Return to Deep Play Groups — Fall Edition

Outcome 2: Book Hangout on Air

Outcome 2: Book Hangout on Air (Due November 12th)

First things first, the goal of this digital book circle is to further your ideas and understanding of your topic. Hopefully, it sparks new paths for your future play and learning!  

 

As you read your book, we’re asking you to participate in a Tweet ‘n’ Read! That is, as you read, Tweet your takeaways, perplexing ideas, curiosities, movements, to #MSUrbanSTEM and #book4dp.  You can respond and converse with the group members reading your book and get inspired from everyone else sharing about what they’re reading.  You may even find a new book to read after hearing what others have to say about their reading experiences. Your goal is to tweet at least 10 times as you read your selected book.

 

So, let’s answer a basic question that you may be wondering about.  What is a Hangout on Air? Basically, it’s a Google Hangout (video chat) that is automatically streamed, recorded, and published to YouTube when you hit ‘Live!’.  This means that viewers can watch it live or after!  Find out more here.

 

Although your Deep Play group may be reading different books, all group members will participate in the Hangout on Air.  A good tool to help you figure out scheduling is doodle.com.

 

Now let’s focus on helping you have a successful Book Hangout!  Your Hangout should be 30-45 minutes.

 

How to run a successful video chat:

  • Assign a moderator/facilitator who introduces the questions and keeps time to move the conversation along.
  • Before the chat, decide how you will change speakers.  Are you going to let the conversation flow naturally or do you want to signal the facilitator to give you the floor?
  • Before the chat, decide on questions that you will discuss so that everyone can come to the conversation prepared.
  • Wear headphones during the chat so that it doesn’t interfere with the audio.  Make sure that you have good lighting and that you setup your shot so that your bathroom (or other embarrassing things) aren’t in the background.
  • Make sure that everyone introduces themselves and the book that they read in the beginning.
  • Provide a short summary of each book and mention the authors.
  • Make sure that the facilitator provides a “thank you” to end the conversation.
  • Remember that you are always on camera! 🙂
  • You may also want to run a practice session to test the tips above.

 

Pro Tip: You can set up your personal features in a Hangout to display your name and Twitter handle!

 

Questions to consider including in your discussion:

  • Talk about specific passages that struck you significantly.  
  • What surprised you most?  What contradicted your current understanding?
  • What were your main takeaways from the book?
  • What are the implications for teaching and learning?
  • What have you learned? What ideas will you apply to your current context?

Each Deep Play group member should embed this Book Hangout on Air on their Deep Play page by November 12th. Please remember to follow the chronological order established on the page and to provide context for your readers.