September 30, 2011 64 Comments

Educators – Google Plus Is For You

Come check out Ed's 6th Grade Class, 1964

If you’re an educator and you haven’t yet started experimenting with how Google+ might be the next best most amazing and awesome collaboration tool to help your classes do good work, then you’re missing out. There are some great ways to think about this to get you started. Plus, the tool is open to anyone with a gmail account and is free. So, dive in.

Make a Class Circle

Circles

After you’ve set up your account and published your profile, go to your Circles page and start adding people in your class to the circle. When you have it all populated, share it with the people in that circle, so they can all add each other to the same circle. Do this by clicking “share this circle” in the upper right hand side of your screen. (If you have any questions, leave them in the comments and we’ll sort you out.)

Share Lesson Plans

Post your lesson plans to your circle.

You can post your lesson plans to your circle without sharing them to the outside world. Simply click the X on other circles and sharing options like “public” and “extended circles” until your special class circle is all that’s remaining, and you have your privacy. Now, post lesson plans, share YouTube videos, photos, and more via links. You can even do location-related homework by having people post location check-ins to the circle as a response to your plans.

Seek and Respond To Comments

comments make the world go around

Comments are gold. If you want discussions, make sure to answer questions and comment back and forth with people based on the information you’ve shared. This is the best way to take advantage of this platform, as keeping a running thread of conversations about your topics allows everyone to see the evolution of your efforts, as well.

Start a Hangout

Start a Google+ hangout

Want to see everyone’s shining face or share a document or draw together on a collaborative whiteboard? Hangouts (with extras) allows for all of this. There are a limited number of people who can be live in a hangout at any time, but you can accomplish the same efforts by scheduling more than one hangout, if your class is too big.

Invite special guests! It gets even more fun. There are lots of really interesting people already on Google+, and most of them would probably be willing to drop into a hangout, if you give them advanced warning.

And That’s Just the Beginning

You can experiment and see pretty quickly just how great this platform can be for educators. Heck, maybe you have. Have you done some cool things? Share your thoughts in the comments section. (If you share a link, give me some time to approve it.)

What do you think?

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  • http://www.uprinting.com/business-cards.html Halley | Business Cards Online

    I love Google+ because it’s so simple. I also love adding people to my circles. What’s very nice about it is that the people [famous people] you add to your circles can add you to their circles as well. I just added a number of artists the other day and they added me back.

  • http://pennablu.it Daniele Imperi

    I think it’s a good idea, Chris. And we can extend this idea to other subject. For example: we can launch a little course on G+ and create a circle for participants.

  • Meagan

    Thanks for the inside look & how-to of Google +! I keep thinking I need to get around to joining it! It looks great & super helpful. Thanks again!

  • http://rickmanelius.com Rick Manelius

    Some collaborators and I did something mildly similar, effectively using goolge plus as an alternative to evernote. The only problem we had was revisiting older posts, as they can get lost down the memory hole. Better tagging would also be SUPER helpful!

    Still, for current conversations, this could definitely be something cool for any learning collaboration of any type… interesting.

  • http://rickmanelius.com Rick Manelius

    Another feature that would help educators… auto importing an excel/text list into a circle. That way you could simply pop them in versus having to manually set up each and every circle. Very useful for high school when a teacher my rotate through 6 classes a day.

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    Very actual information for me! Thanks alot!

  • Khessert

    I have a circle for numerous clients and have meetings with each, send background info etc. Excellent use for coaching, small meetings etc easier than Skype

  • http://donaldmcmichael.com/ Donald McMichael

    Chris, this is an excellent observation. There are G+ features that can enhance any educational experience. 

    Coming from the perspective of an university instructor here are a couple of observations. 
    First, the education-centric platforms – think Blackboard and Moodle – contain +80% (rough estimate)  of the G+ features an educator might want. Of course there is a cost to maintain, administer, and often acquire the product. 
    Secondly, institutions see this as a small cost because use specific programs provide verifiable protection and control of data which is critical for accreditation audits and internal control since grades, student ids, etc need to be part of this system.

    What would be cool is if someone did a G+ and Moodle mashup target toward the 7 – 12 grade. 

    Ya… I know I’m making arguments for both sides, but what else would you expect form a business development person / university professor / recovering engineer.

