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Won’t You Hangout with Me? How to Plan and Start a Google Hangout.

Hangout Demonstration for Fall Faculty Inservice

Jefferson Davis Community College

Objectives:

After completing this lesson, you should be able to:

Define Google Hangouts
Explain what you need to conduct a hangout
Discuss four basic educational benefits of Google Hangouts
Identify the differences among Skype, Facetime, and Google Hangouts
Explain how to plan a Google Hangout for a classroom project, demonstration, or discussion
Explain how to start a Google Hangout
Discuss security concerns related to students
Examine ways of overcoming fear of using new technology

Ideas adapted from What the Plus (Guy Kawasaki)

What is a Hangout?

Google provides free video conferencing called a “hangout.” Up to 9 students can join the instructor in a hangout (total of 10 people in hangout).

Google provides the capabilities for educators to create a virtual space where they can share PowerPoint presentations, YouTube videos, charts, graphs, and other documents. Students can collaborate on group projects and share documents.

Hangouts provide the instructor with multiple ways to accommodate the varied learning styles of students. Hangouts offer a means of extending the classroom beyond the classroom walls. Hangouts are also a wonderful opportunity to invite experts from around the world to connect with your students.

What do students need to participate in a hangout?

You don’t need much to conduct a hangout. All you need is a computer with high speed internet and a web camera and microphone. Web cams are priced anywhere from $10 to about $80. The inexpensive web cams will work fine for classroom purposes.

4 basic educational benefits of hangouts

Students can collaborate on class projects. As you know, many community college students have jobs and families. They do not have a lot of extra time to be hanging around campus to work on group projects. Google hangouts provide an inexpensive and effective means for students to work together on projects.
Online classes can be enhanced through the use of hangouts. Students in online classes can feel isolated. Students sometimes feel like they miss out on classroom discussions. Hangouts can simulate a classroom discussion. If you teach the equivalent class on campus, you could invite the online students to join the discussion with your on campus students through a hangout.
While no more than 10 students can join the hangout at a time, you can choose the option to automatically upload the hangout to YouTube. Students who did not participate in the hangout can view the hangout (but not participate).
Google Hangouts can also be beneficial to faculty and divisions. Division meetings could be conducted over hangouts saving valuable office time and travel money. Some committee meetings would work well over a Google Hangout. Interviews could be conducted over a hangout.

What are the differences among Skype, Facetime, and Google Hangouts?

Many people have said that the quality of the video is much better with Google Hangouts. The quality of the picture, however, is dependent on the student’s internet connection.

One of the major differences for our students is that the Google Hangout is bundled with students’ Google email accounts. So the students do not need a separate account. They are required to download a PlugIn the first time they use it, but it is very easy to do.

With Facetime, the student would be required to have an Apple Device (iPad,iPhone, iPod Touch, or Mac) and Wifi. Only two can connect at a time.

How do I plan a Google Hangout for a classroom project, demonstration, or discussion?

Below are some ideas to help you plan a Google Hangout for your class. Keep in mind that the instructor does not always have to be the one to initiate the hangout. You can assign students to groups. Provide the guidelines to students and appoint one of the students to be in charge of initiating the hangout.

Designate one student to be the host and in charge of initiating the hangout and keeping everyone on topic.
Don’t go too long. Google does not set a time limit on hangouts. You should determine ahead of time how long the hangout should be. Don’t go over an hour.
Start by allowing all students to introduce themselves.
Encourage all students to participate.
Ask students to connect to the hangout 5 or 10 minutes ahead of the start time so that they can get their computers and cameras set up; make sure sound is working properly, etc.
Encourage students to look at the camera to make eye contact rather than looking at the other students on their screen.
Ask students who are not speaking to mute their speakers. Background noise can be distracting.

How do I start a Google Hangout?

Hangouts are part of Google+. So first make sure that you have a Google+ account.
Go to the stream on your Google+ page and click on Start a Hangout on the right hand side.

If this is the first time you have used a Hangout, you will be prompted to install a plugin. Follow the onscreen instructions. Google will congratulate you when you have finished. Make sure your webcam is working properly. Webcams are very easy to set up.

