 7: Demo & Do:

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Please access Google Groups at groups.blakeschool.org

• • First, access the Workshop Week 2012 Google group and, create a new post and (re)introduce yourself to the Blake Community.

  • reply to a David Boxer’s post from June 30 re: favorite summer activity.

  • When you finish, please press submit.

Activity 8: Demo and Do:

• • Next, setup the email notification settings for each of the groups that you participate in as you desire such as:

  • No email - Do not receive email for group posts. Participate in this group through only the web interface.

  • Abridged Email - Receive one summary email of new activity per day.

  • Digest Email - Receive one email for every 25 new messages.

  • Email - Receive an email for every post in the group

* Please note, your default notification setting for every group will be “Email” unless you change it.