"The magic of Skype in the Classroom is that it's so easy."
~ Ellen Kraska, teacher
student collaboration possibilities with
"Skype is an awesome world-opener for education.
Imagine being able to bring in experts from anywhere on any subject to teach, inspire, and motivate your students. Imagine being able to talk to an author of a book your class just finished reading, and ask him or her questions about the book. Imagine conversing and collaborating with a class half-way around the world.
All of this, and more is possible with Skype."
~ Kevin Ferrell, teacher
Videoconferencing is an extremely versatile tool for teachers wishing to expand their students' collaborative learning possibilities. There are many different ways to use Skype in the middle school classroom, some more clearly and specifically suited to collaborative opportunities than others, but all with collaborative potential.
Explore the four links to find out more about that potential within each of the different styles of Skype calls. Each link provides overviews outlining and sampling some of the many engaging ways Skype in the Classroom is being used followed by a Big Idea to be considered in this Unit's InterActivities to share on the Forums. After you've navigated this Unit's content you'll be ready to start connecting your classes by creating your own Skype lesson or grabbing the ready-to-go lesson plan in the final tab!
Explore the four links to find out more about that potential within each of the different styles of Skype calls. Each link provides overviews outlining and sampling some of the many engaging ways Skype in the Classroom is being used followed by a Big Idea to be considered in this Unit's InterActivities to share on the Forums. After you've navigated this Unit's content you'll be ready to start connecting your classes by creating your own Skype lesson or grabbing the ready-to-go lesson plan in the final tab!
four styles of skype classroom calls
Tell us how these activities are sparking ideas
for integrating the collaborative potential of Skype in your own classroom! |
Forum Questions for this page:
|
3. In Virtual Field Trips' Big Idea, we are introduced to the Buffalo Bill Center of the West and the variety of field trip experiences they offer. Based in Wyoming, U.S.A. they have developed content not specifically aligned to Canadian standards. After watching the four short videos in the spotlight, discuss how Canadian teachers can adapt these calls to meet their own curriculum expectations. (If you are a teacher in another country, discuss your own
education standards instead).
education standards instead).
That's all folks! You have successfully navigated the Skype in the Classroom Unit.
If you're ready to get started in your own class, check out the lesson plan provided,
or head over to our third Unit about the collaborative power of VoiceThread. |