3. If you use a headset with a microphone, it will improve the quality of your experience. However, it works fine without it.

4. If the hangout does not work properly, try closing out all programs, rebooting your computer, and try again.

5. Next, invite others to your hangout. Suggest that students add everyone in the class to a circle. You can invite entire circles or selected students to your hangout. To do so, type the student’s name, the name of a circle, or click one of the profile pictures of the people in your circles who are currently online.

6. The students you invite will see a post in their stream. They will also see a list of the people who are currently in the hangout.

Note: you can also start a hangout by clicking on the camera above the comment section of a post.

What are some of the security concerns with using hangouts with students?

There are always concerns with using the Internet in an educational setting. I am going to list a few concerns that I am aware of as far as students are concerned. Please feel free to add other concerns to the comment section of this blog.

Know that even though you initiate and start the hangout, you don’t own it.
Know that anybody can join the hangout. I have not had this problem so far. But you need to be aware that anyone could join and you would not be able to stop them.
There is no way to kick anyone out of a hangout but you can leave a hangout when you get ready.
You can block someone during a hangout, but it is my understanding that the person you block is not removed immediately. It takes a little time. When you block someone, you will not be able to see each other. The person you block will not be able to join another one of your hangouts, and you will not be able to join that person’s hangouts.
If a person gets your link and wants to join, they can do so even though you did not invite them.

How do I overcome the fear of using this new technology?

One of the best ways to learn to use Google Hangout is to join other hangouts. Here are a few hangouts that I find interesting.

Sarah Hill, Hangout Host and interactive news anchor for KOMU-TV. You might want to read her blog on How to Host a Hangout on Air (Sarah Hill)
Google in Education
Getting Started with Google Hangouts in Education

4 Examples of Using Social Media and the Olympics in the College Classroom: Increase Student Engagement by Adding Excitement to you Lesson Plans.

Are your students bored in your classroom this summer? Will you stick to your same old lesson plans?

College instructors have an opportunity to take advantage of the excitement over the next few weeks.

The Olympics games will officially begin this month. The 2012 Olympics begin Friday, July 27, and conclude Sunday, Aug. 12. How can college instructors capitalize on the new social media tools to increase student engagement and improve retention during summer semester classes? One way is to involve students in the Olympics.

There will be opportunities as never before imagined to engage students in the Olympics in London through the use of powerful social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Google+. Some people are referring to the games as the “Socialympics.”

While social media has been around for several past Olympics, the amount of people on social media has grown exponentially making it vastly bigger in scale and magnitude. Facebook had only 100 million users during the Beijing Games 4 years ago compared with 900 million users today. Twitter has grown from 6 million to 150 million.

Time reports that the IOC is planning life chats with athletes from the Olympic village allowing students the opportunity to pose questions using social media.

We are at a dawn of a new age of sharing and connecting, and London 2012 will ignite the first conversational Olympic Games, thanks to social media platforms and technology

Alex Huot, the IOC’s head of social media,

4 Examples for adapting your lesson plans to create excitement around social media and the Olympics.

Have students share articles highlighting their favorite Olympic sports in Google+ or Facebook. Google+ is well-suited for sharing photos of the Olympics. Students add value to the photos by writing their own description. Students can comment on the posts of other students or reshare the posts of others.
YouTube is an excellent resource for viewing and sharing videos. Videos of the triumphs and struggles of the Olympic athletes can lead into a discussion on many topics such as goal setting, work ethic, and time management skills. Others topics of discussion might be eating disorders, aging, and balance.
Google Hangouts are a way to connect up to 10 students at a time. Hangouts are very easy to learn. You only need an inexpensive webcam and microphone to connect to your computer. Hangouts can be used on the phone or iPad as well by downloading an app. Students can share interesting videos about the Olympics and they can share their reactions with each other.
Twitter is used the most by people following the Olympics. Students can practice writing skills be highlighting informative articles in 140 characters or less. Students can then attach an article to the tweet providing more information and engagement.

The official motto of the Olympics is swifter, higher, stronger.

Why not use this motto to motivate your students to develop the skills to achieve in their chosen career?

