Cool Classroom Projects With Skype

A while back I wrote about Skype and how to get started using it. If you are new or thinking about starting definitely check out that post. 

Then yesterday I saw this:

"Calling classes in North Carolina, USA or nearby states to join a book club http://t.co/cnmm1IBx #wsfcs"


So when I saw that tweet I immediately passed it along to all my NC folks. Then I got to thinking. There are lots of great projects out there that need a partner and people ask all the time how to get connected via Skype.

I headed over to the Skype In The Classroom website and discovered there are loads of great projects going on that any class with a Skype account can join. Here are just a few:

High School Literature Discussions-IB English Literature students in Wisconsin are interested in exchanging ideas and conversation via skype, ning, or video conference on various novels and readings including, Like Water for Chocolate (Esquivel), Into the Beautiful North (Urrea), or Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven (Alexie). Through this exchange, students will share perspectives on literature, school, global issues, and life.

Thankful For Thanksgiving? Looking for classes to Skype in and tell my classes, a wide variety of Grades 1-4, where they are from and what they are thankful this Thanksgiving. This should be just a quick skype call, with 2 or 3 students telling us why they are thankful. And, we will tell your class.

Practicing Graphing- I am looking for a class to play battleship graphing with my class on September 28th or 29th. I have two PreAlgebra classes. One starts at 9:00am central time and the other starts at 9:50am central time. I will provide you with the board template.

What Does Your Sky Look Like? My students are currently studying the solar system and moon phases. I would like to create a project with students from different parts of the world to show students how the Earth is positioned, thus causing different moon phases around the world.

Biomes Around The World- 4 teachers of 3rd/4th graders (8-10 year olds), studying topics such as deserts, rainforests, and oceans would like to connect with other classes learning similar topics or who live near one of the habitats. We would like to Skype with a class, an expert, or anyone who can help us learn about these topics. We can tell you about our biomes- mountain, lake, wetlands!

Regional Skype Pals- We are studying all 50 states, one region at a time. We would like to connect with classrooms all around the country who could give us information on how it is to live in other parts of the country.

That is just a handful. There are other great projects on the site and you can sort by subject area and age level to find the one that is perfect for your class. You can also post a project that you want to do or if you are looking for a speaker, Skype will help you find one to bring into your class.

All you need is a Skype account and an account on the Skype In Education site and you are ready to go.

So why not start creating that wall-less classroom, one Skype call at a time.

Skype In The Classroom

Skype is a valuable tool that many teachers are discovering can break down the walls of their classroom.  I have been doing several workshops lately to get teachers started with Skype and how they can connect their classroom to the outside world. Maybe you haven't had a workshop where you are or you need more information. Here are several resources to get started using Skype in your classroom:

First, what is Skype? In this video they try to explain it to you, visually.



The Skype In Schools Livebinder: This is a great resource form my friend Kelly Hines that has tons of information on getting started with Skype, various projects you can take part in and ideas on how to get connected.

Skype in Schools

Did you know you can use your document camera as a webcam for Skype calls? Amazing I know! Here is a great post that lays it all out for you and gives some pointers to make it really work well.

Looking for a reason to get started? This post explains why using Skype can transform teaching and learning in your classroom.

Official Skype In Education- Recently the folks over at Skype launched the Skype In Education Project. What they are trying to do is make it easier for educators to connect their classrooms. It is simply a directory. You sign up using your classroom Skype account. Once there you fill out some information like where you are, grades, subjects, etc. You can also add any special projects you are working on. Then Skype matches you up with other classrooms you might be interested in talking to. You can also find neat projects to take part in like a virtual yoga class, debates, reading clubs and more.

I have more Skype resources that you can explore as well.

How are you using Skype? What do you see as the benefits? Drawbacks? How has it changed the way you teach. Leave some comments and ideas below.

Connect To The Outside World...Skype In Schools

The current push in education is making our student more globally competitive and to help them connect to the world outside of their own. Whether you agree with the methods state departments of education use to get this message out we can all agree that we need to get our students to see the world beyond their own communities. Field Trips are always good but very expensive. Virtual field trips are also fun, most of the time free but most often it is hard for students to interact with the subject matter. What if there was a way to connect to guest speakers, other classrooms, other countries, and what if it was free?

Most tech people have heard of Skype. It is a free program that allows you to use voice or video chat to connect with other Skype users. For a small fee you can even call land lines (however this is not needed if you connect to other Skype users.) I can do workshops all day long on how to use the program and how it can be used in the classroom. But I need a resource to connect my classrooms to other classrooms. An now I have found it!

Dan Froelich is the Instructional Technology Professional Development Coordinator for The North Carolina Teacher Academy. He and a dedicated group of Skype users have created an awesome wiki entitled Skype In Schools. This is a place teachers, technology coordinators and directors and others who are invested in technology in education can go to connect with other Skype users. The site has a large database of users and classrooms, listed by state that you can invite to your classroom. There is a great section on the experiences students and teachers have with Skype and a great section on supporting research that discusses why we should be using Skype in our classrooms.

One of the coolest sections is the Want Ads. Here anyone can post who they are and what they are looking for in terms of a connection. Just browsing around I found a class that wanted to talk to another on Seuss Day, a middle school group that was looking for another group to Skype and blog with and directors wanting to connect to other directors to talk about assessments and networks.

The wiki has great information on getting started with Skype and how to introduce it to your students. So if you are looking for anything and everything Skype head on over to Dan's Skype In Schools wiki. When you check it out, you can find me on Skype. Just look for Steven.W.Anderson and you can tell me what you thought!

Skype In Schools