This evening I received a quotation for purchasing an iPod for my music department. The vendor is a local Singaporean reseller. In the signature area, along with all the things I’m used to seeing, such as address, phone and FAX, this vendor also listed their Skype ID. I’ve never seen that before.
What does it say about their company? To me it suggests that they are small, and care about being accessible. I suspect they are forward thinking and open to new ideas.
Clarence was just writing about how the students in the International Teen Life project have moved beyond the formal communication channels set up by the teachers, such as video, email and Skype. They are now using IM, Email and wikis to chat, on their own time, with the other students in the project who are scattered across the globe.
If I were a classroom teacher, I might be thinking of putting my Skype ID on my syllabus next fall. I can see a few kids abusing it, but I can see more kids appreciating it.
It may work better for me as an international teacher. Before I went overseas, I didn’t know many people who weren’t living in my town, so I had no one to Skype with. Now that I’m overseas, I use it with family back home and with friends and colleagues all over. As a result, I usually have Skype open if my computer is on at home.
Would you consider giving your Skype ID to your students? Do you have one?
I give my kids (and parents) my Skype, my MSn, and my email addresses. Living in a small town, it has always been acceptable that kids phone during the evenings; I just like to give them more channels.
Yes I would. I love beng able to “talk” with my students through blog comments at home. It shows that my class and/or what we are leanring is on their mind. This is exciting. So I would and probably will share my skype ID in the future.
Jabiz
Susan,
I’ve been providing my Skype name to my students in my syllabus since last fall. Although most of them never subscribe, the ones who do really like having access to me. I also have them share their Skype info with their classmates in an online discussion forum. Several have used Skype in conjunction with several other collaboration tools as they are preparing their team projects.
During a severe snow storm last month, I had to cancel class, so we held our Ed Tech (a doctoral course) in a Skypecast. This met two objectives: 1)conducting class and 2)enjoying, experiencing, and exposing new web tools with/to my students. A great time was had by all in the warmth of our homes … some of us even enjoyed our hot chocolate.
Thanks for bringing the topic up.
Cheri
Just wanted to say that I enjoy your blog. I am a special educator in Virginia teaching students with Autism. I stumbled onto your page while doing a search on “the zone of proximal development”. It’s fun to see what other educators are up to around the world. Thanks for your work! My blog is http://marshallroom24.blogspot.com/
Keep up the good work!
Darren