Students become bored with college during the summer months and wish they were taking off the summer like many of their friends. Engage your students by adding some excitement to your lesson plans.

4 Random (but Useful) Tips to Help Students Find Photos for PowerPoint, Blogs, and Other School Projects

: Photo by Mitchel Bryant

How To Find Digital Photos

As an instructor at a two-year community college, students often ask me how to find photos for PowerPoint presentations, Word brochures, blogs, and other projects.

This is a good question. In his recent blog, John Jantsch, Founder Duct Tape Marketing, discussed the importance of using pictures in blogs, articles, and even in emails. It is a generally accepted rule of thumb that presentations should be 90 percent visual and only 10 percent text.

Seth Godin in his blog, Really Bad PowerPoint, states

Create slides that demonstrate, with emotional proof, that what you’re saying is true not just accurate.

Great photos appeal to the emotional side.

Here are 4 Tips I Have Used to Help Students Find Photos.

1. Take many original photos.

Many community college students have digital cameras on their cell phones. The best photos for blogs or other projects may be the photos that you take with an inexpensive digital camera or camera on your phone or iPad.

Encourage students to take pictures of everyday events so they will have ready access to pictures that relate to their blog post. It is better to use action shots rather than posed pictures.

2. Use Facebook friends as a resource.

I am blessed to have a talented nephew who post many original photos on Facebook and on his website. He is kind enough to let me use these pictures without cost. Of course, I give him credit for his work.

Most of your friends will agree to let you use their pictures. After all, they have already shared them with many people on Facebook. It is always best to get permission even from friends and family members before using their pictures. Be especially cautious about posting pictures of children without the permission of their parents.

3. Don’t download pictures from Pinterest.

Pinterest is loaded with beautiful pictures. It is so tempting to want to save these pictures for your project. This is what Pinterest has to say about using other people’s pictures.

How Pinterest and other users can use your content. Subject to any applicable account settings you select, you grant us a non-exclusive, royalty-free, transferable, sublicensable, worldwide license to use, display, reproduce, re-pin, modify (e.g., re-format), re-arrange, and distribute your User Content on Pinterest for the purposes of operating and providing the Service(s) to you and to our other Users. Nothing in these Terms shall restrict Pinterest’s rights under separate licenses to User Content. Please remember that the Pinterest Service is a public platform, and that other Users may search for, see, use, and/or re-pin any User Content that you make publicly available through the Service.

Even though I may be contradicting what you just read, if you use pictures on Pinterest in your blog, you will likely be violating copyright laws. The only safe photos to post online are the ones you take yourself. If you re-pin photos that you know are original, ask permission before using the pictures. Most of the photos on Pinterest have been pinned and re-pinned. It may be hard to get the appropriate permission and documentation.

4. Other recommended ways to get photos are listed below.

Flickr Creative Commons: more than 6 billion images and 51 million registered users; copyright-free images to be used with creative commons license
Stock.XCHNG: nearly 400,000 images; copyright-free
Photobucket: more than 9 billion copyright-free images
iStockphoto: nearly 10 million images, clip art, illustrations, videos and music; items are royalty-free and must be purchased for use
Shutterstock: more than 19 million images, videos and illustrations; subscription-based service

6 Reasons Why Community College Students Should Tweet

What is Twitter?

Let’s first look at Twitter’s home page for a definition:

Twitter is a real-time information network that connects you to the latest stories, ideas, opinions and news about what you find interesting. Simply find the accounts you find most compelling and follow the conversations.

Twitter has been around since 2006 and has grown rapidly worldwide with over 140 million active users according to Wikipedia.

Twitter is a microblogging tool made up of Tweets. Tweets are spurts of information no longer than 140 characters including spacing and punctuation.

Don’t be concerned about the 140-character limit in Twitter. You can share photos and videos and link to longer articles. View this short video to get an overview of Twitter . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qqDy5BmYKE&feature=youtu.be

Just like you don’t have to create a web page to benefit from the Internet, you can find value in Twitter without ever sending a Tweet. But why miss out on the fun?

Tweeting is easy.

