Appalachian Geek

I’ve been tinkering around with Google’s latest foray into the social world, Google+, and I’m more than a bit intrigued by its possibilities. The interface is easy to use (big plus), the tools are relatively handy (big plus), and smooth functionality is nice (big plus).

Today while I was playing around with Hangout, the multi-person camera-chat service, and reading a post about how a group of folks used Google Translate to have a conversation with people who didn’t speak the same language, I was struck by absolutely how powerful Google+ was going to be in my world.

Without much thought, two important uses for this system came to mind:

The first use of Google+ Hangout with Google Translate would help solve the problem that so many people have with Twitter: verification.

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Since Google Plus came out, I’ve been jotting down ideas for how I’ll integrate the new service into my teaching. I’m not sure how each of these will play out – and frankly many of them will likely be used with my adhoc groups instead of full-class integration – but that’s okay. I teach storytelling – long-form and digital –and that means I have adhoc groups needing help on a regular basis.

It’s too soon to share everything that I’ve jotted down. Frankly, I’m not sure all of it makes sense and I’m trying to vet what is a good idea and what is an idea that just uses shiny technology.

Here’s two ideas I’m considering. Please, share your thoughts and ideas as well:

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