Social media has become of course a popular topic to cover in the classroom.  Many professors have created classes on the topic – but what I have found is that there are professors, and then there are innovators in the field.  One of these professors who is leading the charge in creating not only creative exercises, but preparing them effectively for the real world, is Assistant Professor Amber Hutchins of Kennesaw State University.

I think Amber has been one of the most innovative professors when it comes to teaching and researching in social media for PR professionals.  She has been really leading the way for cutting edge assignments and tools to share with her students to practice with. I had a chance to speak to her PR and social media class this afternoon virtually.  Not through Skype, but with Google+ Hangouts.

Google+ Hangouts is a great way to not only use it for guest presentations, but also for virtual office hours and meetings.  What is also cool about this as well is you can actually record the sessions from Google+, which Amber was able to do for the students who were not able to make it to the webinar today.  You can view our discussion from today in the video below:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQQAPogLRts[/youtube]

My presentation today was similar to the one I did last fall with Amber’s class, which was my first guest lecture via Google+.  We had a chance to catch up and talk about various items before I started the presentation, including our shared enthusiasm for coffee, Angry Birds, and the BBC show Sherlock (best show ever!)

The topic focused on visual storytelling, which was also what I discussed just a few days ago on the PR News webinar.  I had a chance to share with the students insights on what exactly is visual storytelling, what are some tools and apps PR professionals can use to be able to share their stories for their clients (brands, corporations, and even individuals), and what are some best practices.

I have always enjoyed doing guest lectures and I was very impressed with the students in Amber’s class today. Everyone was professional and very enthusiastic about social media – which is exciting to hear! 🙂 Big thanks to Amber for inviting me to be part of her class today – she is not only a leader in the field, but a wonderful friend and colleague.  Thank you so much Amber again for this wonderful opportunity.

Hope you all are having a great day!

Best Wishes,

Karen