You will want to update your Tweets several times throughout the day, but it takes very little time. You can Tweet from your computer, ipad, or smart phone.

Why Should Community College students learn to Tweet?

Six Reasons to Consider:

Twitter makes it possible for community college students to connect instantly with family members and friends. It is a fun way to let your family members know what you are doing and to keep up with them. You can get these updates via your cell phone.
Twitter is a convenient method for community college students to stay engaged with their academics and with other students.
Twitter is a great way to make new friends who share your same interests. Community college students have an opportunity to follow interesting people that they would not have met otherwise.
Community college students should learn to use Twitter to prepare them for their future careers. Twitter allows businesses, both large and small, the ability to engage with customers. Many employers are looking for people who can help them with social media tasks.
Twitter makes it possible for community college students to connect with people around the world. Twitter is in almost every country around the world and is available in more than 20 languages.
Twitter is a great tool to rally people around a cause.

Learn more about Twitter here https://twitter.com/about

While I love Twitter and think you need to get started right away, there are definitely some precautions you should take into consideration.

Precautions to Consider:

Just like on Facebook and other forms of social media, it is probably not a good idea to say you and your family are leaving for Gulf Shores for the week.
The world is full of lunatics and many of them are on social media such as Twitter. So use common sense. Do not post too much private information.
Don’t post anything you would not want others to read on a billboard unless it is a direct message. And even then be careful because others could retweet your message that you considered to be private.

How Do I Get Started?

Go to Twitter and open your free account. https://twitter.com

Follow these tips:

If possible, use your real name for your username. This is how you will be known on Twitter.
Michael Hyatt recommends using initial caps and in-word caps so that your username will be more readable and memorable. For example, CarolHBates not carolhbates.
Once you click Create My Account, you’re ready. Twitter will offer some suggestions for popular people to follow. You may want to skip this step for now. Twitter will also give you the opportunity to search your contacts for people who are already on Twitter. This will not be helpful to you unless you use one of the supported services such as Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, or AOL.
Tweak your Settings. From the Home Page on the right hand side choose Settings.
- Choose the correct Time Zone.
- If you choose “Protect My Tweets” your tweets will only be viewed by those you approve. Your tweets will not be seen publicly. I suggest that you do not choose this option because you will limit your influence and limit the value you receive from Twitter.
- Upload a Profile picture (Profile Tab). We will discuss more about your Profile picture later. For now, include the best shot you have of yourself. You do not want to be an “egg head” which is the default picture assigned to those with no picture. Note: Your picture must be 750k or less.
- Make sure to complete the Profile description. We will give more thought to your Profile later. For now, complete your description in 160 characters or less.
- Connect your Twitter account to your website or blog if you have one. You can also connect to your Facebook account. This will post all your Tweets to your Facebook account, but is generally not recommended. You can always go back and change later.
- When you are finished, be sure to save.
- Choose the Settings link.
  - Click on the Mobile tab. Enter your phone number and click on the Start button.
  - From you cell phone, you can Tweet using SMS (text messages). I had been on Twitter for some time before I learned to use this feature. Text message the code Twitter gives you to 40404. You will receive a confirmation notice from Twitter that your device is registered.
  - If you have an iphone, you can set up your Twitter in the Preferences. This gives you the ability to Tweet from within many iphone applications.
    
    Send Twitter mobile updates using Text message.
    
    1) Go to your text message App and use the 404-04 (in the United States. In other countries check http://twitter.com for the number. 2) Type in the commands just like you were sending a text message.
You will enjoy Twitter much more if you are receiving Tweets on your phone. You can receive updates from all those you are following or a select few. A summary of the commands I use most are below.

ON: turns ALL your authorized Twitter updates and notification on.

ON [username]: turns on notifications for a specific person on your phone. For example, ON CarolHBates will set your phone up to receive notifications from me. Good idea, right!

@[username} + message: shows your Tweet as a reply directed to a specific person and causes your Tweet to save in their mention tab so they are more likely to see your message. But remember, everyone following you will also be able to read the message!

