Supporting Blended Learning with Google+ Communities

Bill KnappDean of Learning Technologies Lakeland Community Collegebknapp @ lakelandcc.eduCC-BY-NC-SA

Fostering a Sense of CommunityOnline Human Touch…

‘The OHT concept asserts that students are more likely to persist in an online program if they are engaged in and outside of their courses and if the educational experience is personalized.”

- Kristen Betts

Interactivity and Learner Engagement

Getting Started with Google+What are Google+ Pages?Pages can create communities as well as

follow othersSometimes easier for students to get to the

page first, and then to connect to the community

Communities can be either public or privateSend an email invite to your PageGoogle+ for Blended Learning Page

Inviting students to follow a Page

Setting up your CommunityCategories

Welcome / Begin Here! Orientation

Getting acquainted Introductions

Discussion topicsGroup projects (Google Drive)PresentationsEventsHangouts

Getting Students Onboard

Notifications: By turning on notifications you will be alerted

to activities in the Community, including new posts, comments, requests to join, sharing, etc.

Receive via Email or via Phone Text MessageWho can interact with you?Who can invite you to Hangout?Notifications about posts, circles, photos,

events, etc.Configure - Account settings >> Google+https://www.google.com/settings/plus

Subscribing to Email & SMS

The Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education:encourages contact between students and

faculty (student to instructor),develops reciprocity and cooperation among

students (student to student),encourages active learning (student to content)gives prompt feedback,emphasizes time on task,communicates high expectations, andrespects diverse talents and ways of learning

- Arthur W. Chickering and Zelda F. Gamson (1987)

…contact between Students & FacultyUsing Hangouts & Chat for Virtual

office hoursBegin Here! and Course Description

CategoriesSubscribing to your own posts“Texting” with your Students

…Reciprocity & Cooperation among Students

Active LearningSharing / linking to Google docshttp://youtu.be/QLwYv6c58bwDiscussion topicsUsing Google Docs for Collaborative

LearningStudent generated questionsStudents can serve as “moderators” (team

leaders)

Prompt FeedbackCreating Quizzes and Polls in Google Formshttp://youtu.be/zBDtOc4AHCQSample quiz:https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1CwsTYE8E_

201Q7XWPxf60p1qLgVqCTJyXl9saeJgOnY/viewform

+1 (voting in Google+ Communities)Comments & replies

Time-on-Task

Communicating High ExpectationsUsing Forms and Spreadsheets for Rubricshttp://youtu.be/od3bfA2p1jI

Providing examplesUpload or link to examples of assignments

Events: Hangouts Hangout On Air (streaming)

Diverse ways of Learning“When the idea is to ask questions,

diversity is a good thing. Moreover, students are both willing and capable of learning from one another in deep and profound ways”.

- A New Culture of Learning- Douglas Thomas & John Seely Brown

Community of Inquiry

Images – CC-BY-NC-SASome rights reserved by superkimbo Some rights reserved by Andrew Scott Some rights reserved by nilsmengedohtSome rights reserved by evan_carroll Some rights reserved by eyebeam

Additional Resources:http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/google-in-

the-enterprise/quick-tip-set-up-a-google-community/2394?tag=content;siu-container

http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/certop/imp_ssi.htm

https://support.google.com/plus/answer/2905678?hl=en&ref_topic=2888488