Getting Globally Connected
Google Hangouts and Skype in the Classroom
Are you interested in connecting your classroom to another classroom within the district, state, nation or world? With Google Connected Classroom Hangouts (http://connectedclassrooms.withgoogle.com/) and Skype, the possibilities of getting your students globally connected are endless. Class-to-class experiments, socratic seminars, cross-curricular discussions, author interviews, presentation of student projects, debates, poetry slams and virtual field trips are all available activities and experiences that will not only get your students more globally connected, but will also help them feel more confident and take more ownership in learning in the classroom.
First, before you connect through Google Hangouts, you will need to create a Google account. Next, you will need to join the Google Connected Classroom circle/group. Then you will need to publicly post an introduction of who you are, what you teach and what you want to do with your classes. For example: My name is Emily Burk, I teach ELA and I am interested in connecting my classes to discuss one or more of the following literary units: Ender's Game, Romeo and Juliet or Homer's Odyssey.
Through Google Connected Classroom, you can access preplanned virtual field trips. Right now, there are more science-based field trips available than for other core areas.
I have only used Google Hangouts (http://www.google.com/hangouts/), but you could use Skype Education (https://education.skype.com/ )to do the same activities with your students. There is an online community of teachers for both. Even if you do not plan to experiment with this anytime soon, I highly recommend joining the communities asap because you may want to connect with someone next year. It is good to make the connections before the school year begins, this way you can work with the other teachers to plan your activities together. For instance, I received an invite for my classes to connect with another class to discuss Romeo and Juliet and possibly plan a long-term project together, but my classes already read this last semester. Now that I have made that connection, I will definitely be contacting that teacher to see if we can time everything right for next year.
First, before you connect through Google Hangouts, you will need to create a Google account. Next, you will need to join the Google Connected Classroom circle/group. Then you will need to publicly post an introduction of who you are, what you teach and what you want to do with your classes. For example: My name is Emily Burk, I teach ELA and I am interested in connecting my classes to discuss one or more of the following literary units: Ender's Game, Romeo and Juliet or Homer's Odyssey.
Through Google Connected Classroom, you can access preplanned virtual field trips. Right now, there are more science-based field trips available than for other core areas.
I have only used Google Hangouts (http://www.google.com/hangouts/), but you could use Skype Education (https://education.skype.com/ )to do the same activities with your students. There is an online community of teachers for both. Even if you do not plan to experiment with this anytime soon, I highly recommend joining the communities asap because you may want to connect with someone next year. It is good to make the connections before the school year begins, this way you can work with the other teachers to plan your activities together. For instance, I received an invite for my classes to connect with another class to discuss Romeo and Juliet and possibly plan a long-term project together, but my classes already read this last semester. Now that I have made that connection, I will definitely be contacting that teacher to see if we can time everything right for next year.
