Skype in the Classroom

Skype can be used in the classroom in a variety of ways. For example, in an English Language Arts class Skype could be used to video conference in a guest lecturer – perhaps even the creator of a worker being studied in class. Another way that Skype could be used is for students to video conference students in another community. This would allow students to connect with people outside of their school that have different and diverse perspectives. It would encourage collaboration in new and exciting ways!

Skype allows for a different kind of engagement with material. Instead of reading a text interview or article, a student can engage with an expert in a dialogue. This active learning process could be used to supplement other reading assignments or to substitute for other assignments.

Skype does not have a legal age limit. However, Skype is an application that requires both a user to sign up and to download the application on their computer. Therefore, personal technology is required to use Skype.