Google Plus coming to Edu users?

Rumour has it that Google Apps for Edu will soon include Google+. This can’t come soon enough for me. Below I have outlined where i think we can use Google+ at Leeds Met, but also where it could benefit distant learners. (and i have seen many more examples). My only challenge is to get students away from Facebook for at least 5 minutes!

1 – “huddle” to be used as a collaborative meeting tool (also for one to one M level & PHD supervision meetings.

2 – Staff to use circles to post info/materials to specific student groups (move away from the group email sending mentality)

3 – Increase development of digital literacy skills. 

4 – Using circles to manage and develop research clusters & interest groups.

5 – Provide a legitimate tool for staff to output their “streams”. Currently at Leeds Met we do not have a staff blogging platform and so many staff use personal ones. 

6 – Use Google+ to share media resources (photos as an example) that staff & students may not want to be public.

7 – Use Google+ to form learning communities for distance learners (asynchronous & synchronous communication) that may not always be as accessible in the VLE

8 – use Google+ & other Google apps to offer learning materials outside of the VLE (increase mobile access to materials)

http://googleenterprise.blogspot.com/2011/10/google-is-now-available-with-goo…