Journal 9: Playing with Skype (NETS 5)

Weller. T. (2010). Playing with Skype. L&L Publications, 37. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=March_April_No_6_1&Template=/MembersOnly.cfm&NavMenuID=4516&ContentID=25508&DirectListComboInd=
This article was focused on a particular way that this author found Skype being used. A group of music teachers were trying to find how they could best educate not only their own students on the background of the composers but also the audience at their performances. They used Skype and conference directly with the composers of each of the songs that they were learning and going to perform. This helped the students become more educated around why and how the composer composed this song. Many of the people they mentioned in the article said that the Skype program was very easy to install and use for those who have had no previous knowledge on how to use it. Overall they found success incorporating this program into their music programs and were able to find money to easily fund its continuation.

What other ways could Skype is used in other subject areas in the classroom? Some of the ideas that I came up with were using Skype possibly in a language learning subject class such as Spanish. The children could web chat with other kids their age in Spain and get hands on interaction with the language. I also thought of possibly using Skype in the science class in which the students could see live web experiments as it pertains to the science lessons they are learning.

Do you think Skype is a good idea to use in the classroom especially during these tight budget times? Yes, I believe that Skype would actually save more money in the long run. For example instead of spending money to send the music students to a museum or an arts student to a show they could get a live web feed of the information and venue without all the cost of fees and transportation.