Hanging Out in my first G+ Hangout

Google Hangout

Last night, I participated with Paul Allison and a bunch of other interesting folks in my very first Google+ Hangout space, which is the videoconferencing component to Google+. We were on Teachers Teaching Teachers, talking about issues ranging from the Maker’s movement (DYI activities with students) to creating school gardens to using the Youth Voices online space for the upcoming school year to developing an environmental focus for the year (or, that is my direction anyway). It was an interesting experience to be in a video chat room with Hangout with these folks.

Here are a few day-after observations:

  • There were a lot of us in the video room. I think we reached the limit (was it nine people?) and when you have that many people, it gets a little confusing about when to jump into the conversation. We were all trying to be polite and trying to get our points made. Paul did a nice job of circus ringmaster, though.
  • It was a different experience from the usual Teachers Teaching Teachers conversation. The addition of video — in being able to see the other guests — was fun and interesting. You could read expressions, and put a face to a name. It was great to see my friends Gail Desler, and Voices on the Gulf colleague Margaret Simon, and of course, Paul Allison. But I also felt a bit self-conscious about what I was doing when it was not my turn to talk, you know?
  • At one point, I had the chat room open in Google+ and the other chat room open at EdTechTalk (which is where TTT is hosted) and I felt a little dizzy as I read one chat, then the other chat (meaning: two different conversations), as I tried to keep my eyes and ears listening to the video discussions on the main screen. It would be nice to integrate the two chat rooms into one space, which I know Paul was complaining about before the show began.
  • Although we didn’t do it in our session, you can share YouTube videos in the hangout itself. That seems like an interesting component, particularly if you are brainstorming or working with a small group of people. (And I had this vision of Mystery Science Theater — making snarky comments about videos).
  • I think the video component of Google+ gives Skype a real run for its money. The quality was pretty decent and the ease of use was pretty intuitive, too. Although it was Paul’s Hangout, it seemed like it was fairly easy to manage. (ie, I have to give it a shot one of these days myself).

Not sure about how Google+ might be used in an educational setting? Check out Tom Barrett’s Interesting Ways to Use Google+ collaborative slideshow. There are some interesting ideas developing on that slideshow, including how to possibly use Hangout for conferencing and making connections with other learners and teachers, and virtual field trips.

Peace (in the hanging out),
Kevin

 

 

 

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