Google Groups Quick Start Guide

How do I join a PEJE Community of Practice Google Group?

1. Go to www.google.comand click on Sign In at the top right corner to create a Google account or sign in to an existing Google account. If you already have a Google or GMail account, simply sign in to it.
   • Note - it is not necessary to have a Gmail address to use Google Groups. You may subscribe with any email address of your choice - school, personal, etc. Set up your account with the email address where you prefer to receive email notifications and CoP information.
   • To create a new Google account, follow the prompts on the page to set up your account. You create your own password, known only to you. You may change your email address or password at any time.
2. Once you've created your Google Account and signed in, go to the CoP home page of your group:
   • http://groups.google.com/group/peje-admission
   • http://groups.google.com/group/peje-development
   • http://groups.google.com/group/PEJE_Financial_Management
   • http://groups.google.com/group/peje-leadership
   Click on the link to Apply for Membership and follow the requested steps.
3. Follow the steps to choose your preferred type of email notifications and your nickname that other members will see. Your nickname should include your full name and your school, ie: Sarah Schwartz at City Jewish Day School.
4. The facilitator of your CoP will get an email message requesting your membership and will authorize you to join. You'll get an email back when you are approved and then you're ready to start participating.

How do I access my CoP Google Group to read discussions and post messages?

Once your membership is activated, access your CoP Google Group by going to groups.google.com and click on "Sign In" in the upper right corner of the screen. Use the login and password you set up. Find your CoP under "My Groups."

There are so many wonderful features in Google Groups that you can customize to your preferences, including creating a member profile. For directions on how to do this, see the CoP Google Groups User Guide, also available from your CoP facilitator or in the Files menu of your CoP's Google Group.

The CoP Google Groups offer many new features to our groups: threaded conversations linked by topics, easy document upload and sharing, archives that are simple to search, and more. One of the benefits of switching PEJE's Communities of Practice to Google Groups is that you can manage your own subscription - you no longer need to wait for the CoP Facilitator to update your membership when you have changes. If you are the only user of your computer, you can set Google to remember your password and automatically log you in when you go to the Google Groups website. This makes it easier as you won't have to remember your password each time you access the CoP.

For more information, or assistance getting started with Google Groups, contact PEJE Staff.