Thing 13: Conferencing in my PJ’s

So I decided to watch a conference on SKYPE!

This whole thing of being able to watch a conference on your on schedule is great!

The main points of this presentation were to introduce you to Skype.  It also gave ways to integrate it into your classroom along with some tips.  I realized that in order to skype if you don’t have a microphone, it’s okay that you can “text-chat” instead.

I thought that is cool that  you are able to be penpals with a class in another city or even country.  The thing to remember is basic etiquette.  You have to remind your students to:

* not interupt

* be prepared

* be an active listener

* speak clearly and slowly

* not to use slang as not all countries can understand slang

It is also helpful if you set up a pre-conference with the teacher of another class in order to ensure that everything is working properly and together develop a timeline of how the skype session should run.  Roles should also be given out to students, to help keep everyone on track.

Another great idea with Skype in the classroom, is that you can keep in touch with your class if you are not at school for a day or so.  Maybe not if your sick, but if you are gone for other reasons.

I definitely think using Skype in classroom could be a really fun experience for the students and something new for a teacher.  It can be turned into a mini-project including the prep work as well as assignments as a conclusion.  There are many options.  The hardest part would be to organize a time that works with both schools involved especially if there is a time change!