7 Tips to Using Google+ as an Educational Tool

Guest Author: David Miller

The use of video feeds and social networking as an e-learning tool has in its own way revolutionized online education due to the unlimited opportunities that can be tapped from direct communication between educators and students. These unlimited opportunities range from the educator being able to gauge a student’s actual responses and the ability to organize virtual classrooms with multiple participants.

Google+ –which happens to be Google’s version of Facebook, LinkedIn, and Skype mixed together on one social networking platform–has all the features professors and educators look for in an e-learning programs. The social network comes with features such as Hangout, Circles and Sparks that makes networking and online teaching/learning fun. So how can one make use of Google+ as an educational tool?

1. By Using Hangouts to Teach: The Google+ Hangout feature brings the classroom to your home by organizing hangouts to teach multiple students in an interactive atmosphere. The interactive atmosphere allows participants communicate with you and other students by using inbuilt FM mikes. The teacher can also note the student asking the question because Hangout enlarges the speaker’s image as an identification process. When teaching two or more virtual classes, Hangout allows you to handle a class while simultaneously relaying your message to a maximum of 10 other classes.
2. By Using Spark as a Research Tool: Google was first and foremost a search based platform which diversified its operations to include an operating system, online app store, Google glass and now a social network. Sparks is the tool that brings the search to Google+ for it provides users with information on subject matters students find interesting. It works by typing keywords relevant to a conversation or class and Google spouts out most relevant information relating to that subject.
3. Using Circle as a Collaboration Tool: Circle can be compared to LinkedIn or Facebook because it allows users add friends and individuals that share similar views, fall into similar class grades or are working on similar projects collaborate using Google+. It enables the sharing of documents, resources and materials relevant to the classroom.
4. Using Its Cross posting Feature: In today’s social world having multiple social accounts on different platforms is the norm and Google+ provides educators the option of posting educational documents and resources across these social networks—LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter. Blogger etc.— with the click of a finger.
5. Using Google+ Sharing Feature: Google Reader is a feature that allows its users add posts and share these posts alongside contents the user is subscribed event to. This feature provides teachers with an online tool for finding and sharing relevant documents to classroom participants.
6. Using the Disable Feature: As an Educator, situation such as teaching different classes to a diverse student base may arise and when it does, it is important to share particular documents with a select group of students while keeping others at bay. The disable sharing feature on Google+ allows you to disable the sharing of such documents to every student in your circle.
7. Using Google+ Simultaneously with Google Drive: Educators who make use of Chrome based devices can boost sharing efficiency by eliminating the barriers between storing, and sharing documents because Google drive enables the sharing of Google docs directly to the Google+ app in record time. Educators can also integrate the use of Google calendar to set classroom schedules and virtual classes for all participants.

Author Bio: David Miller is an educational researcher who has vast experience in the field of teaching, LMS Systems and online training. He is associated with prestigious universities and many leading educational research organizations. He’s also an ed-tech veteran, currently pursuing research in new ProProfs eLearning developments, and is a contributing author with ProProfs.