D [username] + message: sends that person a Direct Message that goes only to their device and saves in their web archive. You can also use M [username] to send a private message. For example, d CarolHBates I will not be in class this Monday. Emergency home situation. M CarolHBates I will not be in class this Monday. Emergency home situation will have the same results.

Off: turns all phone notifications off. This is only turning off you phone notifications. You will still be able to see this person’s tweets on the web site if you are still following her.

For a full list of commands and fun things to do with Twitter from your phone go here: https://support.twitter.com/groups/34-apps-sms-and-mobile/topics/153-twitter-via-sms/articles/14020-twitter-for-sms-basic-features#.

CAUTION: Twitter does not charge for this service, but make sure that your phone carrier does not charge or that you have an unlimited text messaging plan. You can run up a huge bill if you are not on an unlimited text messaging plan.

Follow people who share your interests. Click on the “Search” field at the top of the Home Page of http://twitter.com. You can type in a username or the first and last name the person. If necessary, you can create a more advanced search by clicking on “Refine Results.” You begin following by clicking on the follow button. Note: you may choose to follow only your friends and family on your cell phone.

The way I learned more about interesting people to follow was to look at who other people are following.

You will see everyone you follow from your Twitter Home page, and you will see the people who are following you. Click on the name of a person you are following and you will be able to see who they are following.

Always keep in mind that what you post can be read by anyone following you unless you send a direct message.

Other commands:

Replies – If you want to direct your message to a particular person, choose reply. But remember, while you may be directing this message to a particular person, everyone following you can read the message.
You can also direct a message to a particular person by using the @ symbol before their username. For example, if you want to be sure that I read your message, you would use @CarolHBates in your Tweet. But remember, everyone following me and everyone following you can see this comment.
You can also use the Reply function to mention a person. For example, I am attending a workshop with @katvhall and @noracoxwell. This makes these links “clickable.” So if you click on the links, you will be directed to that person’s Twitter page.
Direct Messages – This is the function you use when you only want the person to read your message. No one else will be able to see the Tweet. For example, d katvhall it looks like I will not be able to be at work tomorrow. I am not feeling well.
Hash Tags (#) – Use the # to mark key words in your Tweet. If you click on a hash tag, you will see all the other Tweets associated with that hash tag. For example, at our recent workshop, we announced the hashtag to use #jdccsmm. This enabled everyone attending the workshop to follow what others were saying about the workshop. This idea of tweeting using a hash tag during a conference or workshop is called “back channeling.” We will discuss more about “back channeling” later.

You can follow a topic with the hash tag without following the person.

For example, an instructor tweeted during the workshop #jdccsmm do we rethink our electronic device policy to better use social media???

Another instructor tweeted, #jdccsmm how do I get more followers on Twitter?

Follow – you can quickly add people to follow by using the Follow [username] command on your cell phone. For example, text 40404 Follow CarolHBates.

Many other fun commands can be found here: https://support.twitter.com/groups/34-apps-sms-and-mobile/topics/153-twitter-via-sms/articles/14020-twitter-for-sms-basic-features#

Consider Third Party Apps

HootSuite. This is the application that I use. You can manage your Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter from one application. I love the face that you can organize people by groups such as family, friends, co-workers, Sunday School class, etc. You can use HootSuite on your ipad, mobile device, or desktop computer.
Buffer – I use this app to schedule my Tweets. You can store tweets in your Buffer. You can decide how often and when you will post. You can also buffer your Facebook status updates.

That’s enough for now. I don’t want you to feel overwhelmed.

Twitter is fun. You will best learn Twitter by using it. So let’s get started! Have fun!

You may also want to read:

The Beginner’s Guide to Twitter (Michael Hyatt )

Why Social Media Should be Taught in the Community College (carolhbates).

2 Comments

by CarolHBates on April 26, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Community College, Education, Social media, Twitter

Posted by CarolHBates on April 26, 2012

https://carolhbatesdotcom.wordpress.com/2012/04/26/6-reasons-why-community-college-students-should-tweet/

Why Social Media Skills Should be Taught in the Community College

Some educators have questioned the value of teaching social media.

