Using Google Hangout Video
Meetings to Support Distance
Students and Remote Work
Environments
Steve Chambers, Fran Skilton and Anna Wheeler
Department of Natural Sciences and Library
It began in….
•
Not Africa but an exotic location far closer to you
•
2013 Kickstart for the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences
when the Anna, Lindy and Penny from the Library
presented…
Meet me in the Cloud
No harps required
Anna Wheeler, Penny Dugmore, Lindy-Ann du Toit
Sunset from Mt Ruapehu
(2012) by Penny Dugmore
Plan for today
Review uses of video conferencing
– Fit to eLearning and distance modes (DoNS)
– Working uses of videoconferencing (Library)
Demo time
eLearning and
Distance
Natural Sciences
Preamble, what we are doing at DoNS?
• In 2012 we started to teach distance vet nursing
• We have experience teaching level 4
• Stepping up to the second year of the diploma online has
been a challenge…
• E.g. how do I teach a lab based course that is also heavy in
theory. I argued for, and got 16 hours of block course time
(instead of 10). This is barely enough to cover lab basics…
The tyranny of distance
Learners are remote
Support is imperative
Short FtF time (block
courses) limits effective
teaching
FtF time devoted to rich
activities (labs) and need to
foster independent learning
of theory at distance
Photo Credit: Overcome, 2011, Licensed under Creative Commons
Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic by A. Uzzaman.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/72093892@N00/5559373195
Teaching online
Demands
Challenges
• Access to information
• Viable systems (free to
student)
• Opportunities to interrogate
information and discuss
meaning (rich/tutor time)
• Questioning; dynamic real
time interaction (often
lacking)
• Share documents online,
work with others
• Rich communication
Theory
• Our future involves
migration to technical
platforms
• This graphic from TFE
research embodies a view
of this future
• Where are we?
eLearning at distance
• Video
conference
• Drive to flip
classroom
1. Push to video connection
2. Flip
on out
• Enable
online
learning
Source ; Michel Zappa, TFE Research
http://envisioningtech.com/education/?goback=.gde_1380
11_member_268978754#!
Why we used Google Hangouts in DoNS
Introduced by library to our
faculty meeting
Allows document sharing in
video
Rich communication
Available, now, free, low tech
Other options exist:
– Karen VCS (now available at
–
Unitec and we are trying it)
Skype, blackboard connect
Photo Credit: Bowl of clouds, (2008) Licensed under Creative
Commons Attribution Generic 2.0 by Kevin Dooley. Retrieved from
http://www.flickr.com/photos/12836528@N00/2511369048/
Features of Google Hangout
Pros
Cons
Video connect up to 10
people
Baggage from G+
Others can watch (for 10+
class)
Chat function as well
Can record & put the hangout
on youtube
Mobile/iPad doesn't display all
windows
Needs good bandwidth - wifi
didn't work well
Less stable than Skype
Can't save chat part
To record must be 'on air'
Overcoming the challenges
• Recording: used screenflow and shared video privately,
avoids ‘live’ broadcast inherent to hangouts recorded just
using google (defaults live broadcast  youtube)
• User technology/speed, chat is useful for slow connection,
avoids data volume of voice transmission
• Can also capture chat on screenflow (record the whole
webinar window)
eLearning gains in focus
• Video meeting did
engage
• Students need more
push to use a flipped
approach
• Set readings in
advance and send
questions to improve
efficiency of sessions
Source ; Michel Zappa, TFE Research
http://envisioningtech.com/education/?goback=.gde_1380
11_member_268978754#!
Community
"... use of regular weekly G+ Hangouts …. effectively
nurtured the development of a sense of community..."
Cochrane, T., & Keegan, H. (2012). New Global Learning Cultures: Interdisciplinarity through networked technologies. Selected Papers of
Internet Research, 0(0). Retrieved from http://spir.aoir.org/index.php/spir/article/view/15
At DoNS we totally agree
with this statement, students
were better supported and
appreciate our efforts
Effective for education
”…. Google+ Hangouts provided an effective means to
increase accessibility to students without significantly
increasing instructor workload or sacrificing the quality of
small group or individual instruction."
Hershock, C., & LaVaque-Manty, M. (2012). Teaching in the cloud: Leveraging online collaboration tools to enhance student engagement.
CRLT Occasional Papers, 31, University of Michagan. Retrieved from http://rosarioconsulting.net/inspiredtoeducate/wpcontent/uploads/2012/11/CRLT_no31.pdf
Online tutorials seem to
enhance student
satisfaction and learning
Collaboration
"Google Hangout and blogs ... seen as tools that support
collaboration. As one of the participants put it,
technology had made “transferring, sharing and
constructing knowledge easy”."
Teras, H., Teras, M. and Herrington, J. (2012) A reality check: Taking authentic e-learning from design to implementation. In: World
Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia and Telecommunications (EDMEDIA) 2012, 25 - 29 June 2012, Denver, CO.
Retrieved from http://www.editlib.org/p/41058.
Library uses
Problems = distance + time
Situation 1:
Working group & committee members in all 4 locations
No time to travel
Wanted a free ($) & easy solution
•
•
Situation 2 and situation 3:
Report required; shared course being designed
Collaboration required
Face to face meetings time – consuming with minutes etc
Needed to share document
•
•
•
Conclusion...
G+ hangouts (or other options) work
depending on your needs
BUT
Test test test!
Set up students FtF
First 2 hours of course
Photo credit: Mt Ngaruahoe from Silica Springs Track,
(2012), Licensed under Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial 2.0 Generic by Penny Dugmore. Retrieved
from
http://www.flickr.com/photos/78528924@N00/7095724887/
Demo & set up guidance
We're going live!
Photo credit: _Jonsi live concert @ Circ Royal-Bruxelles-1723, (2010). Licensed under
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic by Vince Kmeron.
Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/17562308@N02/5201726592/
see handout for set-up help