Skip to content Skip to navigation

Connexions

You are here: Home » Content » Skype in Foreign Language Classrooms

Navigation

Recently Viewed

This feature requires Javascript to be enabled.
 

Skype in Foreign Language Classrooms

Module by: Amanda Dudley. E-mail the author

Summary: How and why to integrate Skype into foreign language classrooms

Overview

Skype is user-friendly, free video chat software that in recent years has become wildly popular for long-distance communication, be it with college students studying abroad who want to keep in contact with friends and family back in their home country or for international business correspondence. With the rise in popularity of “ePals” in classrooms as a replacement for traditional pen pals, Skype facilitates instantaneous face-to- face communication across borders and oceans. Given the value of authentic engagement with the culture associated with a foreign language during the learning process, Skype can be a powerful tool in a teacher’s arsenal if used correctly.

How to Get Started With Skype

Before setting Skype up, foreign language educators should log on to a website such as www.ePals.com to find teachers in countries using their target language who are interested in cross-cultural communication. Skype’s website, www.skype.com is very easily navigable, as is the application itself. After obtaining permission to download Skype’s small software package to your classroom’s computer(s), simply click “Download” on the website’s main menu and follow its instructions for your operating system. Once the application is installed, an account name and password will need to be set up before logging on; each of your students can make his or her own Skype user name, and by making sure “Skype Me!” is not selected, their privacy will be ensured. “Skype Me!” allows all users to see and communicate with the user; not selecting this option makes the user invisible to anyone but those on their Contact List. A list of the classes ePals usernames would be distributed and students would “meet” their ePals for the first time by clicking the “Call” button next to their name on the Contact List.

Tutorial

Directions from the Skype website on how to make a call with video:

http://www.skype.com/help/ guides/callwithvideo/

A word on webcams

While a webcam is not necessary to make a call on Skype, it enhances the experience. Webcams are fairly inexpensive, good- quality ones costing about $30 at Wal-Mart. Some newer computers have them built-in, but USB webcams are easy to install and use with Skype and would make students’ experiences that much more worthwhile in their foreign language education.

Classroom Examples

Tonik

While not a student-to-student conversation, Tonik is a service that uses Skype to connect language learners to native speakers. This face-to-face interaction with someone who has grown up in the language and culture being studied is a perfect example of how Skype facilitates language learning.

http://www.skype.com/business/case-studies/toniks/

Whole Class Interaction

The following link will lead to a video comprised of clips of an 8th grade French class in Chicago and a similar classroom in France. This video accurately depicts the fun, technological difficulties and learning value associated with using Skype in a foreign language classroom.

http://peopl e.ucls.uchicago.edu/~aweiss/Romanelli3APR2009.mov

Individual ePals

By coordinating with a teacher in the target language, educators can set up one-on-one interactions between their students, allowing for an even more personal interaction with the culture and language of their choice. Below is a link to a forum discussion between two teachers, one in France and the other in the United States.

http://www.epals.com/forums/t/312 78.aspx

Assessing Skype for the Classroom

Pros

  • Real-time, authentic communication with speakers of students’ target language
  • Students learn about foreign cultures from peers who live in them, bringing these cultures to life
  • Students are forced to practice both written and oral skills in target language
  • Familiarizes students with internet-based communication, the form that is quickly replacing all others in day-to-day life

Cons

  • Setup may be time-consuming
  • ePal school attendance may impact value of individual student’s experience
  • Parents may be uncomfortable with students using webchat software in classroom

Considerations for Teachers

Safety

In order for students to have a rewarding and safe experience with a new technology, teachers must first be familiar with it. Skype can be a valuable tool in foreign language learning, but as with any use of the internet, it does not come without risks. Parameters must be set for in- class use of Skype and the internet in general, the avoidance of the “Skype Me!” option noted above being one example. By setting up “meetings” between classes with the teacher from the foreign country and having a schedule agreed upon in advance, students can stay on task and out of trouble while using the internet in the classroom. Parents should be provided with an explanation of the use of Skype in their children’s foreign language education experience and encouraged to come to the instructor with any concerns.

Connection Reliability

Videochatting requires a very wide bandwidth to run correctly – one wireless router for an entire class of videochatters may not be enough. Consider using a computer lab or any room with computers with individual Ethernet connections for Skyping.

Content actions

Download module as:

PDF | EPUB (?)

What is an EPUB file?

EPUB is an electronic book format that can be read on a variety of mobile devices.

Downloading to a reading device

For detailed instructions on how to download this content's EPUB to your specific device, click the "(?)" link.

| More downloads ...

Add module to:

My Favorites (?)

'My Favorites' is a special kind of lens which you can use to bookmark modules and collections. 'My Favorites' can only be seen by you, and collections saved in 'My Favorites' can remember the last module you were on. You need an account to use 'My Favorites'.

| A lens I own (?)

Definition of a lens

Lenses

A lens is a custom view of the content in the repository. You can think of it as a fancy kind of list that will let you see content through the eyes of organizations and people you trust.

What is in a lens?

Lens makers point to materials (modules and collections), creating a guide that includes their own comments and descriptive tags about the content.

Who can create a lens?

Any individual member, a community, or a respected organization.

What are tags? tag icon

Tags are descriptors added by lens makers to help label content, attaching a vocabulary that is meaningful in the context of the lens.

| External bookmarks