Virtual Meeting Instructions for CORC members

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The July 16, 2020 CORC meeting will be conducted virtually, via Google Meets. Information on meeting protocols as well as tips on using the technology follows.

Joining the meeting

● Committee members and presenting staff members have three ways to attend the meeting. All options are detailed in the calendar invitation sent to committee members.

○ Click the Join Hangouts Meet link. This option will allow you to join the meeting from your computer or smartphone. You will have the option to turn on/off your camera and microphone.

○ Join by phone - dial the number shown to join the meeting with audio only. ○ Both - can you click the Join Hangouts Meet link and turn off your camera and microphone. This

will allow you to see and hear the presentation. You can then use your telephone to call the number shown to call into the meeting. If you choose to participate in the meeting you would use your phone to communicate with the participants.

● In all three cases, you should mute your phone and/or or microphone when you are not speaking. This will help reduce background noise and ensure everyone can hear the presentation.

● Keep phones away from any microphone or speaker to avoid feedback. ● Visitors - will call in via a separate conference line. They will be able to hear the meeting live, but will

not be able to participate during the meeting. Public Comments submitted by noon on Wednesday July 15th will be added to the meeting record in Board Docs. Specific details are included in the meeting notice.

● Non-Presenting Staff Members - will join by the phone number provided in the Google Meet calendar item. Phones should be placed on mute unless they are called on to answer a question.

Meeting will be recorded

● All committee meetings are subject to the “Florida Sunshine” rules so the meeting will be recorded and made available to the public.

● All comments included in the chat will also be recorded and made available to the public.

Attendance

● Committee Members - We will take attendance at the beginning of the meeting, to determine which committee members are in attendance.

CORC Meeting Participation

● Questions or comments on agenda items should be sent IN ADVANCE where possible to jim.kunard@palmbeachschools.org no later than Wednesday, July 15 at noon. Questions and answers will be added to the agenda items within Board Docs.

● If you have additional questions during the meeting, please indicate in the chat section of Google Meet. Staff will be monitoring Chat to bring it to the Chair’s attention. If you are joining by phone, please state your name and indicate that you have a question. The committee chair will call on you to ask your question.

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Meeting Materials and Questions

● Meeting documents will be posted to Board Docs and the committee website at least one week prior to the meeting. The link is shown below:

○ https://go.boarddocs.com/fl/palmbeach/advisory/Board.nsf/Public

Google Meet

A diagram of the screen is shown below. More information, including technical specs on Google Meet are included at the end of this document.

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Best Practices

Being part of large virtual meetings can have its pitfalls, but here are a few reminders to keep things running smoothly throughout the meeting:

● When you join a meeting in progress it is likely the microphone will be muted by default, if you wish to announce yourself, unmute the microphone, say your greeting, and proceed to mute your microphone again.

● Please keep your microphone and/or phone on mute to avoid feedback and echoes. ● Only unmute when you have something to say or wish to respond to a question. ● Keep phones away from any microphone or speaker to avoid feedback. ● Try to join the meeting 10 to 15 minutes earlier to resolve any technical issues. The Committee

Meeting will be opened 30 minutes prior to the official start of the meeting so we can address any technical challenges

● If the issue cannot be resolved, be advised you can always join via Phone Bridge in an emergency. Your camera will not be activated but you can still participate in the meeting.

● Whenever you speak, please announce your name first so everyone knows who is speaking.

Camera Tips

● If using your camera, please make sure you are comfortable with your background that will be visible to all participants.

● Lighting should be behind the camera. If a light source, such as a window, is behind you, we will only see your silhouette.

Technology Challenges

● Having a good connection to the internet is important. You should have three or four bars or you will experience issues.

● Your computer should be as close as possible to your router or a wired connection. ● Reduce any other wi-fi usage during the call. ● If your screen freezes, disabling the camera may help. ● If all else fails, just use the call-in number. After all, it may be a problem with your internet provider.

The materials are also available online at the link below so you can follow along without the meeting video. The link is shown below:

○ https://go.boarddocs.com/fl/palmbeach/advisory/Board.nsf/Public ● Mute your microphone and/or phone whenever you aren’t speaking. This will lessen feedback and

echoes. ● Keep your phone away from your computer, microphone and speakers. This will also lessen feedback

and echoes.

Appendix page 1

Appendix ‐ Using Google Meet  

 

Overview  1 

Installation  1 

Requirements  1 

Gridview Extension  2 

Using Google Meet  3 

Joining a Meeting  3 

Usage During a Meeting  6 

Turning on GridView  6 

Basic Controls  7 

Overview 

Installation 

Requirements

To use Google Meet, ensure you have the following available to you:

● Webcam/Microphone ○ These are built in most laptops

● Google Browser ○ Although Google Meet works on most browsers, to install the Gridview

Extension Google Chrome is required. ● Stable Internet Connection

○ A wired connection is preferred, but if you must use wifi, it is best not to be too far from your wifi router

● Earphones/Earbuds ○ These help reduce echo from your device speakers

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Gridview Extension

GridView Extension will be used in District Meetings to help organize and control the meeting. Follow these instructions to install the GridView Extension:

1. Follow this Link to the Gridview Installation Page: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/google-meet-grid-view/bjkegbgpfgpikgkfidhcihhiflbjgfic?hl=en-US

2. Click on the button

3. If you get the following popup, click “Add extension”

4. After installation the page will refresh and look like this:

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On the top right you should also see the following icon added, this is between the address bar and your profile:

No need to click on the Icon, it shows the extension was successfully installed.

After reviewing the requirements and following the steps above, we are ready to use Google Meet!

Using Google Meet

Joining a Meeting

Joining a meeting is usually done via a calendar invitation or an invitation that contains the meeting link and phone bridge. To join the meeting click on the link that starts with meet.google.com/ The meeting will most often be found in the calendar invitation as well.

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Once you click on the meeting you will be moved to a preview lobby, and if it is the first time you joined a meeting on your device you will get the following prompts:

Click on dismiss and review the onscreen instructions:

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Once you are comfortable with your camera and microphone positions, you can join the meeting by hitting the Join now button. Please be aware, once you hit Join now, everyone in the meeting will be able to see and possibly hear you.

Usage During a Meeting

Turning on GridView

Ensure that GridView is enabled properly, and with the proper settings:

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Basic Controls

The main toolbar is available on the bottom of the screen. The main 3 functions to be used in meetings are Mute, Leave Meeting, and Camera.

Mute: Indicates Mic is on (People can hear you!)

Indicates Mic is Off:

Camera: Indicates Camera is on (People can see you!)

Indicates Camera is deactivated:

Leave Meeting: Clicking this icon will exit and end the meeting for you.

If you accidentally leave a meeting in progress you can rejoin rather quickly by selecting rejoin meeting: