Learning Objective

 Understand what Microsoft Teams is and how it can be used in classrooms and
schools

 Understand the different types of Teams

 Learn how to create a Team and channels within a Team, including private channels

 Learn how to navigate within a Team and manage the Team's permissions

 Learn how to upload/create Files, start and reply to conversations, and post
announcements

 Learn how to use the built-in OneNote notebook as well as add additional apps that
can be used in Teams

 Learn how to create an assignment and Form within Teams

Module 1: What is in a Team?

Microsoft Teams is the digital hub that teachers and school leaders need. It brings
conversations, content, and apps together in one place, streamlining work flow for
administrators and allowing teachers to create vibrant, personalized learning environments.
With Teams, you can create collaborative classrooms, personalize learning with assignments,
connect with colleagues in Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), and streamline staff
communication. Teams supports teacher-to-teacher collaboration as well as class
collaboration and communication. In short, it is the one tool that can help with educators'
administrative and classroom tasks, saving teachers time and teaching students future ready
skills.
Microsoft Class Teams provides educators with the most efficient class workflow yet. Within
Teams, Teachers can quickly converse with students, share files and websites, create a
OneNote Class Notebook, and distribute and grade assignments. Students are free to use
the Microsoft tools they are most familiar with—Word, PowerPoint, OneNote, and Excel—as
well as access websites and other frequently used third-party apps. Built-in OneNote Class
Notebooks and end-to-end assignment management allows teachers to organize
interactive lessons, deliver personalized learning, and provide effective and timely feedback.
With one location for everything, Class Teams saves you time and simplifies everyday
logistics, leaving you free to focus on your most important task—improving student
outcomes.
Microsoft Staff and PLC Teams provide the perfect location to work with colleagues on
projects, curriculum adoptions, and even whole school initiatives. School administrators can
communicate and collaborate with their entire staff in one location. Policies and procedures,
forms, instructions for various tasks and responsibilities, school websites, and more can all
be shared within Teams for quick access. With the built-in OneNote Staff Notebook,
administrators can provide private feedback regarding classroom observations and establish
personalized professional development plans for every faculty member. Teams supports
online meetings with screen share and whiteboard annotation that can be recorded,
automatically saved, and transcribed in Stream. Whether your colleagues are down the hall
or in another building across town, Staff and PLC Teams support collaboration among
educators.
Most importantly, Teams is not just a platform for schools. It is the way millions of corporate
employees around the globe connect and collaborate on a daily basis. By using Teams in
your school and classroom, you are preparing your students to use the tools and resources
they will most likely use when they enter the workforce, giving them an advantage in their
preparation and confidence to achieve.

Transform Learning with Microsoft

Teams
Module 2: Get Started: Creating or Joining a Team
Microsoft designed and customized Teams for Education by developing four different types
of Teams that you can create:

 Class Teams allow teachers and students to collaborate on group projects,

assignments, and more
 Staff Teams allow staff leaders and staff members to collaborate on school
administration and development
 PLC Teams allow educators to collaborate within a Professional Learning Community
 Anyone Teams allow school clubs, sports teams, or any group of students and school
staff with a common interest or project to collaborate

To create a Team, select the "Join or create a team" button at the top of the Teams app.
Then, select "Create team" and choose the type of Team you want to create. You will then
name your Team, and if you want, you can add a description. Depending on the type of
Team you created, you will be asked to enter the students, teachers, and/or staff you want
to add to the Team. For Class Teams, when you enter the students and any co-teachers, they
will be given specific permissions based on their status as a student or teacher. You can add
members to your Team by typing a name to choose a group, distribution list, or person at
your school.
If you would prefer that students and staff members join your Team, rather than you
entering their names, you can generate a Team code by selecting the ellipsis by the name of
the Team and choosing "Manage Team" and then selecting "Settings." Once in the Settings,
select "Team code" and then select "Generate." You can then copy the Team code and email
it to students and teachers, or display the code on your projector for everyone to see.
Students and teachers joining the Team can then go to "Join or create a team" and enter
the Team code provided to join your Team.

Transform Learning with Microsoft

Teams
Module 3: Establish the Guidelines: Managing Your
Team Members and Their Permissions
Once a Team is created, you can modify a member's role within the Team or delete a
member. To change a member's role, select the ellipsis by the name of the Team and
choose "Manage Team." Find the name of the person, select the down arrow by "Member,"
and select "Owner." If you need to delete a member of the Team, select the "X" by their
name.
Conversations in Teams is a great way to start discussions with students and educators.
Conversations in Teams take place under the Posts tab. Using Conversations in Class Teams
offers a hands-on opportunity to create classroom conversation, set ground rules, and
foster digital citizenship. Sometimes, however, you will need to take action to ensure that
student conversations are respectful, productive, and focused on classroom goals. With the
Manage Team feature, you can mute one, several, or all students, which will revoke their
posting privileges.
Inside the Manage Team feature, you can also set the Team theme, modify member
permissions, and further control conversations. To modify these options within Teams, select
"Settings." Within the Member permissions section of settings, you can decide whether
members can create and delete channels, tabs, apps, connectors, and/or messages. The
@mentions section allows you to choose who can use @team and @channel mentions.
Additionally, in the Fun stuff section, you can decide whether students are permitted to use
GIFs, stickers and memes.
Module 4: Navigate Your Teams Space
Microsoft has created a user-friendly dashboard within Teams that is easy to navigate.
When you launch the Teams app, you will arrive at your Teams dashboard. The center of
your screen will contain white tiles with various icons. Each icon represents a Team to which
you belong. These may be Teams that you have created or joined, or Teams that you have
been added to by another person.
Once you select a Team, you enter that Team's workspace. This workspace is divided into
two primary areas: a "Me Space" and a "We Space." In the "Me Space," you will find
notifications about your recent activity, private chats, teams, assignments, meetings, files,
and apps. We think of this navigation bar as the "Me Space" because it contains controls
and notifications specifically for you.
The "We Space" is meant for collaboration. The main part of the dashboard is where
conversations take place with students or colleagues. It is also the place to share files,
assignments, shared documents, and notes. There are many ways to customize the Team,
and that starts with adding channels.
Channels are just another way to divide different aspects of your Team into categories, such
as units of study, professional topics, themes, agenda items, etc. The ability to personalize
your workspace is one of the most useful features of Teams.

Module 5: Work With A Team in Channels

Every Team can be personalized and customized, and that all begins by creating channels
within a Team. Channels are a way to subdivide a team into different modules, ideas, topics,
or categories.
If you are creating a professional Team, perhaps a Team for your entire school faculty or for
a smaller PLC, you might create channels for meetings, schedules, agendas, or strategic
plans.
If you are creating a Team for a class that you teach, you might create channels that are
named after units or themes that you teach within that subject.
You can create unlimited Team channels to help you structure your content in ways that
make sense for your team.
While most channels organize content, private channels can also organize people. When
you create a private channel, you select who can see the content of the channel. Private
channels are ideal for small group work and group projects, and to work separately in
departments, divisions or subject areas.

Module 6: Stay Connected with Conversations

The Posts tab in Teams is the hub for communication among members of the Team. Teams
automatically creates a Post tab in the General channel, as well as in any additional channels
you create. All members of the Team can view and add to conversations in the General
channel. Conversations are visible to everyone in a channel and are not private. However,
you can @mention any member of the Team, drawing their attention to a comment and
ensuring they see it.
To post a message, select the Posts tab from any channel. You can select "New
Conversation" to begin a new discussion topic, or you can reply to any previous
conversation by selecting the "Reply" icon and adding your responses within that thread.
Use the Posts tab to share news about your class or Team. Post articles or link resources.
Engage members of your Team in relevant discussions. Be available to answer questions.
Add an embed code to embed another application right within your conversation. Use this
area to give praise and encouragement. You can even just use the space to share Team
photos.
You have many options within the Posts tab. You can format the text, add emojis, gifs, or
stickers, attach various types of documents and files, and even begin a live meeting with just
a couple of clicks!

