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Summary: With tools such as instant messenger, Facebook chat, and G-chat readily available, students have become accustomed to speaking with friends through the internet. While these tools are often used for social purposes, they can also be effectively employed in classrooms in order to connect students to other peers, teachers, and mentors throughout the world. Synchronous audio and video applications such as Skype allow students and teachers to share ideas with people living all around the globe at no additional cost. While safety can be a significant concern when using such programs, safe and educational internet communities such as Epals provide a forum for teachers to find secure connections to other teachers and exchange project ideas. For social studies teachers in particular, these can be great tools for teaching students about other ways of life and for providing international perspectives. When used appropriately, synchronous audio and video opportunities open important doors for teachers, enabling them to link students to important peoples, cultures, and establish a global classroom environment.
Synchronous audio and video tools allow users to have real-time conversations through the internet. These internet discussions can be held among people from all over the globe; there are almost limitless opportunities for dialogue. For social studies teachers in particular, these tools can be especially helpful. Frequently, curricular objectives encourage students to learn about other cultures and gain an understanding for a variety of perspectives. While this can, in part, be accomplished through books and other textual resources, students can gain a much deeper understanding for the lives and experiences of people from around the globe by actually speaking with them. In the past, this has been challenging to accomplish, as international phones calls are expensive and impractical. In recent years, E-mail communication has presented a viable option for communication, but is restricted in that it is asynchronous, which can lead to disjointed and unclear exchanges. With new synchronous discussion capabilities students can have live conversations with people from all over the world. In this way they can share their experiences and truly learn about their correspondent’s lives. For social studies classrooms, this is undeniably an enriching way to move beyond book learning and bring other cultures to life.
While there are many options for synchronous online communication, Skype provides ones of the best services. Once Skype has been downloaded, it can be used to make phone calls from computer to computer. Skype also has video capabilities; those involved in a Skype conversations can watch each other during an exchange so long as the computers being used have cameras. It is also possible to have written conversations using Skype (similar to instant messenger) if the computers being used lack microphones and/or cameras. Downloading Skype is simple and when done with the appropriate precautions, can serve as a safe means for international communication.
The key to using Skype, or similar programs, in a classroom is finding appropriate people with whom to communicate. Among educators, ePals serves as an excellent option for finding other teachers who would be willing to work together on a collaborative learning project. ePals allows teachers to register their classes, make a profile, and put up a small description of the type of project(s) they are looking to complete. Teachers registered with the program (registration is free) are able to search for other projects and classes with whom they would like to work. Through the ePals network teachers can access other teachers from both distant parts of the country and from different countries entirely. There are translation capabilities for many languages, so language barriers are not a serious concern. In order to be registered with ePals, teachers must go through a screening process, so this provides a way to collaborate without significant safety concerns. In addition to facilitating teacher connections, ePals also has its own academic projects that classes can participate in together, although they are not all primarily geared towards the social studies. For teachers of social studies ePals is beneficial for the social networking it provides. It makes it easy to communicate with teachers from all over the globe and initiate important conversations about global differences and similarities.
In order to successfully hold synchronous conversations it is essential to first make contact with a teacher who has similar academic goals and objectives. As mentioned before, one of the most effective ways of going about doing this is to register with ePals, which is a free networking tool for teachers. Registering for ePals is fairly simple. Follow the following steps to easily set up an account and get started:
(1) Go to the ePals website at http://www.epals.com/index.tpl and click on “join now” on the right hand side of the home page.
(2) You will next be asked to identify your role (teacher, student, parent, etc), click on “teacher” and then click “continue”
(3) The next page asks you to fill out personal information so that your account can be set up. Once you fill in all of the required information click on “accept terms and continue”.
(4) The next page asks you to create a profile for your classroom. You will fill in the basic information about your school at this step and will put more detailed information in later. When you finish filling this information out click on “create a new profile now”. Although you are creating a profile at this step, you will not be able to communicate with other teachers until ePals approves your profile. The approval process usually takes about 24 hours.
