Communicating in real-time using text, audio, and video

Google Chat is a service from Google that allows text, audio, and video chat amongst Google Mail users. This means that we need a Google account, something that we saw in a previous chapter.

The audio conversation is usually called Voice over IP (VoIP), but as bandwidth allowances increase, the use of video is becoming common. With this tool we can:

• Meet with colleagues or students, individually or in groups

• Participate in a distant event (for example, attend a conference)

• Conduct interviews

• Teach how to play an instrument (by using the webcam)

• Teach gestural language (by using the webcam)

I find it really useful to use VoIP in distance courses, not only to give feedback to students and get to know them better, but also to create opportunities for students to interact with each other during group tasks outside of these tutor-students meeting times.

A good time to use this application is in Module 10 What's good music—a theme that fits...