As I prepare for next year, my focus is to bring some of the web 2.0 tools I am learning about into my classroom. Today I purchased a web cam for my classroom, and visited Skype In The Classroom. I created my profile and entered a project, hoping to find classes who will participate. I hope it works! I will also tweet a link to my project, and hopefully get the word out so I can give this a try. I've also found a page of authors who are willing to do free Skype calls, so I'm picking a book we can read as a class, and will hopefully schedule a session where we can talk to the author! My goal is for my kids to understand the power of being connected, and how web 2.0 tools can help to connect them to people around the world.
I think Skype is one of the most powerful classroom tools available, yet we often forget about it...or have it blocked at schools. It really thins the walls of the classroom as you connect your students with others.
ReplyDeleteI was participating in a #4thchat on Twitter, when I found another 4th grade teacher who was trying to get a "Mystery Skype" going. We combined forces, and have a Google Doc with about 37 teachers from around the country already! Amber and I have been chatting on Skype and are planning for our classes to work together all year. I'm really excited!
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