Don’t students already know all about social media?
What social media platforms should students learn and why?
Should community colleges offer for credit classes in social media?

First, what are social media?

Social media as defined in Wikipedia includes web-based and mobile technologies used to turn communication into interactive dialogue between organizations, communities, and individuals.

Kaplan adds that social media tools make it possible to create user-generated content (UGC). UGC allows ordinary people to have a voice. Information is created, shared, and amplified by online word of mouth. The information shared may be in the form of text, video, PowerPoint presentations and other forms of media.

Content or “digital assets” can be shared on multiple social media platforms.

Social media tools include but are not limited to Facebook, blogs, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, and YouTube. Also included in social media are Wikipedia and virtual game worlds such as World of Warcraft and Second Life.

Businesses increasingly use these social media tools to engage with their customers, generate leads, and market products. Businesses of all sizes appreciate the fact that community colleges equip graduates with knowledge of the latest industry trends.

Why Do Students Need to Learn to Use Social Media?

The fact that Fortune 500 companies are embracing social media should encourage students to learn more about social media.

In January there were over 13,000 jobs requiring social media skills. This is an increase of 87% from the previous year. Demand for social media skills continues to rise.

Social media skills are needed across many business functions.

Strong social media skills are a requirement for many jobs such as account executives, PR specialists, office and administrative support workers, journalists, sales professionals, and marketing. In fact, entire categories of employment opportunities have been created for jobs such as social media coordinators and social media analysts. A list of occupations that require social media skills can be found on Carolyn Menz’s blog.

While community college students should not rely on social media skills alone, social media skills should be added to their list of comprehensive skill sets. It is clear that our graduates will be looking for jobs in a social media saturated online world. Graduates will have an advantage when they have an understanding of how social media tools work and can demonstrate expertise in using social media in their field.

What is the Co-Requisite for Social Media Skills?

But all the social media skills in the world will not help students if they do not learn good communication skills. A co-requisite for social media skills is good communication skills. Students must develop strong writing skills, and they must learn how to write for the web.

Assignments for Week One

Assignment #1 – Define social media in your own words using 140 characters or less. Open a Twitter account and Tweet your definition. Be sure to mention me in your Tweet @carolhbates.

Assignment #2 – What is your career goal? Post a comment to this blog describing your career goal and how you might use social media in your job.

Assignment #3 – Define UGC. How can you use “digital assets” to build your brand? Post your answer as a comment to this blog. Note: If you do not have a product, you are your brand. You are branding yourself!

Assignment #4 – By next week, create a Facebook page. We will learn more late. For now, just create your Page.

Assignment # 5 – Read at least two of the articles below and post a comment to this blog. Respond to at least one other student’s comment.

Andreas M. Kaplan Faculty Page.

Social Media Tools 101 (From Blogs to Wikis) (Interactive iiG Social Media Group)

Ultimate Guide to Facebook Pages (Robin Broitman)

The Super Simple Guide to Setting Up Your First Company Facebook Page Without Blowing a Gasket – Part One (Jennifer Laycock)

20 Things You Should Share on Social Media (Jeff Bullas)

http://smallbiztrends.com/2012/02/where-social-media-jobs-are.html (Susan Payton)

http://www.socialmediaheadhunter.com/ (Jim Durben)

Social Media Jobs, Skills Rising in Demand (Jamie Yap)

What Are Basic Social Media Skills Journalists Need? (Ben LaMothe)

Do SEO Careers Require Social Media Expertise (Onward Search Career Center)

Hiring for Social Media Skills Continues and Creates Hard-to-Fill Occupations (Carolyn Menz)

Employers Increasingly “Like” Social Media Skills (Beth Panitz)

4 Comments

by CarolHBates on April 19, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Community College, Education, Facebook, Jobs, Social media, Twitter

Posted by CarolHBates on April 19, 2012

https://carolhbatesdotcom.wordpress.com/2012/04/19/why-social-media-skills-should-be-taught-in-the-community-college/

Social Media in the Community College: Engage, Engage, Engage

Students need to build meaningful relationships in the community college. Meaningful social relationships help students feel more comfortable in the community college environment. These social relationships foster communication channels that give students needed information and as a result may improve student learning outcomes.