    • http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

      My point exactly about the costs. You’re not wrong about the price being related to giving you some safety/security. I guess it’d be a matter of being hooked into a small company or a huge one. 

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  • Richard Reeve

    and do not underestimate the power of G+ search to deliver relevant information…

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  • Lisa

    Chris
    When is Google+ going to be available to others, I tried to get on, but they are saying it is limited. I would love to build it into my Masters thesis that I am writing about using Tech in the college classroom. I keep hearing you talk about it but no way to join in.

    • http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

      It’s available to anyone with a gmail account. Now. Open. 

  • Lisa

    Great idea. I’d already been using Linoit as a common bulletin board and having the class contribute to a special Delicious site as an experiment with my graduate students. The hangout is an interesting idea …

  • @thercom1

    Sem duvidas unindo a capacidade de busca do Google,o Google+com certeza será uma grande rede social não somente para os educadores,mas para todos.

  • Mary Ulrich

    Love the specific ideas Chris. One problem I found when a class signs up for my website is that when the class is over, some students are too lazy to unsubscribe and they just “block” or “spam” my site–which then causes long-term problems for my credibility on the website. Don’t know if there would be problems at the end of a class and “circles” but that might be an issue.

    • http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

      That’s interesting. So, on the way out, there’s a problem? 

  • http://netvibes.com/monikahardy monika hardy

    please use your clout Chris – to get google to lower the age limit for hangouts.. it’s 21 now. hangouts are, in my opinion, one of the best tools so far for optimizing the value of the web. conversation as Clay Shirky writes in Cognitive Surplus, happening before our eyes.. as long as your’e over 21…

    • http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

      There’s a little nudity problem that is hard to moderate. See also: ChatRoulette. That’s why it’s not yet okay. I don’t agree. Just turns out that’s what they’re hedging against. 

  • Colleen Greene

    Google+ needs to allow Google Apps users access, though, before this can become an effective tool for educators since so many educational institutions use Google Apps for Education to run their campus email accounts.

    And Google+ users need to start breaking the habit of posting most stuff to Public or to All Circles, and instead make more of an effort to target posts to specific Circles.  I mostly post to just specific Circles, but I still notice most of my educator colleagues, and our students, posting to Public or all Circles.

    – Colleen Greene
    Systems Librarian, Pollak Library — California State University, Fullerton

    • http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

      That’s certainly one way to do it. Many people post to public so they can avoid the 5000 person circled limit. 

      I agree with apps. 

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  • Emilie Eggleston

    I have a problem with this.  As a student studying to be a high school math teacher, I am told that it is very UNPROFESSIONAL to be “friends” with students in your class on a social network.

    Google Circles might work for college educators or graduate work, but not for high school teachers.

    • Alex Murphy

      “Following” someone on Google+ isn’t exactly the same as “Friending” them on Facebook. It’s much less formal and official…a little more like Twitter. 

      • Emilie Eggleston

        Agreed, but do school boards make that distinction yet?  As a fledgling teacher, I will continuously push technology (I’m sure my background as a virtual image consultant will be received), and I can only hope that, after a few years of teacher under my belt, I could attempt to use a social media service to distribute educational materials to students.

        I have to be very very careful what I say and do as a future educator.  Nobody wants a creepy teacher POSSIBLY peering at their children’s profiles.  Because you know… children make poor decisions online.  Myself included when I was in high school.  

        I like what Google Circles are doing to change the game, but it’s going to take time for people to get used to sharing information responsibly.

  • Dave LaMorte

    There is a lot to be desired with google+. It’s just filled with boring tech stuff, seo and web marketing replussing their rss reader. It would be hard to get them to actually log in to be part of my class circles.

    And I also don’t think I could get my students’ parents to let them on google+.

  • http://twitter.com/KellyTirman Kelly Tirman

    Sending this to my dad. He is a retired executive that now works as a high school math teacher. I think he is going to love this post!

  • http://www.egrovesys.com Web Development Services

    Its a very good method, We can easily share any news in Google within our circle

  • http://twitter.com/RepEliseHall Elise Hall

    I love seeing new ways different industries can effectively use social media — especially ways to use Google+. Excellent! 

