1. Joan Rosenthal Johns Hopkins University School of Education E-Learning Platform Review

2. Skype: A Brief History First released in 2003 by Janus Friis and Niklas Zennstrm, who had previously created a file-sharing site (KaZaA) that was linked to music/movie piracy. Skype was bought by Microsoft in 2011 3. What is Skype and who is the intended audience? Derived from the words Sky and Peer, Skype is a service that allows users to connect via video/voice chats and/or instant messaging. Intended for all audiences: students, teachers, friends, family members, businesses, etc. 4. It is a free service, though a member can pay for additional features. Free features include: Synchronous: Skype to Skype calls: can call anyone else on Skype; available for group calls (up to 25 people) One to one video calls or group video calls (available for mobile devices) Screen sharing: (the person you are talking to can see your screen (also available for group video calls) Asynchronous: Video messaging, Voice messaging, and Instant messaging (the latter can also be used synchronously) Built-in recording to rebroadcast conversations File sharing, including photos/videos Features of Skype 5. What about Skype in the Classroom? (education.skype.com) Skype in the Classroom is a free community that allows teachers to connect with other educators/guest speakers from around the world. This web site allows teachers to find and run Skype lessons for their students. Can Skype with field experts (i.e. an archaeologist, a marine biologist) or with other classrooms (i.e. a virtual debate with another class about the Civil War). 6. Strengths of Skype & Skype in the Classroom Skype is free, and it can be used on cellphones/iPads in addition to computers Can control privacy settings to make it safe for students to use (if using for a project in which students communicate via Skype) Ability to record video/voice chats to rebroadcast later, which can be useful for students who were absent during a lesson. Ability to communicate with people across the world from the comfort of your own home/classroom: Allows educators to connect with other educators/professionals, parents; allows students to connect with guest speakers, their peers, etc. 7. Skype Mind Map, by Sylvia Guinan http://learnoutlive.com/why-skype-is-the-simplest-way-to-get-started-teaching-online/ 8. Limitations Network connection HD video calling and group videos require significant bandwith, so a fast network connection is preferable. Technical problems: poor video quality, poor audio quality (again, depends on network speed) Safety Though teachers can supervise skype use in class and monitor privacy settings, they cannot control skype outside the classroom (potential for cyberbullying and other issues) Most features are free, but some must be paid for (i.e. unlimited calls to any country) 9. Suggestions for Improvement Improve quality of Skype calls to avoid delayed video, poor audio, etc. System to help organize shared files/resources via Skype application itself Ability to video call and simultaneously work on shared resource (similar to Google docs but with additional video; would be useful for group projects) Allow teachers to monitor teams of students and view documented chat history/conference calls 10. Usability Skype is easy to use (video/voice calls are self-explanatory) and Skype can be easily downloaded on a PC running Windows or on a Mac computer In the classroom, requires a projector/SmartBoar d See video for Skype in the Classroom How-To: Skype in the Classroom 11. Technical Support https://support.skype.com Skype Community: Ask the experts for help or trouble-shooting 12. How can we use Skype in the Classroom in a K-12 environment? Use Skype in the Classroom to share lessons with other educators and to share global experiences with students (bring the field trip into the classroom) Author visits, guest lecturers (field experts), interviews for oral history projects, etc. 13. Bring the world to your classroom! 14. Skype in the Classroom: Collection of Lessons 15. Additional Ideas for Using Skype in the K-12 Classroom Skype with partner classrooms across the district, across the country, or across the world (i.e. Skype Pen Pal Project) Skype for Parent/Teacher Conferences Skype for Professional Development (other educators across country can lead PD sessions via Skype) Collaborative group assignments in which students can communicate via Skype and share uploaded video presentations to the rest of the class. 16. Examples of how Skype is currently used in classrooms 17. Sample Author Visit: Mike Artell 18. Excerpt from How Teachers Are Bringing the World to Their Students via Skype in the Classroom by Andrew Schmidt, 2013 Lauren Lintelman, a fifth-grade teacher at a bilingual school in Dallas, discovered that her students struggled with public speaking more than she had previously realized. Improving those skills was particularly important for Laurens students, who were about to graduate from their Spanish-language elementary school and transition to an English- language middle school. Lauren turned to Skype in the classroom for a fun way to increase opportunities for her students to develop their presentation skills in English. The students loved the experience and quickly exceled with their public speaking skills when engaging directly with other students via Skype. Lauren decided to use Skype in the classroom for other learning experiences based on her students positive response. She held lessons on delivering presentations on Cinco de Mayo, book talks, and developing relationships with e-buddies in Spanish speaking countries like Argentina and Chile. Giving presentations in English to another classroom helped her students refine their speaking skills in both languages. Theyre not always using academic language the way they should be, she said. But when we do a Skype call, they take responsibility for what theyre saying. You can see the improvements in their communication abilities in English. Source: http://blogs.skype.com/2013/10/07/how-teachers-are-bringing-the-world-to-their-students- via-skype-in-the-classroom/ 19. Resources http://schoolsonline.britishcouncil.org/sites/default /files/files/get-started-with-skype-in-the- classroom%20(1).pdf Great overview of Skype in the Classroom, tips for how to use and how-to guide. http://alicechristie.org/edtech/skype/Mike%20Nels on_Using%20Skype%20in%20the%20Classroom.pdf Provides excellent ideas of how to incorporate Skype projects into the classroom.