This is reposted from my TeachingWow Blog
his year we suspect our connections to teachers will expand in the horizon of Skype. So this biggest question by teachers for using skype in the classroom are, “How do I use skype in the classroom?”
The best way to answer this is by actually looking at connections in terms of grouping. Janine Lim and The Amabassador Project have put together a fantastic list which I will sum up here:
- 1. Interpersonal Connections: Connecting to another classroom, teacher etc to share. Groups include Epals, Global Classrooms etc.
- 2. Information Collection: Sharing or exchanging information on a theme in your classroom. This includes “field trips.”
- 3. Problem Solving: Solving mysteries, simulations or social action projects.
As content providers Janine Lim suggests the following formats, that students can participate in or use to connect with another classroom:
- Presentation followed by Q&A.
- Participation in each other
I am reposting this from my TeachingWow Blog:
After completing a conference via skype with a first grade teacher, we were confronted with a question from the teacher:
How do I engage all of my students during the videoconference? I need something to do for all of them!
What she presented was the true issue of videoconferencing Interactivity. So what can you do to truly engage all of a 1-2nd grade audience?
So first and foremost, set-up your classroom so it is conducive to videoconferencing for your age level of your students: Keep the time down to 30 minutes. Be sure all students are seated within the view of the camera (align the seats in a row in front of the camera, which is set in front of the screen (ie display computer screen on a larger screen, whiteboard, etc. using a projector, place the camera so it can view all of the students). Be sure students understand the etiquette of videoconferencing. Behave as if the person where visiting in real person: Do not speak while others are speaking, do not turn your back to the camera, do not hold side conversations, do not speak to others off the camera, do not pick your nose or anything else that would embarrass yourself in front of another person! For more on VTC Etiquette, download
