First, I would need to get permission from my administrators to use Skype with my class. If this is granted, I would have the district IT person unblock Skype on our server so I could use it in school. Also, I would have to bring in and use my personal laptop since none of our school computers are equipped with webcams. The laptop would have to be connected to my projector so that all the students could get a clear view of the images. The additional information that I would need is to find a school in a country that uses the metric system. This country most likely will have to be Canada because of the time zone differences in other countries. The steps that I have taken so far is to research the cost to Skype to Canada. I found a monthly unlimited rate of $13.99, but for my purpose I found the 2.3 cents per minute to suffice.
I believe this problem based lesson will be motivating, engaging and spark creativity in the students thus meeting the criteria of an authentic lesson. As ideas and strategies are exchanged among students from two different countries, a better understanding for solving measurement problems in both US standard measures as well as metric units should be gained.
Reference:
Cennamo,K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. (Laureate Education, Inc., Customed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
Nadia,
ReplyDeleteYou seem to know exactly what it will take for you to implement your plan. I have never Skyped before you made me aware that it cost something. I always thought this was free. Is it free to talk within the United States? Will you have to pay or will you be able to get your principal to pay? If you make this work it really should be fun for your students. How do you find the class in Canada to skype with? Good luck and hope you enjoy it.
-Jakob-
Hi Jakob,
ReplyDeleteI am fortunate because my cousin teaches 6th grade in Canada and I plan to video Skype with her class. If the person you plan to video Skype with has a Skype account there is no charge. A charge for using Skype comes when you use the computer software to call a land line or cell phone. You can also use Skype to IM (Instant Message) another Skype client. I don't believe there is a charge for that either. Video Skype is great but still needs some bugs worked out, like lagging video. I am sure as technology advances this will work itself out.
Thanks for the comment.
Nadia
This seems like an amazing learning experience for your students, and Skype is fantastic software, though I have never used it for educational purposes, I do use it to chat with friends that are out of the country, and it seems like the perfect fit for this type of collaborative project. Collaborating with another class outside of this country seems like a great way to introduce your students to metric measurement, and introduce another classroom to US standard measures, the key to a successful collaboration is that both classrooms gain something, and your lesson idea seems like it would do just that.
ReplyDeleteHi Jake,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment. I hope the lesson works out the way I planned. I was set to use Skype to video call a teacher in Hawaii. After collaborated back and forth with him on the internet, we both realized that it wasn't going to work because of the 6 hour time difference. You live and learn from your mistakes. I tell my students that on a weekly basis.
Nadia
Nadia - I have a separate Skype account created for my classroom. That way none of my personal contacts show up or accidentally call in during my use of it during class time. You might consider doing the same.
ReplyDeleteI was lucky enough to find money to purchase a webcam that we mounted on top of my SmartBoard. That way when we Skype another classroom they can see my students instead of me having to turn the computer around towards the room. I would recommend installing Skype on a colleague's computer in the building and testing out a Skype video call between two classrooms. You could do this during planning time or during an actual class period so the students know what to expect. Last year my oldest daughter was in kindergarten and since I could not visit her classroom when she was chosen as student of the week, I Skyped in during my lunch break and read a story to the class over Skype. It was a great experience and it is something she still talks about. This is a great project. Best of luck!
Nadia,
ReplyDeleteYou have done a lot of research into using Skype in your classroom and have looked into what the cost would be, and you sound incredibly prepared to implement this lesson!
Projecting something like this is a great way for all students to be involved at the same time, and for everyone to have a veiw of what is going on. I think Skype is a great digital tool that can be used in school for various purposes, and I love that you are ready to use it in such a meaningful way.
Hi Matt,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the wonderful suggestions. I had been forewarned about having a separate Skype account for school from a colleague who didn't. She received a call from her friend during her class's Skype session with their pen-pals. I am going to look into getting a web cam for the Smart Board. Hopefully, it won't cost too much money.Budget cuts have hit our district hard and we aren't allowed to buy much so it will have to come out of my pocket. So glad you got to read to your daughter's class. I bet she was thrilled!
Thanks again for all your great suggestions.
Hi Elizabeth,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your encouraging comments. I hope the lesson goes as I planned. The students I have this year have never Skyped in a classroom setting before, although some of them have used Skype to talk to their friends. They are already so excited about talking to the group from Canada. Thanks for your kind words and comments.