Developing a sense of belonging in the community college is harder for non-traditional students because they usually do not live on campus, and they have greater family and work responsibilities.

To navigate college, students most learn the non-written rules.

I was one of those non-traditional older students returning to the community college. I remember a young college student whom I knew because she was a friend of my son. She helped me learn my way around campus and assisted me as I registered for classes. She offered her notes from a Literature class she took the previous semester.

It is not easy to make sure that all students receive correct and clear information.

Further research is needed to fully understand the relationship between meaningful relationships and student learning outcomes.

Social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Pinterest can be used to increase student engagement and to foster relationships.

It is not enough to simply allow students to bring their laptop or cell phone to class.

Instructors should be proactive in redesigning curriculum to leverage social media tools that will engage students with the content and with each other.

How Non-Academic Supports Work: Four Mechanisms for Improving Student Outcomes (Melinda Mechur Karp)

Social media, digital literacy and curriculum (re)design (Helen Keegan)

Cutting-edge Social Media Approaches to Business Education (Charles Wankel)

Will Social Media Cause an Intellectual Divide?

Students are Connected.

Approximately 95% of teens ages 12-17 are online, 76% use social networking sites, and 77% have cell phones. (Pew Internet Project)

Why are Students Not Prepared for College?

Many instructors feel that students coming into the college classroom are not ready for college. They believe that technology is at least partly to blame. Students are distracted from their studies by the continuous use of social networking.

Others feel that students are not prepared for college because teachers rely on outdated models of pedagogy?

The Learning Styles of Millennial Students Do Not Match the Old Methods of Instruction.

Jeniece Lusk, a researcher and PhD in applied sociology at an Atlanta-based information technology company states,

Unless the educational paradigms used in our schools are changed to match the non-academic world of the Millennial student, I don’t foresee an increase in students’ abilities to analyze and use critical thinking.

Teachers are Frustrated.

College teachers continually express their frustration with students using cell phones in the classroom. Policies are written to prevent the use of cell phones and instructors attempt to enforce those policies. Yet, some students try to hide their cell phones in the classroom even at the risk of facing discipline or being withdrawn from the class.

What Should Teachers Do?

Teachers cannot continue to teach using the old methods of instruction. School cannot simply add social media into the curriculum, the education system must be completely redesigned to accommodate the learning styles of students who are accustomed to being connected to technology throughout their day.

The Intellectual Divide.

Tin Tan Wee, an internet expert based at the National University of Singapore predicts that after 2020 more-enlightened educators will start developing curricula designed to tap a post-internet era. He predicts that smart young people who grow up with technology will become smarter while the majority of students will decline in knowledge.

All Young People are Not Digital Wizards.

Contrary to what the statistics might suggest, all young people are not digital wizards. When I surveyed a group of about 20 students in a rural community college, most students could not define social media. The majority used Facebook, only a few used Twitter and no one knew how to use Google+ or LinkedIn. About half the students had cell phones, or maybe because of the cell phone policy, they would not all admit to owning a cell phone.

What Do You Think?

What do you think? Will the intellectual divide increase? Do you find that students are continually distracted?

You Can Read the Full Pew Report Here:

Millennials will benefit and suffer due to their hyperconnected lives (Pew Internet & American Life Project)

The Social Media Revolution

http://www.pewinternet.org

Strong Social Media Skills Are in Demand

Social Media Skills are in Demand

Social media skills have become increasingly important to seasoned executives as well as fresh-out-of-college job hunters. Social media plays an important role in marketing and public relations. Both large and small companies realize that if they are not taking advantage of social media, they are missing out on a large population.

Community Colleges are Prepared to Teach Social Media

Community colleges realize it is important to offer classes in social media. These classes offer students an opportunity to develop the strong social media skills in demand today.

Social media skills should not be ignored. Strong Social media skills can help to strengthen chances of getting a good job in today’s job market.

Large companies like Dell have trained over 6,000 of their employees in the use of social media. But most small businesses are looking to hire employees who already have these skills.

