Houston:  we  have  a  Hangout!  Going  Live  with  Google    

Catherine  Chambers  Senior  Producer,    The  Open  University  Milton  Keynes,  UK    

In March 2014 the first presentation of the Open University ‘Moons’ MOOC went live on FutureLearn.

We ran three Google ‘Hangouts on Air’ over the course of the 8 week MOOC.

CC-BY-2.0 Duncan Hull

Toasters ?(We’ll come to those in a minute...but first let’s go back

to the beginning….the big question: )

Q: How can we engage students in exciting new ways?

A: By making learning more....

Interactive. Responsive.

Social.

And let’s not forget that important three letter word....

FUN!

Hangouts are a form of live webcast - to a global audience���Allow learners to consolidate their learning���Learners can participate in a real-time experience from anywhere in the world.

....and feel part of a learning community

Learners can watch via Google+, YouTube and ���website (ie FutureLearn)

Live questions posted via Google Chat and Twitter (Hangout links can be embedded in Facebook and Twitter)

372 references to ....toasters?

MOONS Hangouts in Numbers

8 Week MOOC 3 live Hangouts – 7pm GMT2 Presenters each Hangout4 international experts from Houston and 372 references to toasters in online discussions199 references to that three letter word1,000 likes relating to Hangout Q’s as learners worked together to identify key questions for the Q&A

One question on the discussion forum asked:

“Can an orbiting object the size of a toaster qualify as a moon”?

This became a running gag in the live broadcasts as international guests were quizzed on the size of moons…as toasters. It even found another life on Twitter.

Professor David Rothery & post doctoral researcher Jess Barnes

Professor Simon Kelley & Jess Barnes

So why all the buzz about Hangouts?

Brand awareness - presenter dynamic increases OU experts’ brand presence and allows personality to emerge along with playfulness with visual props (rocks...toasters)

Responsive - the real time format allows experts to respond to breaking news or topical issues, for example the discovery of new Moons around Saturn (April 2014)

Shareable - LPI expert Paul Schenk shared fascinating research footage of Saturn’s 6th largest moon, Enceladus using the screenshare tool

Supports the ideas of learning as a lifestyle: catch up available after broadcast

Live Learner feedback

“This is the future of remote education”

Paul Benham, Moons Google Hangout, April 3rd

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhxflNHZ51E

Moons MOOC Hangout Trailer