Department of Natural Sciences and Library

Using Google Hangout Video Meetings to Support Distance Students and Remote Work Environments

Steve Chambers, Fran Skilton and Anna Wheeler

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 CloudNo harps required

Sunset from Mt Ruapehu(2012) by Penny Dugmore

Anna Wheeler, Penny Dugmore, Lindy-Ann du Toit

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 distanceLearners 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 onlineDemands

• Access to information

• Opportunities to interrogate information and discuss meaning (rich/tutor time)

• Questioning; dynamic real time interaction (often lacking)

Challenges

• Viable systems (free to student)

• 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

• Enable online learning

Source ; Michel Zappa, TFE Researchhttp://envisioningtech.com/education/?goback=.gde_138011_member_268978754#!

1. Push to video connection

2. Flip on out

Why we used Google Hangouts in DoNSIntroduced 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 HangoutPros

Video connect up to 10 people

Others can watch (for 10+ class)

Chat function as well

Can record & put the hangout on youtube

Cons

Baggage from G+

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 Researchhttp://envisioningtech.com/education/?goback=.gde_138011_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/wp-content/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 usesProblems = 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 Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic by Penny Dugmore. Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/78528924@N00/7095724887/

Demo & set up guidance

We're going live!

see handout for set-up help

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/