Last weekend at the first annual “Google Summit Oklahoma City” hosted by the EdTechTeam, I shared a breakout session titled, “Google Hangouts 101.” Afterwards, I visited with two librarians I know who attended the session and had some follow-up questions. In talking with them, I realized I hadn’t clearly explained several things in the session which are very important when setting up a Google Hangout on Air. These include:
- Creating a YouTube account in advance, which will be linked to the Google Hangout so it can be archived online later. This now includes sharing your cell phone number with Google for verification / security purposes.
- Making sure you’re using a Google account that has Google+ and Google Hangouts turned ON. This can be an issue for teachers using Google Apps for Education, if the network administrator (local GAFE admin) hasn’t activated those features for teacher accounts. It’s often easier to just use a personal Gmail account to setup/schedule a Google Hangout on Air.
- Going first to Google Plus (plus.google.com) and selecting the Hangouts link to schedule the “Hangout On Air.”
Today in advance of the seventh “STEM Seeds” Google Hangout interview with elementary STEM educator Kevin Jarrett, I recorded an eight minute video demonstrating the steps I use for scheduling and setting up a Google Hangout on Air.
I also added this video to the list included on PlayingWithMedia.com. Most of those videos are only available to subscribers of PlayingWithMedia.com, but several linked at the bottom are public.
