This week I learned about the use of Skype in the classroom through the Microsoft Educator Community. When I clicked on the topic, I thought I had a pretty strong idea of what I was going to learning about. The do’s, and don’ts of Skype, and how to connect with other classrooms also using Skype. However, I was met with so much more. Skype provides a multitude of other opportunities for learning in the classroom. I’ve embedded a YouTube video which highlights some of the reasons other teachers love Skype!
Skype Classroom inspires literacy for students through the opportunity to Skype with authors as guest speakers. The platform also offers students the opportunity for authentic, and meaningful learning, as they are able to take virtual fields trips and experience other cultures without leaving the comfort of their classroom. Students are able to practice global learning daily, and can make as much as they want out of their Skype Classroom experience. They have the opportunity to access experts in different fields, relate it directly to what they are learning, and can even go into the fields with the experts.
A major aspect of Skype Classroom which I found to be incredible was the connections students were able to make with other classrooms. As I went through the lesson, on Microsoft’s Educator community, I learned about a class who learned of a school in Kenya that had issues with filtered water. The class was in contact with the class in Kenya, and applied that conflict to their learning. They went ahead, and learned how to make filters at home, met with experts in their field, secured a deal with a filtration company to send filtered products to the school in Kenya, and then got to see their efforts through Skype conversations with the Kenyan classroom. It just doesn’t get more authentic than that!
