I am continually amazed by the new ways in which teachers are incorporating technology to help enrich their lessons and give their students access to new resources and invlolving experts in a specific field of study. Skype has recently been used in a music class to expose students to different composers. Travis Weller, an eighth grade music teacher, came up with the idea after inviting a colleague to speak to his class on copyright laws, the music business, and censorship via skype. He held an entire lesson using skype. Students were able to listen and respond to his guest speaker through the microphones and web cam. During lunch that day, Weller came up with the idea to use skype to hold live concerts. Weller knew what a great opportunity it is for students to hear and perform in concerts that were followed by a question and answer time with the composer. Durng this time that the composer can share insights into their music and students can appreciate the work and talent of the composer as well as learn from them.
Weller was quick to act upon his new idea. Gathering the equipment didn't take long. The only requirements were a computer with a broadband Internet connection, data projector, a couple microphones, web cam, some adapters to pump the audio feed through the sound system, and a projector screen. All this was possible through a grant, provided for Classrooms for the Future, that was used to purchase a few specific hardware. Once the room was equipped, he invited three noted composers to be a part of this interactive experience. The students played a concert for the guests and afterward had interactive conversations that were meaningful to the students and the audience.
1. What would it involve to set up skype in the classroom and how realistic is it?
Skype is software that enables the world's conversations. Millions of individuals and businesses use Skype to make free video and voice calls, send instant messages and share files with other Skype users. Everyday, people also use Skype to make low-cost calls to landlines and mobiles. It is user friendly, people at all ages can navigate through the website, I know Grandparents who call their great-grandchildren and teenagers who use it to keep in touch with friends after moving to different cities and states. To set it up on a larger scale for the classroom only a few materials will be needed: data system, microphones, webcam, adapters, and a projector screen. An Internet connection is key to having it work. This can also be the most frustrating part of using skype. The Internet can be unreliable at times and you can loose connection in the middle of a conversation.
2. How would you incorporate skype into your class?
Skype is a tool that I hope to use someday in my classroom. I would use it to conduct interviews and have guest speakers come "into the classroom". The speakers would be experts in a field of study or just a friend I know from another country. While traveling around to different countries I have made connections with students and professionals in other cultures whom I already have a skype account linked with. The students would research about the guest speaker or the topic they were talking about so they would be prepared with with questions to ask. I could also use skype to help show the students experiments that could be analyzed in the classroom. Some experiments can not be done in the classroom or at a school campus. If I were able to get connected with some one who could help do an experiment outside on a different location and show the experiment via skype the students could work with the data while not having to perform the actual experiment themselves.
Weller, T. (2010). Playing with skype. Learning and Leading with Technology, 37(6), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Publications/LL/LLIssues/Volume3720092010/MarchAprilNo6/Navigate_the_Digital_Rapids.htm
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