(5) The next page you are sent to requires detailed information about your classroom and the type of projects on which you and your class would be interested in working. The more detail that you can provide in the section, the better chances you will have of finding a successful match. You will be asked to enter the language of your class, the number of students and number of classes involved, the age range of the students, and what form of communication you would like to use. Once you have filled out the entire page click on “continue”.
(6) The following page will allow you to proof your profile and either go back and edit information, or submit your profile for approval. Once you have created a profile that you are pleased with, click “submit profile”.
(7) You will be directed to a page welcoming you to ePals. Once you reach this page click on “proceed to your personal settings”.
(8) This page will allow you to alter your personal settings. If you do not need to alter anything, then just click on “go to my profile”.
(9) Once at your profile page you can access all of you ePals account information. It is also through this page that you can begin to search for other teachers. You can look for teachers/classrooms through various search options: country, subject, age, and/or language. Input all of your search criteria and press “display matches”.
(10) Your search will provide you with potential matches for your project. You can read through and click on any matches that seem as though they would be beneficial to your class.
(11) After you find a match that you are interested, you can click on “contact” at the bottom of the description (once you have been approved). After clicking on “contact” you will be taken to a page where you can send the teacher an e-mail and see if the match works for both parties. From this point on, the connection is largely in the teachers hands. You can determine the best method of communication and can work out the details of the projects to be completed. Interactions can be completed through ePals or through an outside source (Skype!).
Aside from the networking capabilities, members of ePals can use the website’s other functions as well. You can click on the “projects” tab (at the top of the page) to view academic projects established through ePals. You can also participate in one of the many forums for discussion by click on the “forums” tab (at the top of the page) and searching for a discussion that interests you. Through this networking program, teachers are able to find and interact with other teachers who have similar instructional goals.
Once you have established a relationship with a teacher and would like to get started communicating with students you need to determine how to best go about interacting. Skype provides excellent opportunities to communicate with synchronous audio and video and also allows for typed synchronous conversations. In order to get started using Skype, you first need to download the program. Go to the Skype website and click “download” in order to get started.
Skype should download automatically once you click “download”. If it fails to start immediately, a link will come up that you can click on in order to manually download it. Once the download is complete, the program will take you through the steps to follow in order to install it up on your computer. When Skype has been installed on your computer a prompt will come up asking you to create a user name. When choosing a user name for students it is best to choose a name different from your actual name. Once the program is loaded on your computer you are ready to begin using Skype to communicate. The following tutorials will walk you through how to set Skype up and begin to use it. Cook Cat Teacher Tools for the TEKS SkypeinClassroom
Synchronous audio and video tools can be very helpful for teachers, but they definitely have significant strengths and weaknesses. The main benefit of using such tools is the possibility to interact with students and teachers from all over the world. This is a very unique capability. Without programs such as Skype and ePals it would have been nearly impossible for student to really speak with their international peers. In an increasingly global world, these capabilities are becoming significantly more important. We need to learn how to interact with those who come from different backgrounds and perspectives in order to assure a future that is not riddled with conflict.
The reality of modern technological advancements is that students are becoming more and more involved in internet communications. That said, they often do not know how to behave appropriately on the internet, frequently putting too much information about themselves on the web. By using programs like Skype in the classroom, students learn how to safely conduct internet interactions. It is important that students are taught about protecting themselves in the technological age; by using Skype and other similar programs, teachers have a good forum for conveying these messages.
Skype is also exciting and fun. Students will be impressed with their abilities to talk with people from around the globe and will likely be inherently interested in the concept of Skype. Students who might not be interested in the more mundane aspects of social studies material might take greater interest in a topic when they see its real life application and are able to engage in an activity that is atypical from their usual classroom dealings.
By allowing students to talk with people from all over the world, there is always the possibly that they could come into contact with someone who is not of the best moral character. There is the chance that students could over expose themselves and inadvertently put themselves in danger. If carefully monitored and done through the proper channels, synchronous conversations can be completely safe, but it takes a lot of care on the part of the teacher to assure that nothing goes wrong.
