Group items tagged

This is a "news" article written to announce Skype's international collaborative efforts in education. For example, there are programs with orchestras and museums that classes can participate in, thus offering students the possiblity of interacting live with authors, musicians and the like. Although it contains useful information, it should be understood that this is essentially an advertisement for Skype.

Silver Lake, part of the group that bought a majority stake from EBay Inc. 18 months ago in a transaction valuing Skype at $2.75 billion, put up $900 million in capital, said the person, asking not to be named because the information is private. The firm's 40 percent stake is now worth $3.1 billion, when adjusting for $775 million in debt Skype reported in April.

This article is about using Skype in the classroom for global education. I am categorizing it as media literacy because of the use of skype. Thousands of teachers are involved in a large variety of global educational projects. One of the partners in this program is NASA's Digital Learning center. Projects there are live so that students can learn how to prepare a space vehicle for take off or for them to design something for the spacesuit. There are many other partners to this program.

Online lessons reach remote village in India via Skype. Lessons on numbers and the concept of infinity are made accessible via this free communication tool.

This article reviewed or introduced some free or mostly free software that could be used for classroom collaborations across the miles. I liked the information on VRoom from Elluminate that is free for three people. Many others were noted such as Skype, UStream, and TalkShoe.

This article is lists and explains resources that can be used to bring classrooms together as mentioned 'Services that bring together distant colleagues or classrooms' listing software such as Skype, Ustream, Elluminate, Talkshoe, SightSpeed, and Vyew.

In this book there introductions to more than six dozen web tools for K-12 teachers. Additionally, you will find sections devoted to using Skype with students, ESL/ELL, blogging in elementary schools, social media for educators, teaching online, and using technology in alternative education settings.

This article showcases a virtual cultural exchange program between a school in New York and China. The students use web 2.0 tools to collabaroate and learn from each other in what could be a new wave of cultural exchange programs.

Our school was part of the NetGeneration of Youth program and we had a cultural exchange with two sister schools, one in LA and the other in Uganda. The students communicated over Ning and Skype and they collaborated during two celebrations "parties with a purpose" which allowed for a sharing of menus, music, and stories. The culminating project was a student/teacher exchange for three weeks in each country.

This blog post describes the Web 2.0 tools that are being used in the author's school to help students reach each level of Bloom's Taxonomy.

A great article that discusses some of the potential uses for technology and communication beyond the walls of the classroom. Through the use of the internet, online programs, and direct communications like Skype, Edmodo, and other instant messaging, students can attend the classroom, even if they can't get to the school on days of weather inconvenience. Snow, Water damage, bomb scares, you name it. Provided that the students could access the internet and had power, the school could exist for that day. Part of the issue is getting kids to realize that the learning can occur outside of the classroom. Another part is that sometimes snow days occur at very inopportune time, like right before benchmark/standardized tests. But, it appears that for the most part the article discusses saving money and keeping the schooling going, when the weather won't allow it. Not sure how many snow days your school has but... not the biggest issue for me. But then there is the other side of this issue. Some parents, and myself included, agree that there just isn't enough time off in the winter. Go to school in the dark, leave in the dark, creates no time for play, no time for a mental break from the classroom. And in a world where students have been accused of not spending enough time outside being kids, I would have a difficult time as a teacher expecting to see them sign in to my classroom, when I was also outside playing on one of those mythical "Snow Days."

"Social media may have started out as a fun way to connect with friends, but it has evolved to become a powerful tool for education and business. Sites such as Facebook and Twitter and tools such as Skype are connecting students to learning opportunities in new and exciting ways. Whether you teach an elementary class, a traditional college class, or at an online university, you will find inspirational ways to incorporate social media in your classroom with this list."

Great list from Online University with ideas for using social media in the classroom.

I love the idea of using Video Calls to teach. It allows students to have real-world meaning behind their learning since they are responsible for presenting and teaching what they have learned to other students.

Collaboration with skype and google chat, what a great way for kids from Alaska to communicate with kids from Maine. Simple and easy way to collaborate across the nation.