The notion of using Skype in the classroom is a new experience for
some educators. It has been widely noted the benefits of using Skype in the
classroom increases student engagement and profoundly assists educators in
delivering content that may require specialist insight. Using Skype in the
classroom is surprisingly easy to setup and exponentially rewarding for your
students.Benefit to regional students
Recently, I organised an informal Q&A
session with Steven Maxwell of Markwell Presents. I pitched the idea of using
Skype in the classroom with my year 11 Drama students and they were extremely
excited. We'd been studying Cinematic Theatre in class for some time and the
students had an analytical essay to write based on a play by Markwell
Presents.
The conversation was rich yet informal enough for the students to
feel comfortable participating. Steven offered insights into the play that I as
an educator couldn’t have possibly known. The benefit to the student’s work as
a result of this kind of knowledge is incredible.
Some things to consider if you’re planning on using Skype in a similar context in your classroom:
Scaffold your lesson
I spent over a week teaching the students the fundamentals of this
particular style of theater. I had shaped lessons with an inquiry based
learning model so students would be better equipped to create their own questions
for Steven during the interview.
Connection Issues
My school is located in a regional area of Far North Queensland and
our infrastructure to handle connections to the internet over available
broadband in the area is limited. That being said I tested the setup with
Steven a few days earlier to make sure everything was working okay. I also scheduled
our Skype session at a time when I thought other classes may not be using the network
as much.
Audio Feedback
I was running our Skype session on a Surface Pro 3 and the inbuilt
microphone worked great, a little too great even. I had the Surface Pro 3
connected to a projector and external speakers. At one point, the audio was
being picked up through the microphone and looping on itself, thus creating
feedback. By lowering the volume, the problem was eliminated.
Possibilities of Skype in the classroom
Skype offers a world of possibilities in the classroom. You as the educator are only limited by your imagination and your willingness to be innovative. Your students are eager to step onto the global stage so try integrating Skype into your lessons for a rich and diverse learning experience.