Classroom collaboration is a must this year and we continue to encourage students to communicate their knowledge in creative ways. We all know that many times, the students learn better from each other then from us as adults. I have witnessed collaborative groupings all over the campus and in other schools throughout our district this year. So, how about we take collaboration a step further? I know, let's use Skype! Woohoo! Some of you know that I have used Skype in the classroom for some time now. Last year we were able to communicate with a classroom in Kansas City, Missouri while discussing our novel study on Rick Riordan's "The Lightning Thief" and the students were super thrilled.
Skype is a free download that you can actually put on your teacher and student computers in your classroom. The steps are easy to take and you can be up and running in less than 10 minutes. Once you are ready, you will be able to tear down the 4 walls of your classroom and expose your students to the world. Imagine doing projects on Skype with another class in the building or on another campus. Maybe a collaborative writing project with a classroom outside of our state using Storybird. What about being able to do problem solving in math with a group of students in Canada. The possibilities are endless. Check out some additional ideas for using Skype that Smittie's K.I.D.S. came up with.
- Vertical tutoring
- Parent/teacher conferencing
- Online Reader's Theatre
- Global collaboration
- Interviewing Authors, community leaders, occupations, etc.
- Staff developments
- After-school help
- broadcast a class performance to parents, grandparents...etc.
How can you use Skype in your class? Leave a comment below. Also, check out Skype in the Clasroom beta.
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