Thing #3

Skype Assignment

I previously had a Skype account, so I just used that account. I tried to send Ron a message, but I couldn't find his contact information. I did a lot of searching and found lots of Houtmans other places (and I searched for EduTechGeek too), but no Ron. So, I sent my brother a message.

I called my parents using Skype. We actually used Skype a lot last fall when my parents were in Ghana for the semester. We would drag the couch over in front of the computer so our two toddlers could crawl up on the couch and talk to and wave to their "papa & grandma."

As far as using Skype in the classroom...I can see a lot of potential for getting "expert" speakers to come into the class without having to travel. I teach sections of Honors Biology and Anatomy & Physiology, so using Skype would be a great way to get scientists from all over to be able to conference with us. However, I can see that it might become a classroom management issue. I don't think that the students at the high school currently have the ability to get on Skype at school (I think they can at the elementary/middle school though). There would be a need for some ground rules to be set and followed regarding the use of Skype and other services like that during class time. These are definitely issues that we need to address since we are planning on going to a 1:1 laptop program next year.