This past summer, I experimented with several different webcast topics and formats. One of the most enjoyable was 'MOOCast'. It was done in conjunction with EduMOOC 2011 and was "an open-ended opportunity for EduMOOC'ers to share resources, ideas, and feedback about assorted eduMOOC topics and/or the MOOC itself".  Despite that fact that it was a 'no-prep' show (or perhaps because of it),  a diverse parade of talented educators showed up to participate and we had some really interesting conversations.  

I think MOOC's are great, but as we discussed on the final MOOCast, I'm not a fan of the name itself. Aside from just not liking the sound of the word, I see MOOC's as part of a larger movement toward educators and learners working together and sharing resources online.  'Massive' learning events like Change,  MobiMOOC , & Stanford's AI  have a valuable impact on those that participate and play an important role the evolution of instructional design. I see these as the 'big hit' portion of the long tail of open education. I think the truly 'massive' potential of open education happens when courses of whatever size are opened up online. Of course this is already happening in variety of ways, but continuing to figure out ways to share and remix resources, collaborate with other educators, and help our learners connect with each other, is essential to reaching the truly massive potential of open learning. 

 

Looking forward to some 'cool' conversations...

Participants: Adam Cave, Stafford Lumsden, Charles Ahn, Daniel Lafontaine, & Jeff Lebow

Topics: The effect of  the U.S. credit downgrade and global economic downturn on Korea, SC First Bank and Hanjin Union issues,  HomePlus/Tesco Success,  Samsung's pass on Android, & Korea's sodium standing

In order to use Google+ Hangout, you will first need to install the Google Talk plugin.  This can be downloaded and installed at: http://google.com/talk/

You will also need to have a Gmail address and join Google+.  

To start a Google+ hangout, look at the right side of your main Google+ page and click 'start a hangout'

You can invite specific circles or individuals to join the hangout

 

Joining a Hangout
For those participating in one of my 'Hangout webcasts', I will start a hangout and invite participants.  Those who've been invited, should then see a 'Jeff Lebow is hanging out' post in your Google+ Stream.  You will also see a red number indicator in the upper right of the screen. You can click that number and then click 'hangout'.

In either case, click 'Join this hangout'. 


A new window (like the one below) will pop up. Click 'Hang out'.


Once you have joined the hangout, you can click 'settings' to adjust camera, microphone, and speaker options. 

 If the changes don't 'take effect', you might need to adjust chat setting via your gmail account (Mail Settings/Chat). 

The options at the bottom of the hangout window can be used to mute your mic or video, invite others into the hangout, watch a YouTube video together, or text chat with those in the hangout.


Pointers to maximize audio quality during a hangout webcast:

•  If you have been watching the webcast before joining in,
  MAKE SURE TO PAUSE OR MUTE THE WEBCAST before 'joining the hangout.  
   
• USE A HEADSET MIC.  On board mic's work fine for one on one hanging out, but with large hangout groups, not using one can lead to a lot of echo and background noise. 
   
• Use the MUTE MIC option if you're going to be typing.  Even with a headset, we will hear typing sounds and other background noises unless you mute your mic. Unmute whenever you'd like to speak. 
   
• Avoid using the Hangout text chat.  During webcasts, we always have a public text chat available next to the live stream (pages like Koreabridge.net/live or EFLBridges.net/live  It is better to use those because Google+ does not yet have an option to mute system noises.  As such, we get a lot of 'dinging' noises if participants use the Hangout chat.

Other  Hangout Guides

• How to stream, record, and publish a Google+ Hangout On Air

• Hangout Streaming Guide (using Wowza)