Hanging Out for Winter Break

2013 was epic.

I've been doing a lot of new things in my classroom this year, such as #gamification, #blogging, and #flipclass, and it's been working out!  Yaaaaay!  Big shoutout to my PLN for teaching me all of these great strategies.  My group of highly intelligent young scholars also thanks you, whether they know it or not ;)

Needless to say, I was really amped about Winter Break, but this year, it's for a different reason.  Most other years, I'd put in some much-deserved R&R, binge watching series on Netflix (ok, you got me...I'm doing that too); however, this year is different.  This year, I'm "hanging out."

Wait, wait...

Before you click off, let me explain.  When I say, "hanging out," I'm not talking about sitting around playing Playstation, or going to karaoke with my buddies.  I'm referring to Google Hangouts on Air, a way to interact with people that is changing the way we can collaborate, educate, and...uh...something else ending with "-ate."  Relate.  There we go.

Let me backtrack for a minute.  A few years ago, I had this totally awesome idea that went...absolutely nowhere.  Womp womp.

A parent at my school suggested that I offer technology courses online, so I ran with it.  I got it all set up, made a Google Voice number, and even printed up business cards through VistaPrint.  Check Exhibit A:

I had a website all ready to go, but I never launched it, because one little thing held me back.

It was too daggone expensive!!!

I window-shopped all the various platforms for collaboration at the time, and I realized it was going to cost me an arm and a leg.  Hence, I would have to charge an arm and a leg for tuition.  No bueno.  So the idea just sat, and festered, and sat some more.

Flash Forward

(That was an awesome show, by the way.  Highly recommended for winter break binge watching.)

I was introduced to Google Hangouts (offered free-of-charge), first hearing little bits and pieces through the grapevine, mostly on Twitter chats and the like.  One day, I took the plunge to meet with a supervisor in my school district to discuss new features in Safari Montage (also awesome).  That was the moment that I fell in love with Hangouts.  Awwww...flowers and roses.

I could tell that Hangouts were going to change my professional life, but the gears in my head didn't really start to turn until I attended a session at EdCamp NJ about Google Hangouts, presented by several of my PLN members, including Bill Krakower.  There, they introduced us to Google Hangouts on Air, which would allow large groups of people (up to 10), to sit in on a panel.  An unlimited number of people can watch the hangout as audience members.

Later, I discovered that audience members can use a Q&A feature to interact with the panel.  Thus, Thomas Tech Tutorials was reincarnated!  Yaaaaaaay!  Wait, that sounds like the plot of a scary movie.  Oh well, you guys know what I mean :)

I learned more about the features of Hangouts while I was helping my sister-in-law design her website on Wix, which will be the topic of a future walkthrough.  Within Hangouts, you're also able to share your screen, and even access the computers of other participants, through the Remote Desktop app.  Sweet!  Of course, I don't plan to do this during the On-Air Hangouts, but it's a nice feature to have.

Flash Forward...Again

To wrap it all up and throw a nice bow on it, I've been using Hangouts to do tutorials for a few days now.  So far, I have the following tutorials under my belt:

Google Drive
Google Sites
Edmodo

It has been such a great experience...since Saturday (five days ago), I've met a ton of great educators from all around the globe.  We've bounced ideas back and forth, and I've learned so much already.

This Saturday, at 1 PM EST, I will be leading a discussion of ways to extend the recent Hour of Code initiative throughout the remainder of the school year, and beyond.  Please click here to RSVP.

It's geared towards the absolute beginner; however, I would love to have those with more experience sit in on the panel and offer their tips, too.  Please contact me if you are interested.

Welp, time for me to sign off...tis the season, and I'm about to spend some much-anticipated time with my family.  Adios mis amigos...I hope to catch you on the Hangout!