Skype in the classroom

by K. Walsh on June 23, 2010

We’re finding the popular, free voice and video conferencing solution to be very useful in the classroom. How about you?

This year, there have a been a growing number of cases where we are being asked to set up Skype in our classrooms and provide webcams to facilitate video calls.  This free application makes it easy to connect for free over the Internet, and coupled with a webcam, the free video conferencing capability can really extend student’s and teacher’s reach – the potential applications are limited only by your imagination!

So far, we’ve used Skype to enable home-bound students to offer presentations and to bring guest speakers into the classroom, and we’re considering using it to let people on campus connect when they can’t abandon their posts.

I’m sure we’re not the only educational institution putting Skype to use. How about you? Does anyone have a Skyping-in-School story to share? We’d love to hear it!

[Ed Note: Just came across this article, thought I should add it to this post - Skype is building a Directory of Classrooms, http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2010/11/skype-education-directory-of-classrooms.html  - KW 11/15/10]

Related Posts (if the above topic is of interest, you might want to check these out):
30 Posts About Free Education Technology Tools & Resources
6 Free Online Interactive White Boards
A Dozen Great Free Online Video Lecture Sites

About

Kelly Walsh is CIO at The College of Westchester in White Plains, NY and is the founder and author of EmergingEdTech.com. As an education technology advocate, he frequently delivers presentations on a variety of related topics at schools and conferences across the U.S. Walsh is also an author and online educator, and his latest eBook, "iPads in Education: Implementations, Apps, & Insights" is available for sale in the iBookstore. In his spare time, he records and performs original and cover songs (look for "K. Walsh" on iTunes or Amazon.com or check out his original song videos on here on YouTube ).

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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }

K. Walsh August 10, 2010 at 7:32 pm

Nice list Sarah! I’ll share it on Twitter tomorrow as well. Thanks.

Sarah Eaton August 9, 2010 at 9:20 pm

I’ve just put together a Diigo list – “Skype for Educators” (http://www.diigo.com/list/saraheaton/skype-for-educators). It will point you in the direction of a variety of educational projects using Skype, for K-12, as well as post-secondary.

You are right. There’s a growing movement out there of people who are interested in using Skype for education.

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