Recently, I posted my introduction on Connected Classrooms last night, and I think you should do the the same.  

From what I am seeing within the community, there seems to be many opportunities for classrooms to connect with reputable organizations and experts through Google Hangouts.  The video below provides a fancy overview of Connected Classrooms concept.  I am excited to see all of the opportunities yet to come from this community.  

I like Google Hangouts a billion times, or should I say a Google times, better than other telecommunication tools.  With Google in Education’s Connected Classrooms community, we, as Google Apps Schools, now have a place to connect with learning experiences like found with Skype in Education.   Google Hangouts is not as well known as Skype and maybe this is the catalyst for me to start marketing the concept of virtual field trips, classroom connections, and communication with experts through Google Hangouts rather than Skype.  

In order to request to join this community, create a Google+ account (if you are part of my school district let me know that you are interested) and go to the Connected Classroom Community on Google+ in order to request access.  Once you are accepted, write an introduction to the group and make scroll through the posts from other teachers looking to collaborate or organizations hosting events for classrooms to join.  As displayed with the image below you can easily search or filter posts to locate information pertinent to your interests. 

I have a few teachers using Hangouts within my school system, but I want more people tapping into the potential power of Google Hangouts and Google+.  The extra features within Hangouts makes it a great tool for any connected classroom and the Communities with Google+ are definitely worth your time and effort to connect.

Most of my teachers connecting globally are involved in the reading projects.  Let’s continue to connect and develop partnerships with experts and reputable organizations through Connected Classrooms.  What connected projects will you initiate?