Skype Skills

Getting to Know Skype

Skype is an online video chatting tool that can be used for various reasons. These reasons may include personal use, business use, or even educational use. Skype can also be used for messaging and international calling which makes the available connections almost endless. This program can be used on phones, tablets, computers, and even smartwatches and some video game consoles. Therefore, you can either download skype on your computer or it doubles as an app for various tablets and phones. Majority of how this program work is the same on both types of uses. On the app, it is a little more condensed but you still get all the same features and abilities that you would have on the computer. This is an example of what the screen would look like both on the computer and on a phone. They have the chatting feature as well as the ability to create groups to start a video chat call. An additional bonus to using Skype is that it is free! However, if you decide to add international calling on a mobile device it is an additional cost, but you do get a month free trial! Skype gives you the option to chat with one or multiple people in all forms of communication- chatting, video chatting, or calling.

On top of the personal use of Skype, businesses can use it as a way to check in with one another or use it for conference meetings. Skype also allows the user to share their screen which can be beneficial for both educational use and business use. Skype is also pairing with the Microsoft Teams program which adds to the abilities of Microsoft Office 365 and the benefits that businesses get from using it. This Microsoft piece allows users to share files from their accounts through Skype to others who need to view or work on them. Working on projects in both of these fields is now becoming easier and easier when technology is being used. On top of having Skype help the overall functionality of connecting with people from other places, Skype can also give you the option to record your screen and share it later or subtitle the conversation so that everyone can both see and hear what you are saying. 

Skype in the Classroom

Using Skype in the classroom you can take the student onto virtual field trips as well as explore with other schools what they are learning. On the Virtual Filed trip page, you can explore different options based on subject, age group, and location. These trips allow you to take your students to museums, parks, zoos, and other places that you may encounter through reading a textbook or a place that comes up in classroom discussion. For example, they can create projects based around a museum in another country and create a presentation on it. On this website, there are also step by step instructions on how to use Virtual Field Trips and how to set up your Skype to allow you to access all of it correctly. If all that information still is not enough Skype offers a course on how to use this piece. Then you can share your experience with on your trip to other educators and people around the world.

As for exploring other schools, you can connect via video chat with other countries and classrooms via the Educational Skype program. You can also use this as a way for students to explore places that are not in direct reach, but now they can explore it on their own virtually. As an educator, you can connect with others across the world. There is an option to also connect with already finished collaborative works from different locations, subjects, and age levels. Here you and your students can gain more understanding of various cultures and gain skills such as empathy and compassion for others. You may also work collaboratively on a project with another group of students or several groups of students. Then when you complete this project with your class you will also be able to share it with Skype to pass along to even more people.

In addition to these features, Skype in the Classroom has guest speakers broadcasted on the website for additional learning. On this part of the website, there is also a step by step instruction page on how to use Guest Speakers both in your classroom and the general knowledge of how to set up on your own. Again, if all that information still is not enough Skype offers a course on how to use these Guest Speakers correctly and efficiently! There is also an added bonus to this area of Skype in the Classroom, this addition is that you can apply to become a guest speaker if you are an expert in one area or another. Through this page, you can find a speaker that knows about the topic you are sharing and teaching your class and you can watch videos that they have already posted or use this as a resource to start your research on that particular person or topic. Then from here, you can invite the speaker to collaborate with your classroom. You can invite the person to talk to your class and give them advice and inspiration for their own work and learning.

Students are also able to work collaboratively with others both in their own classroom and in other classrooms maybe even in other countries. Students can create connections and resources through this website and also learn about different topics through the Skype Lessons page. Again on this page, you can search through all the lessons available on the page and sort through them by age, subject, and location. These lessons are often related to some of the guest speakers that have already launched their videos in that section of the website, but this page offers other topics and another resource to start a lesson. Educational Skype also works hand in hand with Microsoft which also brings other pieces of technology to the classroom where students can use them to create projects and have another learning tool.

One last area that Skype in the Classroom offers is the Mystery Skype option. This is a fun game that classrooms can play to try and guess where the other class is from. You can sign up as a class to be a mystery classroom and then be paired with other classes that are also playing the game. There are additional resources like worksheets and notebooks to help take notes and look for clues that might help you solve the mystery. There is also a song that you and your class can learn in a way to get your class engaged and have more fun with it! Through all of these areas on this page and the opportunities that Skype offers your students are gaining more out of their learning. They are gaining communication skills, problem-solving skills, and overall life skills by adding more technology in the classroom. Here your students can develop a well- rounded mind and become globally indulged in their learning by exploring other countries. This exploration happens both by video chatting and these virtual field trips and other lessons offered online. Your students can also gain skills and open their minds to other topics and ideas by watching other students model concepts different from the way that they are used to seeing it be done. 

My Experience with Skype

In my personal experience with Skype, I have used it for both my personal use as well as in my classes. I have been using Skype for years now to video chat with both friends and family. I used to use it more when I did not have access to Facetime. I remember in the freshman year of high school we actually took the time and used Skype in the classroom. At this time I was taking a Spanish class and my teacher wanted to connect with one of his contacts from a high school back in Columbia. While we were on here we connected with a class that had students around the same age as we did. We both showed each other a little bit of our classroom while we displayed their screen up on our SmartBoard. Then we tried to have a little bit of a conversation in both Spanish and English. Just being able to see the difference in cultures at both the school level and other areas such as dress and structure of life opened us up to learn more about each other. Having the conversation in Spanish made it real to my class. We were learning this new language but only practicing it with each other and on assessments. Now we were able to have another connection, a connection that was not right next to us but rather one that was hours away.  Both my teacher and the teacher in Columbia were able to plan this into their lesson and create a lesson plan together. They were collaboratively working on getting this connection and planning future times to work on projects together and connect other classes too. This was an important piece for a language class and I believe it can be important for other classes as well.

Having this global mindset pushed into our classes makes it feel more real. It is one thing to learn from a textbook and see how different other places are but then seeing it and hearing it from others that are in that place make it real. Now knowing how much more is out there for the uses of Skype and the resources that the company is producing I do plan on using it in my classroom. We can connect with other schools, reach out to experts in a field we are studying, and take virtual field trips to places that we come across in our learning. My students can also use this as a way to connect with each other. They can use this as a chatting resource or a place to share their screens when working on a project. These skills that they can learn through Skype will be able to be carried over into their personal and work lives later on.

References

Communication tool for free calls and chat. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.skype.com/en/.

Heick, T. (2019, January 16). 50 Ideas For Using Skype In Your Classroom. Retrieved from https://www.teachthought.com/the-future-of-learning/50-ideas-for-using-skype-in-your-classroom/.

Skype in the Classroom - Overview. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://education.microsoft.com/skype-in-the-classroom/overview.