Patrol Room Access Information

Classroom and Meeting Entry Instructions

1.  Setup your device in advance to make things easy and quick :

• • FOR A MOBILE DEVICE :  If using a mobile device, get the needed Google meeting software and reduce any potential compatibility challenges.  Make it easy and repeatable by loading the recommended Mobile Software first (see below) and logging in using your Troop family account.

  • LOG INTO YOUR TROOP FAMILY ACCOUNT : Most common way is to complete this is to open your web browser and navigate to the main Google search engine home page.  If you are not logged in to any Google accounts then search for "Google account login" click on the link that has something like "accounts.google. login or chooser".   Complete login with your Troop family account information.

  • BOOKMARK THE TROOP WEBSITE HOMEPAGE : While you are logged into your family account, in the URL (topmost text entry bar), type in "appleton.bsatroop12.org" and hit enter. Might take twice depending on how it responds.  Once you have the Troop homepage displayed, bookmark the page so a button appears on the menu bar that allows you to quickly access the homepage.

2.  Accessing the Meeting from your device :

• • RECOMMENDED PROCESS : There are many ways to do this.  Recommend navigating to the Troop website meeting pages and clicking on the meeting links located below the room Icon.  Reminder : you will need to be logged into your Troop account.

  • NAVIGATE TO MEETING LINK : With your web browser open on a tab where you are logged into your Troop family account, go to the Troop homepage (appleton.bsatroop12.org).   Use the site menu bar at the top of the site page to go to the patrol room page.

  • JOIN THE MEETING ;  Click on the meeting link and a meeting window will open with a "JOIN" button front and center... click on it and away you go !

3. Accessing the Room workspace (ie. google classroom) from your device : 

• • RECOMMENDED PROCESS : There are many ways to do this.  Recommend navigating to the Troop website pages and click on the Patrol Icons there (just above the meeting links).  Reminder : the troop account you are using must have permissions assigned by one of the owners in order to open it.

Account Access Requirements Questions & Answers

1. Why is access to the Patrol Room and meeting link restricted to only Troop 12 domain accounts ? 

• • This is a limitation from use of Google classroom within the Troop 12 domain of our free for non-profit Google Workspace basic account where all the supporting files are built and kept.   This means other gmail or email accounts will not work.

2. Can access restrictions to the Patrol Room and meeting link be changed or removed ?

• • We believe we could pay for more services to remove restrictions.  There are no plans or budget to do so at this time.  

3. How can Troop members use the Patrol Room and meeting links with the restrictions in place ?

• • Each family has been provided a family account from within the Troop 12 Google Workspace Domain.  Scouts must be logged into that account before clicking on the Patrol room meeting link to open up the meeting and join.

  • Additionally , to access the Google classroom setup for the Patrol, the account being used to gain access must be both in the Troop domain and assigned as a student or teacher in the Google Classroom settings.   Patrol Advisors can change this.

4. Can I enter a Patrol room meeting using a mobile device ?

• • Yes, most devices will require you to load the free Google Meet software first, see other Mobile Software recommendations below.  Same as non-mobile devices, you will need to log in using your family account to comply with restrictions.

5.  Can more than one family member use the same family account to log into different meetings concurrently ?

• • Yes !  According to Google, different devices can be logged in to the same family account and join different meetings being held concurrently.   However,  it's not possible to have two different devices logged into the same family account join in the same meeting.

  • Different devices can join different rooms using the same family account as long as that account has the needed google classroom permissions.

6.  Can Scouts and Adults move around patrol rooms using the different meeting links ?

• • Yes !   For example Troop guides or Merit Badge counselors logged into their family accounts can move from room to room if needed when meetings are going on.  It is not necessary to have Google classroom permissions to use the meeting links.  This flexibility can allow the SPL to move around patrol rooms to share/gather information for example.

7. Are there advantages to the restrictions on patrol rooms and meetings ?

• • The restrictions do help us use these online tools in a way that is more secure than using open domain methods.   Scouts in patrols can be contacted through their family accounts and given information in their rooms which are visible by their parents and the other Troop adults making it easy to maintain two deep leadership.