Module 7: Make a Big Impact with Announcements

The Announcements feature is an exciting way to make a visually impactful statement within
the Posts tab of a Teams channel.
When you want to draw attention to an upcoming event, announce a due date or deadline,
highlight an important resource, or send a powerful reminder, you might consider using the
Announcements feature to make your message stand out.
When you select "New Conversation," you'll have the option to choose a standard
conversation or an announcement. Choosing announcement will not only make your
heading stand out as a bolded title, but it will also allow you to add a colorful background
image. By doing this, your announcement will be showcased in the Conversation stream,
ensuring your entire Team knows there is something especially important for them to know.

Module 8: Share and Collaborate with Files

Teams makes it easy to share files with students and colleagues. Every Team, (and every
channel within a Team) has its own file folder where you can share files with members of the
Team. If the shared files are Word, Excel, or PowerPoint files, your colleagues or students
can view, edit, and collaborate on the files directly in the Teams app. They can even see each
other's changes in real time.
You can either upload existing files or create new files directly in the file folder:

 To upload existing files into your library, go to the Files tab in your Team, and select
the "Upload" button. A File Explorer dialog box will open, allowing you to select the
file (or files) you would like to upload. Select the file (or files) you want to share and
then select "Open." Any files you upload will be accessible by any member of your
Team.

 To create a new Word, PowerPoint, or Excel document in your files folder, select the
"New" button and then select the kind of file you would like to create. Name the file
and select "Create." The new file will open in Teams and you can begin editing it. If
you prefer to work in the desktop version of the app, select the "Open in…" button
on the ribbon and the file will open in your preferred desktop app. As soon as it is
created, your new file will be available for members of your Team to edit as well.

Module 9: Better Together: Add EDU Partners to your

Team sites
Microsoft is committed to empowering every student on the planet to achieve more. To
accomplish this, Microsoft works with education partners to support teachers in improving
student outcomes and supporting growth. Within Flipgrid, Wakelet, Thinglink, Nearpod, and
other current Teams EDU partners, the "Share to Teams" button allows teachers to quickly
start a conversation or create an assignment. Simply select the "Share" button in the app or
program and then select "Share to Teams." Then, choose whether you want to start a
conversation or create an assignment, enter the Team or channel you want to post it to, and
add a message. When you are ready to share, select the "Share" button. The new post or
assignment will then appear in your selected Team or channel.

Module 10: Let Me Count the Ways: The Many

Educational Uses for Microsoft Teams
Teams can be used for many educational purposes.
Class Teams help teachers easily manage class workflow while engaging every student's
voice. Using Class Teams, teachers can move quickly and easily from conversations to
content creation. Teachers can create, share, and grade assignments while students can
collaborate on projects, provide feedback to peers, and engage in conversations about the
content they are learning.
Staff Teams can be used for whole school initiatives or for smaller departmental projects.
The uses are only limited by the vision of administrators. Uses include:

 School improvement plans

 Incident response plans
 Disciplinary reports
 Social and emotional learning programs
 Teacher evaluations
 Technology support and instruction
 Bus incident reports
 Curriculum planning

In short, you can create Staff Teams for different projects, activities, committees, and
processes. Any and all administrative tasks can be managed within Teams.
PLC Teams allow educators to connect regularly with colleagues and continue personal
career development throughout the year. PLC Teams can be created around interest areas,
grade levels, departments, across subjects, or book studies. PLC Teams have an integrated
PLC OneNote Notebook, which provides templates based on the Dufour model for PLCs.
Teachers and students can also create a Team for clubs, sports teams, or any other common
interest they have.

Module 11: Personalize Your Team with Apps

Microsoft Teams for Education is your hub for all the work you do with faculty and students.
Having one location for everything your Team needs promotes efficiency and productivity.
Essential tools, like Conversations, Files, and a OneNote Notebook, are built in to every
Team you create. You can also personalize your Team with additional tools and resources.
In a Staff Team, for example, you may have a Word document that your staff frequently
references for testing protocols. In a Class Team, you may have an online textbook that your
students access daily. These resources and many more can be added as a tab in one of your
channels. Documents, PowerPoint presentations, Excel spreadsheets, websites, Flipgrids,
Forms, Streams, and so much more can be added as a tab to help you personalize your
Team and streamline your Team's work flow.

