Skype

Skype was really cool. It was very simple to download and install. The test call worked the first time and then I said “Hey guess I will use the free 10 minutes for my first call just to see if it works.” And it did!! What a fabulous thing to have.
I really don’t have a need to use Skype in my personal life because of the cell phone but it is kind of cool just to say you have used it. I have a webcam and mic so I am thinking just for fun I will have to get my nieces one so we can chat and see each other. I think they would love that!
I think Skype could be used in a classroom. I see the possibility especially if you do the “pen pal” thing. What a great use of technology to talk to a whole class, student by student and then the teachers. What about calling a classmate that has been out of school due to illness or something to that effect? Video talking would even be better. Same thing with the pen pal thing. Seeing the whole class and what the classrooms are like would be great. What if you were working on a project and wanted to show your “pal class” and you could!
I really don’t know of any real concerns about using Skype in the classroom. It just seems to me that it would be closely monitored by the teacher so that the problems would be very minimal. However, I do know there is always the possibility of something going wrong and somebody doing what they shouldn’t be doing. I also see very real consequences for doing that. I say make it available to classrooms using it for a very real educational purpose.