Leveraging Google+ Features to Build Community

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Lucie deLaBruere, Higher Education Adjunct at University of Vermont,

GradSchool of Marlboro College St. Michael’s College

www.edtechleaders.org

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About EdTech Leaders Online

Goal: Build capacity to use online learning to meet educational goals

• Based at EDC (education non-profit) since 1999• For states, districts, regional centers, universities,

other educational organizations• Over 4500 online facilitators trained in 36 states• Online facilitator & course design programs• 70+ online courses, including for Common Core• Custom course development• Learning Community, facilitated model

GoalsExplore Google+ features that support the building of community online• Google Plus Profiles• Google Circles• Google Hangouts• Google Communities• Google+ Events• Google+ Pages

Discuss can these features can be used to create powerful connections in your online learning environment

POLL 1Do you currently have a G+ account?

A. Yes – Personal Google AccountB. Yes – School related Google AccountC. Multiple (Personal and School) Google AccountsD. Not yet

Poll 2How often do you view or post to Google+

A. View only occasionallyB. View only regularlyC. View AND post occasionallyD. View AND post regularlyE. None of the above (yet)

Discuss your current use of Google+

For those of you who use it -describe a way in which you currently use it Personally? Professionally?

Enter your responses in the chat box.

Google+ Profile

Personalize your Profilehelp your students or online community relate to you as a person

Does your Google Plus Presence

• Provide - High Quality Content• Support (not) Overwhelm

Technology OverwhelmContent Overwhelm

• Provide opportunities for you to build Human Infrastructure• Support the social elements of learning• Help you know learners on a more personal level• Provide ways to make connections with participants

- Digital Identity is distributed- Multiple Identify is confusing to others- Mobile G+ doesn’t switch between identifies

Pros and Cons of multiple Google+ Accounts

The New InBox?

Your Stream ~ Start a Hangout ~ Chat ~ Events + More

Leverage Mobile

Google+ Circles

Sharing, Liking, and ResharingClick ‘date’ to get permalink

Tips for Using Google Circles

• People can only see you added them to a Circle (NOT which Circle)

• People can be in multiple Circles• Organize circles by how you interact with them

– Hangout, share, search Gmail• Manage Home Stream• Mute Post • Remove People• Find out post is shared

Who Can See My G+ Posts

Carefully consider FERPAStudent SafetyEthics & Etiquette

Great presentation that helps clarify who can see your G+Post by Bjorn Behrendtl

Google+ Shared Circles

G+ Communities

Successful Online Communities- Fill a Need- Have a Focus- Use Intentional

Design strategies- Evolve- Revolve around

Human Infrastructure

Use G+ Ongoing Communication

• Understand Opt IN and OUT Options in Google Plus• Consider Distributed Leadership• Provides Support/Connect Opportunities (need-driven)• Use G+ to Feature Member/Student Voices• Make your purpose evident on your G+ Page Community

Google+ Communities

If you build it, will they will come?

Effective communities have intentional design and facilitation

Sustainable communities are needs-driven, dynamic and nimble

~ETLO

Creating a Google+ Community

Google+ Communities (Public & Private)

• Public communities –anyone can join.• Public but moderator approval needed to join • Private but people can find you through search and

request to (only members of the community can see existing members and their posts)

• Private communities hidden from search – invitation only, community hidden from search– members and their posts are viewable only to

existing members

Successful G+ Communities

• Communicate purpose with your name & tagline

• Create a good first impressions with a photo (200 X 250 pixels)

• Set expectations using the ‘About’ section

• Guide conversation with discussion categories

• Welcome members • Link your community to your course

website• Engage participants and watch

daily– Post– Leave comments– +1 post

• Create Hangouts & Events• Use G+ Mobile • Assign moderators

The key to keeping your learning community alive?

From EdTech Leaders Webinar – Keys to Keeping Your Online Community Alive

Tuesday, January 29, 2013Kirsten Peterson

Human Infrastructure!

• Learning is Social• Connection• Collaboration• Authenticity• Interpersonal Design

Apply ETLO Best Practices to your Google+ Communities

See previous webinars for more on Facilitation Tips and Tools that provide strategies for keeping online communities alive.

ETLO: http://www.edtechleaders.org/webinars

Controlling Privacy

Control Notifications

Google+ Hangouts

Anatomy of a Google Hangout

Great users guide on conducting Google Hangouts on Air by Hemant Charya http://goo.gl/AaMCP

Record/Stream your Google Hangout

Why Record

-Tutorials- Help Sessions-Small Group Presentation-Authentic Audience-ePortfolio Artifacts

Why Not Record- FERPA- Privacy- Open Dialogue

Google+ Eventshttp://www.google.com/+/learnmore/events/

Google+ Events

Confusing

Leverage Google+ Pages

Share photos, videos, links, and other interesting content publicly from an organization, project, course.

Encourage people to add your page to their circles so your PAGES posts will appear in their stream

Once people add your page to their circles, you can add them back.

Q&A

Enter your questions in the chat box.

Lucie deLaBruereldelabruere@gmail.com

www.learningwithlucie.com @techsavvygirl

Contact Information

Join us for a future webinar!ETLO Spring Webinar Series:

http://go.edc.org/ETLOSpringWebinars13

Next Webinar:

Thursday, May 16, 3:00 PM ET

Designing Classrooms for Blended Learning Success