ISTE 2014 Hangouts 101

I started this day at ISTE with Kyle Pace and Erin Klein to learn how they use Google Hangouts to engage students.  They started with the important things you need to know about 'Hangouts:'

• You need to enable your Google Plus profile in order to use them
• In Apps for Education the admin needs to turn on G+.
• Hangouts are integrated with Mail & Calendar as well.
• Saves time and improves the quality of communication.
• Android Phones/Devices come with the Hangout Apps.  
• Download the app for IOS devices.

Did you know that hangouts have ~ 

• Screensharing & Screencasting!
• Drive Sharing ~ Brings collaborating in a document to a new dimension.
• Chat feature inside the hangout (great for posting links to participants).
• Integrate YouTube Videos
• Whiteboarding (app in the hangout Toolbox)

Using Hangouts on Air

• Flip your classroom, record your screencasts and lessons!
• Record podcasts (leave your video off and you have podcasting tool!)

Practical uses for the classroom:

• Start viewing (even joining) virtual field trips via 'connectedclassrooms.withgoogle.com'
• Open a hangout for 'after school office hours' and invite your students to join
• Virtual teachers use hangouts for help sessions and discussion based assessments.

Erin gives an example of how excited her students were to meet Maria Dismondy by inviting her to an impromptu hangout.  She was able to talk with them about becoming an author and give them a glimpse into 'realizing a dream!'

If you need to provide support for math students, the Scoot & Doodle add on is great because you can write and solve equations on the whiteboard.  

Another suggestion ~ Join the G+ Mystery Hangout Community and get you students involved through your own G+ account (classroom to classroom so younger students can get in on the fun).  

I suggest using Hangouts and other Google Tools to be proactive about 'peer bullying.'  Bullying escalates when students reach middle school age and many districts have K5 students in different schools and then funnel them into one middle school.  Start using hangouts beginning in kindergarten to bring your districts grade levels together and build a 'one classroom community' and get the connected via hangouts, Google Drive and other real collaboration tools to work on curriculum, create and celebrate together.  

You can find Erin and Kyle's presentation here:   bit.ly/ISTEGoogleHangouts