Understanding how to effectively use social networking is now considered a basic skill. Mastery of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, blogs, and Google+ are pretty much mandatory for businesses.

Many People Want to Learn Social Media

Many people want to learn social media skills, but they feel overwhelmed. They may think it is too late to jump on board. Community colleges are in the best position to prepare students for today’s workplace.

Community college keep classes small so they are able to give individualized instruction to students. Classes in social media are affordable and offered at times that will work with the schedule of working people. Some classes in social media are offered online through the community college.

Learning to Use Social Media: Do You Sometimes Feel Chicken-Hearted?

The Wiktionary defines Chicken-hearted as not brave; lacking courage; cowardly.

This is the way many educators feel when asked to use new social media tools in the classroom.

Actually, a better word is technophobia, the fear or dislike of advanced technology.

How Do We Overcome the Fear of Learning to Use New Technology?

Many college instructors fear that using technology in the classroom will distract students from learning the material. According to a recent article by USA Today, a certain amount of research seems to back up their concerns. A couple of studies have shown that students who have access to Facebook and Twitter in the classroom perform lower on quizzes than they do when they are not distracted by social media.

But faculty who develop lessons plans around social media tools may help students learn better according to a 2010 study referenced in USA Today.

Faculty must embrace new ways to use powerful social media tools to extend the classroom beyond the traditional time and space constraints. Becoming familiar with popular social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, youTube, and Google+ is the first step in overcoming anxiety about using social media in the classroom.

Leading, Teaching, & Learning

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Won’t You Hangout with Me? How to Plan and Start a Google Hangout.

Hangout Demonstration for Fall Faculty Inservice

Jefferson Davis Community College

Objectives:

What is a Hangout?

What do students need to participate in a hangout?

4 basic educational benefits of hangouts

What are the differences among Skype, Facetime, and Google Hangouts?

How do I plan a Google Hangout for a classroom project, demonstration, or discussion?

How do I start a Google Hangout?

What are some of the security concerns with using hangouts with students?

How do I overcome the fear of using this new technology?

4 Random (but Useful) Tips to Help Students Find Photos for PowerPoint, Blogs, and Other School Projects

How To Find Digital Photos

Here are 4 Tips I Have Used to Help Students Find Photos.

1. Take many original photos.

2. Use Facebook friends as a resource.

3. Don’t download pictures from Pinterest.

4. Other recommended ways to get photos are listed below.

Send Twitter mobile updates using Text message.

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Carol H Bates

All posts in category Education

Hangout Demonstration for Fall Faculty Inservice

Jefferson Davis Community College

Objectives:

What is a Hangout?

What do students need to participate in a hangout?

4 basic educational benefits of hangouts

What are the differences among Skype, Facetime, and Google Hangouts?

How do I plan a Google Hangout for a classroom project, demonstration, or discussion?

How do I start a Google Hangout?

What are some of the security concerns with using hangouts with students?

How do I overcome the fear of using this new technology?

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How To Find Digital Photos

Here are 4 Tips I Have Used to Help Students Find Photos.

1. Take many original photos.

2. Use Facebook friends as a resource.

3. Don’t download pictures from Pinterest.

4. Other recommended ways to get photos are listed below.

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Tweeting is easy.

Why Should Community College students learn to Tweet?

Precautions to Consider:

How Do I Get Started?

Send Twitter mobile updates using Text message.

You can follow a topic with the hash tag without following the person.

Consider Third Party Apps

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First, what are social media?

Why Do Students Need to Learn to Use Social Media?

What is the Co-Requisite for Social Media Skills?

Assignments for Week One

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Students are Connected.

Why are Students Not Prepared for College?

The Learning Styles of Millennial Students Do Not Match the Old Methods of Instruction.

Teachers are Frustrated.

What Should Teachers Do?

The Intellectual Divide.

All Young People are Not Digital Wizards.

What Do You Think?

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Social Media Skills are in Demand

Community Colleges are Prepared to Teach Social Media

Many People Want to Learn Social Media

Further Reading

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How Do We Overcome the Fear of Learning to Use New Technology?

Have you tried social media in the classroom? What were the results? I appreciate your comments.

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