Addicted to Google Hangouts

I joined Google Plus right away when I first got an invitation. I played around a bit but never got to involved with it. Then at NCTE, Bill Bass told me I needed to do more with Google Plus. When I pushed for what it had to offer that I didn't already have access to in my other social networks, he said, "Google Hangouts".  I went home and didn't think much about it until it was time to write our NCTE 2013 Convention proposal.  Bill organized a Google Hangout for the three of us writing the proposal (Ann Marie Corgill, Bill, me).  Since that first Google hangout, we've met about our proposal, I had other meetings for projects scheduled and in our classroom, we had a visit from Ruth Ayres via Google Hangout. In January, I have participated in several Google Hangouts and I am hooked!

If you don't know anything about Google Hangouts, they are similar to Skype--real time live chat to whoever you want to talk to in the world.  But Google Hangouts provide for lots more than just a live chat.  First of all, you can chat with a group of people. From what I understand, one Google Hangout can accommodate 7-8 people.  At first I thought this was overwhelming but the talk that you can have with a group from all over the world is definitely a plus. I have had many conference calls in my life but to sit and see people and talk as if you are all sitting in the same room makes a difference in the thoughtfulness of the work.

There are also ways to work on a Google Doc together in a Google Hangout. So, if you are creating a proposal or a piece of writing or a presentation, the Google Doc can be shared in the hangout and participants can work on it live in the Hangout. It is easy to share Google Docs and other things from your screen directly to the Google Hangout.

I see huge potential for Google Hangouts with classrooms. Connecting a few classrooms for an event or conversation could be really powerful in helping kids see the connectedness and globalness of our work.

And then there are the "toys". The sound effects and props that are just plain fun.  Katie DiCesare was at my house working on something a few weeks ago and so we visited a bit with Ann Marie via Google Hangout. Since it was new to us all, we played around with the props. For a very long time.  The playing part was very fun and we realized Google Hangouts are not only great for professional work but great to just visit with friends who live far away.

Ann Marie, Katie and I playing around with the props in a Google Hangout!

I am a phone girl. I like to talk while I am doing 10,000 other things walking around the house. But Google Hangouts has helped me realize the power of live chatting--how much better the conversation is (whether I am working on a project or just visiting with friends) when we are kind of sitting in the same room.  If you haven't had time to try out Google Hangouts, I would definitely give it a try.