Skyping with Students

Have you used Skype with students? If not, try it! It's easy and a great way to connect with others. At Prospect, we have used Skype to connect with authors for several years, and have also Skyped with a service woman in Afghanistan. We had very positive experiences with both! If you are looking to connect with authors, I have found Twitter to be a great place to connect - just tweet an author and ask if they will do a short Skype with your students. Author Kate Messner also has a list of Authors who Skype on her website.
This year we tried a Mystery Skype for the first time. If you are not familiar with Mystery Skype, it is a simple but powerful activity: classes from two different locations ask each other questions to identify where the other class is located. This basic framework gives students a purpose during a Skype. It is a great way to get your feet wet with global (or national) connections. It helps students think critically while using listening and thinking skills, gives an authentic purpose for research, and helps students' geography skills. You can connect to other educators looking to do a Mystery Skype at https://education.skype.com/mysteryskype. At certain times, such as during Dot Day (September 15ish) and the Global Read Aloud (October - November), many teachers are looking to connect their classes to discuss these books and ideas.
Doing a Skype for the first time? You will need a Skype account, which is completely free. Make sure to test out your connection and all of your technology set up before the Skype. I simply use my laptop's camera and built-in microphone to record students. I set my computer up near my projector screen so students can look at the screen and be on camera at the same time. I use Photobooth before the Skype to make sure students can be seen, and see what area they need to sit in. Also test out your audio connections.
You will want a place for a few students to sit or stand in front of your computer to greet the people

you are Skyping, and ask and answer questions. For a Mystery Skype, some teachers give their students many different jobs to do, such as Answerers, Google Mappers, Closers, etc. For more examples, see Pernille Ripp's blog post, So You Want to Do Mystery Skype. When I Skyped with a class of 3rd graders, I was not this organized! We had some greeters and I just picked students with their hands up to give clues and make guesses. You will want to think about having resources, whether on paper or on devices, for students to look at maps to help them rule out possibilities and make educated guesses.
In addition to Mystery Skypes and Skyping with authors, there are many possibilities for making connections with Skype that Skype In the Classroom provides it has never been easier to bring in experts to help students learn as well as share their learning in an authentic way. Ask the students for ideas, let them lead, and see where it takes you.