Skype opens new worlds for students and teachers

JY Teachers

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Posted April 8th, 2011 by Charlotte Draper No Comments »

It used to be considered a shiny new toy for teachers, used more for entertaining students than educating them. But Skype has evolved into an instructional tool that teachers are increasingly using for new purposes.

“It’s great for oral language practice for my English language students,” said Alice Mercer, a computer lab teacher at Oak Ridge Elementary in Oak Park.

Skype, a free video calling site, also is being used to take students on virtual field trips and as a resource for teachers to share ideas.

“It takes down the walls of the classroom,” said Fay Crooks, a second-grade teacher in New Jersey, as her video and voice streamed into Mercer’s Oak Park classroom.

Mercer and Crooks have paired their second grade-students as pen pals since October.

Both teachers have used the students’ relationship to teach geography, writing, reading and other skills. They also talk about time zones and how the Oak Ridge students are beginning their day, while Northfield Community School has already had lunch.

“It was awesome to see their faces when I put the camera out the window when we had snow,” Crooks said.

Skype has made it easier for teachers to link to classrooms across the world through its new Skype in the Classroom network, with more than 9,600 teachers. It has helped educators bring the technology into classrooms, said Steve Hargadon, who runs a social networking site for educators called Classroom 2.0.

“It’s an extremely good trend,” said Hargadon, who lives in Lincoln. “The idea that our students will be connecting with students from around the world is powerful. Think about a classroom studying ancient history talking to students in Egypt.”

Teachers have used Skype to bring experts into their classrooms, from scientists to museum workers. They have also partnered student pen pals, sometimes even assigning a joint science project.

Hargadon said some of the most effective users are foreign language teachers.

“One teacher had kids give oral reports in Spanish to kids in Peru,” he said. “Then the Peruvian kids gave feedback.”

Hargadon is the co-chairman of the Global Education Conference, a multiday worldwide online project that aims to increase “globally connected education activities.” The last conference had 15,028 unique log-ons and presentations from 62 countries.

“It’s a way of opening the door for educators,” he said.

For Mercer at Oak Ridge, Skype offers the opportunity to expose her students to a world outside their neighborhood. On Wednesday, she set up a laptop with a webcam facing two chairs.

Students took turns reading letters they wrote to their New Jersey pen pals, who then read their letters to the Oak Ridge students.

Most students talked about their likes and dislikes, their siblings and their pets.

“I am happy because I’m getting a new friend,” Alexia read to her pen pal Brianna.

The two classes have had five Skype sessions since October.

“We used to do it with the whole class, but that became chaotic,” Mercer said. “Now, we have smaller groups It’s a neat thing. It helps make connections.”

JY Teachers