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  • http://twitter.com/briancsmith Brian C. Smith

    Thank you for taking an interest in education and learning.  We need more folks to chime in here.  I’m working on my friend DJ Waldow and his take.   

    Use of social media tools in schools is a knotty issue.  Acceptable Use Policies are being tightened in reaction to hyped horror stories in mainstream media. A real conversation about the real data about child safety and in their own communities is long overdue. 

    Google Apps needs to have access to Google+ for it to have any real headway into our school systems.  Schools are not, as enterprises, ready to or willing to simply allow students and teachers to use their personal Google accounts.  Some may, but the majority are not.  Sure, there’s many a rogue teacher out there doing it anyway, for good intentions, but I don’t see it happening.  I’m hearing that Google+ for Google Apps will be a walled garden, but I haven’t read anything specific regarding this.  You?

    The way I envision Google+ (and other apps) being used for learning is not so much on the content delivery side (lesson plans, etc.), but on the creative, project sharing side.  Many schools are adopting learning (content) management systems like Moodle to expand face-to-face learning time to anytime, anywhere learning time.  My vision sees learners (students and teachers) delving deep into learning through long term explorations and projects.  Constructing project pages (Sites), conducting meetings online (Hangouts), corresponding with experts (Mail), publishing progress, findings and reflections (Sites or Blogger) of these explorations and projects is where the real learning is.  To simply use Google as a way to re-deliver what was already done in class would be missed opportunity for our children.  

    We need more educators and experts to create wonderful learning experiences in which school leaders cannot deny what has or is happening. We cannot let our imaginations go bankrupt nor slide back to doing the same things online that we do in the brick and mortar. 

    Thanks again for your interest in education and learning.  We need more.

    • http://www.chrisbetcher.com Chris Betcher

      Wise response as always Brian. Good to see you here.

      I think Chris’s post somewhat misses the point of what educators are trying to do with technology, and also that Google+ is not even available to school students until the Terms of Service change to allow those under 18 to use it.

  • http://waysearnmoney.org Sam

    WOW!!! Sound like a great feature. Will share it with my friends.

  • http://www.overnight-wrinkle-cures.com Wrinkle Treatment

    Well it sound’s really good. The way you tell how to share lesson plan is amazing. Well done i must say.

  • Aldo

    wow!
    why there is to many people likes to comen this article! 
    but, i mean.. not bad. thx for sharing :)

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  • http://skyhighauction.weebly.com/ Rageki

    Wow school will be a little more funnier this way

  • http://brandtschneider.blogspot.com Brandt Schneider

    It’s closed to 18 and under.

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  • http://twitter.com/mccarthyu32 Elizabeth McCarthy

    I am disappointed that it’s closed to under 18 year olds…can’t be used in HS or MS. 

  • http://www.blurbpoint.com/link-building-services.php Link Building Services

    Great idea for the use of circle feature. And not only circle feature but hangout feature can also be the online classes in coming days we can imagine, as the hangout feature let people to talk as if face to face in group. So if we found then we can make different usage of the advanced features of g+.

  • http://www.blurbpoint.com/advanced-seo-services.php ADVANCED SEO SERVICES

    Google has made its big move in social networks side. Only we have been here yet,many times. Google Buzz, Google Wave, Google, Orkut, Jaiku, Google Friend Connect profile and Dodgeball-all Google products that variable degrees of success.

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  • Jlupdegrove77

    Thank you for sharing these great ways to use Google+.  Currently I work with Google Documents as a way to collaborate with other teachers, including lesson plan and information sharing.  I’ve also used Google in the past to conduct surveys among colleagues.  I am anxious to find out all that Google+ has to offer.  

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  • http://jassotreeservice.com Jasso Tree Service

    Sound like a great feature. Will share it with my friends. 

  • http://besthealth101.com Best Health 101

    Looks like it’s going to be fun. I would love to be a part of Google+

  • http://customers.agriya.com/products/buysell etsy

    wow really a great thing….easily v can share it to friends…nd it s secure also by choosing the option providied in it… im vry glad to be in G+…

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  • http://www.empowerbpo.com Jason

    its ture google + is great tool for educator and i want to say google is great for his idea and his technology. i am using google + for education. and i am really happy to use google +

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