Using Google Plus Hangouts For Online Courses

Take Your Online Teaching to the Next Level using Google+

Going to school online, whether someone loves or hates the idea is here to stay. As an online educator, I am always seeking to try out innovative new tools that allow my students and I to connect on a deeper level. My most recent discovery? The Google Plus Hangout.

Many online students, while they love the convenience of taking classes on the Internet, miss the relationship they form with fellow students and their instructor in a face to face setting. It's this reason that those with a vested interest in online teaching (either at the instructional or administrative levels), should continually be on the lookout for to bring innovative technology into the online classroom, so that the relationship between the students and the instructor can all benefit.

What is the Google Plus Hangout? It's a free tool built within Google Plus that makes use of one's webcam to have a live video chat with up to nine people. While an entire class can't all meet together in one Hangout session (at this point), an Instructor could offer separate Hangouts, scheduled at different times, to allow groups of students to attend. This could be done for a lecture, a question/answer session, speeches, or getting to know you sessions. Instant feedback and a connection to the faces and voice of others in their class and their instructor may allow students to feel as if they are part of a community, rather than alone in their learning.

Further, the Google Plus Hangout can be used for students working on a group project for their online class so they can all meet together in a live setting. Along with teaching a course on Group Communication online, many of my courses require group projects. Students have often struggled to meet the requirements of group projects when only given the option of "meeting" in a private, asynchronous discussion forum set up for their group. Even using a live chat program that is found in many learning management systems doesn't usually offer the hands free ability to use only webcams. Talking while brainstorming and connecting comes more naturally to many than simply chatting through text.

All an online instructor needs to do is create a free Google account and have students do the same, should they not already have one. The class can make use of other features of Google Plus during the course, from posting updates to chatting, etc. For students looking to build a professional network after graduation, keeping up with the contacts they have developed from class may come in handy.

 Online learners may vary across the board with what technology they are comfortable with, but a patient instructor can offer guidance to make the experience work for everyone. Often, the school has an IT department that is more than willing to help the instructor field tech issues, so seeking out assistance prior to trying out a new idea may be helpful.

Online education will continue on, so finding ways for students to have a positive, well-rounded experience with the use of new and emerging technology will give the valuable experience of bonding together with the instructor and each other during their courses. The benefits of a face-to-face classroom are possible online, but only if we look for technology that allows it, like the Google Plus Hangout.