MS Teams

We are now using Teams since we have been forced into online learning by the Omicron variant.

NB: This class will only work if we are all comfortable keeping our cameras on so that we can see each other. Otherwise, we'll feel too disconnected to get comfortable with one another.

Teams is one of the many "enterprise tools" you might be using (i.e. digital tools/ apps that businesses use to manage projects and keep in communication). We're adapting it to the educational environment to take advantage the relative ease of communication that it provides. Ideally, it will be a digital hub connecting different parts of the course. I hope that Teams makes it easy for you to get in contact with the professors, teaching assistant(s) and your fellow students. It also works on computers, mobile devices and most browsers so you can keep in contact with the class through the form of connection you want (mobile app, desktop software, email, texts...).

Our team code is: 8hqet6d

You can also install no software at all and just use Teams through a browser – I really don't recommend this. It is not a great option since you have to sign in again and again and again forever. Generally the platform via browsers allows you to do less with more hassle. Also, as of writing this (August 2021) if you are a Mac/ iPhone user, Teams does not work with Safari (e.g. at all, just blocks it...).

So, you've likely already installed MS Office 365. If you haven't maybe do that first. Its free as long when you're a Carleton student. You might think you don't need to install Teams separately but you do. Getting your Office licence working doesn't mean it works for Teams. Sigh, Microsoft.

1. Now, Carleton ITS has instructions on how to install Teams. You can see if you can follow along with their instructions, here. You fall into the category of "unmanaged" PC or Mac.

2. If you don't want to click to that page, install Teams our way. You can download mobile or desktop versions for most operating systems at the Canadian Microsoft site: https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/microsoft-365/microsoft-teams/download-app​

   1. Direct link for Apple's iOS (App Store)

   2. Direct link for Android devices (App Store)

3. If you click on the first link it will take you to this page:

Download Teams!! They really want you to use it for all your online needs.

5. Click on the "Download for Desktop" and it will automatically identify what operating system you are using and give you a link to appropriate downloads. Click on "Download Teams". I'm using a Mac (so it has a Mac icon). This will start the download.

6. Install the program as you normally would and then start it up. I installed it on my Mac and an installer automatically opened up. I blindly agree to anything it demanded without reading the conditions...

The Teams Package installer (on a Mac)

I do allow it! Please just work!

Yay!!

7. Next you need to open up Teams after install and it will ask you for your Carleton email address. It will be something like "[email protected]" (← not "[email protected]) address – that would mess everything up royally.

Enter your CARLETON email address (the one with "cmail" in the address for students and "cunet" for faculty)8. Now we have now reached the stage where things might diverge for you from my experience. Since I've already signed into Teams before, even when I install it on a new machine it takes me directly to a Carleton sign-in (as if you were signing into your student account) and then the Duo two-factor authentication.

BUT if this is your first time signing into Teams, you will likely encounter some roadblocks before getting to this stage. After you enter the CORRECT Carleton email in step 7 (above), Microsoft might not recognize you. And you might encounter something that looks like this window, which says, "You're missing out! Ask your admin to enable Microsoft Teams for Carleton University":

So this is a bit confusing, becuase your Carleton IT admins have enabled Microsoft Teams for Carleton students. So what you need to do is click on that button, "Sign Up for Teams". It might take you to another page where you enter the same "cmail" Carleton email address you did before, and follow their instructions. Then, the Microsoft website should then send you back to the Carleton email authentication page (above step 8) to finalize everything.

Or it might just keep sending you back to this message recursively. I would love to write this section up with screen shots for you, but I can't ... because I already did this stage before I realized I would need to explain this to other people. So try two things:

1. You might need to enable additional Office365 features. Carleton has instructions on how to do this on this webpage (https://carleton.ca/its/o365/unsupported/), where they declare (most forcefully, I do declare):

YOU MUST ENABLE O365 SERVICES (other than email, which is enabled by default) To enable Microsoft Office 365 Services, (other than email which is pre-enabled), accept Microsoft’s offer here:

• Students: carleton.ca/its/ms-offer-students

• Staff/faculty: carleton.ca/its/ms-offer-faculty

2. If that doesn't work, email [e-mail] for help.

Using Teams

If you haven't used it before (and I hadn't before May, 2020) Teams will take a bit of getting used to understand how it works best.

Watch a video about what it is. Microsoft adds lots of touching music and feel good images to make you think that it will solve all your problems. It won't but, they do give you a bit of a sense on how to use Teams.

Download a PDF "Quick Start Guide" to understand how Teams works.

Go to the next page for more information about how to use Teams for this class.

Microsoft is pushing Teams as their videoconference/ teaching solution because of the desperate need of schools, universities and government to quickly adopt a distance-learning "solution". It keeps getting updated and new functionalities appear frequently, so what it can do/ how we can use it might change over the course of our class.