Skyart

| 29

Joining a Group in Epsilen

Joining an Epsilen group could not be easier. • Select My Portal > Groups from the left menu. • Since you want to join an existing group rather than start a new one, click the Search Groups box.

On the search page, you can look for groups by: • The groups’ names (if you know them) • A short description • Keywords

For example, to see all groups related to the teaching of English, type English in the keywords search box. The accessibility icon (a handshake) means that the group is open to the public, so you can join right away. That’s really all there is to it. If the accessibility icon looks like a person reading a document, you will need to request membership in the group in order to join it. Clicking the icon will take you to a Request Group Membership form, which allows you to e-mail the group’s owner. In addition, a member of a group can invite you to join (unless membership restrictions, such as enrollment in a particular course, would exclude you). One of the main goals of Project Share is to promote the formation of professional learning communities (PLCs). These groups will allow teachers to • Share their expertise with one another • Collaborate on teaching strategies and classroom projects • Discuss matters of professional interest • Maintain ongoing professional-development (PD) relationships

Getting Started in Project Share: A Guide for Texas Educators ©2011 Texas Education Agency/University of Texas System