1. Response to “Around the World with Skype” Strand: 2009: Week in the Classroom URL: http://k12onlineconference.org/?p=481 Thomas J. Ehrensperger, July 27, 2010
2. Overall Concept Skype is a great tool for connecting with and collaborating with other classrooms all over the world
3. Major Points Easy to set up an account (instructions provided) It’s FREE! Can contacts experts or authors of works being studied in class Teachers can stay in contact with students while away at conferences, etc. Classrooms can connect with each other live There are many lists of Skype partners (i.e. “Eduskypers phonebook” Raises students’ geographical awareness There are challenges, such as technical glitches, time zone differences, and student behavior
4. Questions and Ideas for Further Exploration How regularly is it appropriate to use Skype in the classroom? How would one best use it in a course like Physics, where the subject matter is already rather universal?
5. Contribution to My Professional Development Use of this in the classroom would be one more way to keep me abreast of applications of technology It would be a good way to communicate with colleagues in other schools, particularly if visuals were important I’ve already used this for meeting purposes, when I was on one Dr. Gulley’s blue ribbon task forces, and we needed to meet with a consultant – it was quite handy!
6. Ideas for Applying This Tool to Teaching In Meteorology, let my class communicate directly with a class in another part of the world, whether the weather and climate are very different In Astronomy, communicate with a class far away where the sun or moon are visible in a very different part of the sky Communicate with my classes if I’m ever out that day!
