TCU eLearning: Google+ Hangouts & Students, Technology, and Crunch Time

New post on TCU eLearning Google+ Hangouts by kate marshall This is an intriguing on article about online education using Google+ Hangouts. The subject matter is cooking, and students can sign up for private instruction or for a group class in which the chef teaches up to nine students. The limit is set by the number of people that can simultaneously participate in the video conversation. The benefit of learning in this manner? Unlike cooking shows or cookbooks, the instruction happens in real-time and students can ask questions. Maybe I'll eventually have a shot at making a decent pie crust! While charging per Google+ Hangout class is not the revenue model that makes sense for most universities, the article also has some great suggestions about how to use Google+ Hangouts for collaboration and live video interaction  - talk about a dynamic approach to virtual office hours!

New post on TCU eLearning Students, Technology, and Crunch Time by kate marshall A recent study finds that: [While] students are tech-savvy and have plenty of gizmos, they may not be as distracted by these technologies as some may think . . . Results showed that students take a “less is more” approach when exam pressure starts bearing down. Students use technology to help them study and to communicate with others, the report found. And students are using the library less for its traditional resources — books, journals, etc. — and more as a place to get away from the hectic world around them. Interestingly, the researchers also found that "65 percent [of students interviewed] said they used social media sites, like Facebook and Twitter, to coordinate study sessions or group work." Social media isn't just a coordination tool for students, it can also be a study tool: "nearly two-thirds of the respondents said they had used social media for coursework. One student said he was having trouble understanding concepts in his physics class, so he researched lessons on YouTube, which helped him catch up with the coursework." Have you noticed students leveraging social media for learning purposes in your courses? Last, here's hoping that - however the studying happened - this is a successful exam week for all parties!