There are also many technical issues to be considered when participating in an activity of this nature. Skype does not work perfectly 100% of the time. It is important when using Skype to have backup plans so that if something goes wrong with the technology there will be something else for students to do. Further, when dealing with international conversations it is important to consider time differences which might make communication a little difficult. Synchronous audio and video conversations inherently rely on the participation of an outsider who may or may not be reliable. When completing such activities in the classroom it is important to be aware of this fact.
Skype can be used to connect with authors of literary works. Although this example was used in an English class, it could easily be applied to social studies classes as well. A large part of social studies curriculum involves reading literature, current news sources, and modern research projects. When working on such a study, teachers could get into contact with authors and try to set up a Skype conversation. It would be an enlightening experience for students to have direct interactions with authors and historians and would significantly increase their interest in the subject. The difficulty with a project like this would be getting into contact with appropriate people who would engage students. This will take a lot of effort on the part of the teacher. See Me, Hear Me: Skype in the Classroom
In this example, students from Pennsylvania had a Skype conversation with students from the Middle East. This type of exchange allows students to talk to other peers from an entirely different part of the world. For social studies classes, this is a project of particular interest because of the very heated international relations issues surrounding the Middle East. When talking about Middle Eastern problems, it is easy to forget the human side of the story, but an interaction of this nature would allow for a new understanding of the humanity intertwined in the conflict. The danger in this particular example is the lack of control over who is communicating on the Middle Eastern side. Ideally, this interaction would be more closely controlled by the teacher-moderator. Middle Eastern/American Skype Conference
Here is another example of classrooms sharing their cultural experiences using Skype. In this particular case, a Skype dialog was the “finale” for weeks of collaboration between a classroom in New England and a classroom in Australia. What is great about this particular example is that the two classrooms really built a strong relationship during the weeks leading up to the experience. In this way, when they had their Skype exchange they were really ready and excited to share information about their lives. From the reports of the teachers, it seems as though the lesson was a significant success. The Skype communications are really more meaningful when they are long term. As indicated in the report given by the teacher of the lesson, concerns about technology working sufficiently were significant. Luckily, in this case, everything worked out well, but there is always the chance that the technology may fail and it is important to be prepared if it does. Skype eJourney
This example is geared for students who are younger than the secondary level, but could easily be geared towards secondary students. It requires students to work with an ePal to discuss a book that they are reading. Secondary students could work together on tougher texts and try to help each other get through challenging material. In this particular example, it seems as though the communication is primarily communicated through e-mail, but this exchange could be adapted to take place using synchronous audio or video. The difficulty with this type of collaboration is that both students need to be dedicated to the work. It might also be difficult to pair students from different classrooms in such a way that they are at skill levels that are mutually beneficial. It is sometimes easier to create partners when a teacher is well acquainted with both members of the pair. Telecollaboration Lesson
*As an additional note, many examples of possible collaborations can be found on the ePals website.
1) Given the technical difficulties that are possible, it is important that teachers are always prepared with back up plans in case technology does not work.
2) Teachers should always be careful when looking for potential collaboration partners. Safety is of the utmost importance, so it is essential that teachers are extra critical when initiating a relationship and constantly monitor student interactions.
3) Some school districts might not allow access to programs like Skype so it is important to look into what a particular school permits. If such programs are blocked, it is important to be prepared to speak with district heads and explain to them why unblocking the programs would be both safe and beneficial to student learning.
4) Lots of prep work goes into creating lessons using programs like Skype. It can be time consuming to find good partners for a class and lots of background work must be completed in order to ensure that the classroom match ups are appropriate. Teachers should be prepared to commit a significant amount time to these types of projects.
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This work is licensed by Lauren Sturner under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY 2.0), and is an Open Educational Resource.
Last edited by Lauren Sturner on Oct 19, 2008 9:03 pm GMT-5.