Module 12: Organize Your Team's Notes and Resources

with OneNote
When you create a Class, Staff, or PLC Team, a OneNote Notebook is automatically created.
Your OneNote Notebook is a digital notebook for your entire Team to store text, images,
handwritten notes, documents, links, voice, video, and more. Your Team's OneNote
Notebook keeps everything organized and accessible.
In a PLC Notebook, every member in the team has the same rights, and the notebook
comes with templates based on the Dufour model for PLCs.
In Class and Staff Teams, the OneNote Notebook has three distinct sections:

 A collaboration space where everyone can work together and edit the content
 A content library where the teacher or administrator can edit the content and the
student or staff members can only view the content
 Student or Staff sections where each student or staff member has a private space
where students can submit homework, draft essays, and take notes and where staff
members can create lesson plans, record professional development goals, and keep
track of discipline
 The teacher or administrator can also choose to add a fourth section, the teacher
only/leader only section. This section can only be viewed by the teacher/leader and
can be used for staging materials you will share later. You can place your entire
curriculum in a teacher only section and share to the content library or distribute
copies to the Student sections when the time comes

Module 13: Integrate Microsoft Forms within Your

Team
You can access Microsoft Forms directly from Teams in a variety of ways.
One way to add a Form is by adding a Forms tab. When you add a Forms tab, you can
create a new Form that everyone on your team can edit, add an existing Form where
members can respond to your survey and you can collect their responses, or simply show
the results of a Form.
With Microsoft Forms quick poll, you can create an instant, real-time poll in seconds. Simply
start a conversation in the Chats tab with @Forms and type your question. Team members
can respond to the poll and see results in real time.

Module 14: Create, Track, and Review Assignments in

Class Teams
Teams offers the efficiency of creating, tracking, and reviewing assignments directly within
your Class Team. In the Assignments tab, you can create an assignment, attach relevant files,
and post the rubrics you will use to assess student work. Once students have submitted
their work, you can review it, provide feedback for improvement, and grade it. Because
everything is stored in your digital hub, students will no longer lose their assignments and
teachers will free themselves from carrying around mounds of handouts and papers to
grade. With Teams, teachers can manage all aspects of their courses in one location.

Module 15: New Viewing Options

New Viewing Options
New Viewing options help you connect to your students and colleagues in meaningful and
personalized ways.
Microsoft is changing the way you, your students and colleagues view each other - literally!
In addition to the Gallery view (3x3) which allows you to view up the nine people in the
meeting with you, you can now choose to switch to Large Gallery view (7x7), with 49
participants in view! Things get really interesting in Together Mode, which currently features
an arena or lecture hall background with each of the participants, including yourself, seated
together to give the appearance of being in the same room together. The arena expands as
more participants join or turn on their cameras! More backgrounds will be released over
time. Finally, Focus allows you to go full screen and hide the thumbnail view of participants
at the bottom of the Teams window. Microsoft Teams continues to evolve to provide you
and your students options to personalize and optimize your live collaborative meetings
experiences.
Students have a way of finding the loopholes, including in online synchronous learning.
With Hard Audio Mute, educators can keep collaboration to the right moments and mute
students when it’s time to focus. Meeting options will be in place to prevent attendees from
unmuting themselves. You will be able to mute all participants directly from the Participant
pane and control students’ ability to mute and unmute their audio.
To help educators have time to prepare their virtual classroom and prevent students from
joining without permission, Student Lobby gives educators control over when students are
admitted to a scheduled meeting.
Student safety is incredibly important, and features like secure join links, "mute all," and
"end meeting" allow for teachers to keep students from distractions during virtual class
meetings.

Module 16: Differentiating with Breakout Rooms

Educators know that there is a place for whole group instruction, a place for individual
instruction, and a place for small group instruction. Microsoft Teams can be the place for all
of them! When educators began using Teams, we asked for features like private channels to
facilitate that small group work. The logical next step is to allow small group discussion
within virtual class meetings. The result is Breakout Rooms. Now teachers can break classes
into smaller groups of students for discussions and collaborative learning.
Educators will be able to choose the number of breakout rooms they need and assign
students automatically or manually. They can then move students between rooms, send
announcements to each breakout group, and automatically end those small group meetings
and bring all students at once back to the main class when it is time.