I know many teachers are already using Skype to make connections with students outside of their communities, but just in case there are teachers out there who are not familiar with this service or are unsure how to organize a class chat, I would like to describe my classroom experience with this free web 2.0 tool. Although my classes have Skyped individual students or native Spanish speakers, this post explains how the whole class was involved in a communicative experience with another class.
If you are unfamiliar with Skype, it is a free application that allows users to talk and view their party online through their computer. It is very easy to install and once you create an account, you will add your party’s contact information before the session. I have a projector, web camera and speakers that connect to my laptop. The laptop has a built in microphone. My students will talk into the computer as they sit in front of the web cam, and they will be able to view the other class on the projector. On the other end of the web, the second class will be able to view and hear us.
My classes range from 24-32 students, so it’s very important to do a lot of the organizing before the initial session. I had my students write down 6-8 questions they could ask the students in the other class. As a class, we talked about the differences between a conversation and an interrogation. Most students are so nervous to be in front of the camera, that they tend to ask their questions and not really listen to how the other student responds. I encourage them to follow up to what is being said rather than just go down their list of prepared questions. Again because of class size, I had my students sit in front of the laptop/webcam in groups of three. I encouraged them to ask questions to a specific student by using their name. (The kids on the other end are just as nervous, and if they are shy, they may expect someone else to respond and not “volunteer” themselves in to the conversation.) I allow each group of three about three to four minutes at the computer, and then we switch out so the next group gets a chance to talk.
Last school year, my students were very fortunate to be able to talk to Anna Love’s classes in Arkansas and Beth O’Conner’s classes in Vermont. Unfortunately we connected rather late in the school year, so we only had a couple of sessions. The key to this experience is working with the same group of kids, and getting to know them before the initial Skype session if possible, or meeting through Skype on a regular basis with a specific topic to discuss so a relationship can develop.
You can find some other links here if you are interested in finding out more about Skype in the classroom. And of course, if any of you are looking for Skype buddies, please let me know in the comment section. I look forward to working with Anna and Beth next year, but with five sections of Spanish 3, I could always use a new collaborator. :)
