Journal 4: Playing with Skype

Weller, T. (2010). Playing with skype. Learning & Leading with Technology, 37(6), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=March_April_No_6_1&Template=/MembersOnly.cfm&NavMenuID=4516&ContentID=25508&DirectListComboInd=.


This was an interesting article to read as a follow-up to our first journal essay, “The Beginner’s Guide to Interactive Virtual Field Trips.” In the first article, Zanetis talked about these field trips as a less costly alternative to traditional field trips. Weller also uses Skype as a link to the outside world, but Skype is even less expensive than the equipment necessary for VFTs. Essentially, the writer reflects his experiences using Skype as a means to draw in the audience in both the concert and the classroom setting. It is an interesting way to supplement the knowledge of the instructors by including personal interaction with experts. For example, the writer used the program to connect his music ensemble with the composer of the very pieces they had been studying. Imagine the opportunity to have a class discussion with Ray Bradbury following a lesson on Fahrenheit 451, or tackling California’s unique process of popular sovereignty with the help of a state legislator all the way in Sacramento.


What are the minimum technological requirements for the use of Skype in a classroom, as opposed to the concert setting in the example?


The requirements are more basic for using Skype than VFTs. It would be very simple. The only necessary components would include a computer with broadband capabilities, a web camera/microphone setup, and a projector. The image could easily be projected onto a common white board. It could easily be done with only a Mac computer and projector--and if the class is small enough, a projector may not even be necessary.


What is a useful byproduct of these telecommunication systems?


These relatively recent strides in telecommunications assist us in encouraging the students to appreciate how “small” the world really has become. They serve to illustrate the similarities in our intellectual pursuits, by enabling us to connect with experts around the globe.