For this project there were four people assigned to our group; Ramiro Carbajal, Jean Sullivan, Katie White, and myself. Initially we wanted to use Vyew as an online conferencing tool. We found that the only problem using Vyew was the capability of recording the session. The second option, and the one we decided to use was Google Hangout. This was by far the better option. This was actually the first time I used Hangout and I felt it was extremely easy to use, record the session and upload the conference video on to YouTube.
Google Hangout is part of the Google package, its free, easy too use, and all you need is Internet connection. As it turns out, our Group Leadership Project will be on Google and some of its applications and their important role in education. We will be using Google Presentation to teach about some of the other great tools. Ramiro will be including information on Google Sites, Jean will be sharing about Google Translator, Katie will be focusing on Google Drive, and also designing our Presentation. Each member is required to participate by adding two or more slides to the presentation. We decided to have most of the work done by October 17th, we felt this would help us with the final production of the script and storyboard. Other duties will also include; introduction of the presentation by Jean, narration by Sam, conclusion by Ramiro, and designing the presentation by Katie. To facilitate the final project, it will be a combination of Google Presentation with CamStudio voice recording.
Google Hangout worked out well for our purpose of recording the session. We knew that the session would be a lengthy one, and if we had used other recording tools, it would have created a extremely large computer file. It would have been difficult to upload this file on to a server. Hangout gives you the advantage to immediately upload your session to YouTube, without having to worry about the size of the file. Another advantage of Google Hangout is that it was easy to set up the conference. Ramiro sent us an invitation and link, we clicked on it, and there we were conferencing. The voice and video quality was also great for the most part but most importantly it was free.
There were no disadvantages with using Google Hangout as a conferencing tool. What made it difficult was setting up a meeting time that would work with everyone. I am sure it was frustrating for all members since due to our busy schedules we could not agree on a time to meet. To add to the problem, Ramiro and I live in the Los Angeles area, Katie live in Jakarta, Indonesia, and Jean lives in Tokyo Japan. The 14 and 16 hour difference added to our dilemma. When we finally agreed on a time, Katie was not able to be present, unfortunately the email with the invitation never got to her. Jean was present but in voice only. She had expressed concerns that she had been having problems with Google, and that night she tried and tried but was never able to connect to our hangout. So she did the next best thing and ended up calling Ramiro on his cell phone, he put her on speaker, and we begin conferencing. In my opinion, this was a disadvantage in itself since Jean was never able to see our faces and we had difficulties hearing each other.
Over all, I am sure it was a great experience for all of us. I will definitely be using Google Hangout again. It is a great collaboration tool that can easily work even when people are found in different parts of the world. Just as an update, Katie was sent the link to the YouTube video, she has reviewed our goals and responsibilities, and we are on our way in creating a wonderful Group Leadership Project.
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