Contact Groups

Table of Contents What Contact Groups Are Purpose Logging in Creating the group Using the group Real world scenarios

What Contact Groups Are

What Contact Groups Are A "meta" contact made of a group of contacts YOU choose. Single entry that refers to multiple contacts. Easily updated by staff and students. Updated through YOUR Gmail. Made up of ANY contact or email address. YOU maintain control.

Purpose

Purpose Help you organize individuals for repeated contact. Create a group for each class / block / department. Simplify the process of distributing information. Type one entry, not multiple. Speed up multiple recipient procedure.

Logging In

Open browser and go to IPS homepage

Select the proper login from the Quicklinks pulldown

Enter your username, password, and click "Sign in"

Creating the Group

Click "Contacts" on the left hand side of your screen

From "All Contacts" or "My Contacts", select the individuals you want added to your new group.

Once the contacts are selected, click the "Groups" button and select "New group"

A warning may pop up about 'scripted windows' A warning may pop up about 'scripted windows'.  Click the warning bar and select "Allow"

Select "New group" again, and type in the group name when the dialog box appears, then click 'OK'

The new group is created with the contacts you chose

Using the Group

When you create a new email, begin typing the group name and it will appear for you to choose

Your group members are automatically added to the "TO:" field, and you are ready to type your email

Real World Scenario's

The "my link doesn't work!" scenario #1 You're in the lab, you've written a link on the board or directions on how to get to a particular site, and inevitably some student is going to say "that link doesn't work for me!" More than likely they typed the link in wrong or didn't follow your directions exactly.  We've all been through this and it's a less than enjoyable situation. How do Contact Groups save the day?  Instead of taking the time to go through with each student one-by-one, or waste the time of the entire class walking them through the procedure, log into your Gmail, compose an email with the link you know works, and use your Contact Group for that particular block to quickly email it out to all the students. How to be a pro? Already send the link in an email to all your students prior to class starting. The "my link doesn't work!" scenario

The "Can you send that to me?"... "and me?"..."and me?"... scenario #2 The department meeting is done, class is almost over, it could be one of a dozen different situations; they all end the same though: people want what you've got. Of course, it's not just one person, it's a dozen who have come out of the wood work to ask for the materials you've developed, or notes you've taken, or the ideas you shared. How do Contact Groups save the day? It doesn't matter that your department or class wants what you've got, because you're able to send it to them quickly.  Whether you've setup a Contact Group for each department in the school, or just for your own, you'll be able to shoot off any info they need quickly and easily. How to be a pro? Setup Contact Groups for each department, and block you teach in advance to save time later on. The "Can you send that to me?"... "and me?"..."and me?"... scenario

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