Skype for Education ... not an optional extra!

It was not my intention to post anything on this blog over the summer break. Teachers need a break!  However, I read the excerpt below from a blog some weeks back and I wanted to share it with you.  As well as this, SKYPE FOR EDUCATION has been released.  Skype is such a powerful tool which we all need to integrate it into our teaching programmes.

OVER THE BREAK .. have a good look at what SKYPE FOR EDUCATION is offering .... consider, as you meet up with teacher friends in other countries, how you could be setting up a skype link with them.

PLEASE NOTE:  At Royal Dubai School you will get 100% support to set up skype (in particular making the technology happen!) and to work out how skype best fits into your teaching programme -this includes year group teaching programmes.

Have a read of this ..

Ancient Egypt comes to Life with Skype
"Last month I posted a tweet on Twitter asking for help to set up a Skype session with an ancient Egyptian museum so that the Year 6 children in my school could have a great learning experience. There were many replies, one great tip led to the Petrie Museum and today that all came to an amazing and successful conclusion with many children describing it as the best lesson they ever had.  
I was put in contact with Tracey Golding, who works in the Petrie Museum, and was extremely keen to find out about my suggestion of using Skype to let the children find out more about their current Ancient Egypt topic. However, last week the whole event almost met a sudden end as I discovered that Skype is blocked for use in schools by our network provider (EMBC) but that is another story altogether. I found a way around the issue and after an impromptu test session with Tony Shepperd and I spoke with Tracey for the first time yesterday. Technical issues were sorted and this morning the whole of Year 6 crammed into one room and awaited Tracey’s call. There was nervous anticipation when the arranged time came and went but then the ringing went across the room and a cheer went up. The class were already buzzing before we had even answered the call. Tracey was brilliant especially so as it was her first ever Skype call and it was to a room filled with year 6 children, their teachers and teaching assistants, myself and the head teacher. She walked us around a room filled with artifacts stopping here and there to describe them and answer the children’s questions. At the end we had a question and answer session and then we said our goodbyes to frantic waving and cheering.  It was a very successful session that demonstrated how effective and powerful a tool such as Skype can be in the classroom. Skype have developed a Skype for Education edition which when released to schools and education establishments will help connect learners to others all over the world. Skype breaks down those classroom walls and is a fantastic example of what making education real is all about." - Kevin McLaughlin.
View the original post at: http://www.ictsteps.com/2011/02/ancient-egypt-comes-to-life-with-skype/


It's HERE ! ... Skype in the Classroom
Skype in the classroom is a free global community that invites teachers to collaborate on classroom projects where they might use Skype, and share skills and inspiration around specific teaching needs.
Teachers all over the world are using Skype to make learning more exciting and memorable. It's easy to see why: Skype offers an immediate way to help students discover new cultures, languages and ideas, all without leaving the classroom.
One of the most inspiring examples we’ve come across is teacher Kara Cornejo’s global weather project, which started here on Skype in the classroom:

Kara from Missouri, speaks about finding teachers to connect with on Skype in the classroom from Skype in the classroom on Vimeo.
From international projects like Kara’s to classroom matches in neighbouring cities, teachers are coming up with new and amazing ways to help their students learn with Skype. Here are a few of the most popular approaches:

Cultural exchange

Introduce your students to new ways of seeing the world with a cultural exchange between your class and another classroom anywhere in the world.

Language skills

Bring language to life with real-life conversations where students can practice a new language with a class of native speakers, or help English learners practice their skills.

Discovery

Try mystery Skype calls, where classes connect online and give clues to help each guess the other's location. Or introduce your students to a classroom in the location of a book they're reading or a subject they're studying.

This is 'zany' but very effective .... the children loved it !

Here is a teacher who used skype, but not to just to connect with someone ... this is really different. Have a read about the amazing experience these children had. http://yollisclassblog.blogspot.com