Rebecca Alford FRIT 7331 Dr.

Downs-Summer 2012 Assignment #2- Skype

The internet application that I chose to research and explore is Skype. This is an excellent tool to use for enabling "more people to connect in more ways that transform and enhance their lives". (Skype) I have found many research articles on skyping and how they can enhance education.

The articles I found on Galileo were not very easy to find. There were many articles on skyping but not many articles had to do with research. The first article was very interesting and very in depth. This article entitled "Working together more than alone: Students' Evolving Perceptions of Self and Community within a Four-Year Educational Administration Doctoral Cohort" gave a very in-depth look at how administrators working with video conferencing and skyping can enhance their communication and therefore enhance education. The article states that many workers "are isolated from one another" (Ford & Vaughn, 2011). Ford and

Vaughn writes that "14 school administrators" were sought out who wanted to "improve connections" (Ford & Vaughn, 2011). Skyping was used to do group work. Overall, I really thought this research was very well done. It proved that virtual communication is successful if it includes "faculty and student virtually connected, get acquainted exercises in classrooms" (Ford & Vaughn, 2011). Participants that used skyping in their classrooms must have instruction and explanations before the actual class takes place. "One student explained, 'We had to learn the technology to survive both emotionally and academically" (Ford & Vaughn, 2011). If technology cooperates, the participants of this study felt skyping will help forge "across the transactional distance to become socially present with others" (Ford & Vaughn, 2011). The next article I chose dates back to a study conducted in 1998. This was some of the first skyping or videoconferencing studied by the UK Department of Education. Alan Fairbrother and Trevor Dunning worked for a company that had "been experiencing drastic cuts year on year" (Turning, 1999). They were looking for ways to continue educating their employees without traveling-conferencing. Videoconferencing/training "fits more flexibility into the working day" (Turning, 1999). Fairbrother and Dunning also noticed that "students stop noticing technology

within a few minutes and, after an hour, are completely comfortable". Being comfortable with technology is very important for all participants. The next three articles center around educating students through skyping with other learning communities. Diane Cordell is a retired librarian that is encouraging educators to use Skype as a " very effective means of connecting with other librarians, teachers, and students" (Cordell, 2012). Cordell has been effective in collaborating with teachers in order to Skype into their classroom and meet with their students. Cordell reflects that "the students with whom I've interacted have, without exception, been enthusiastic and appreciative (Cordell, 2012). This librarian also reminds educators to have a back-up plan. The next article that I found on Skyping is written by Adam Held a physics teacher at Shanghai Community International School in China. Held states "When done the right way, video-conferencing can add a completely different dimension to a science classroom. It truly throws open our classroom doors and allows the world to enter!" (Skyping science, 2010) There were some challenges with Held's project such as the 13 hour time difference. This was easily worked out by reserving times that each student "worked with one another" (Skyping science, 2010). The last research article I found on skyping is about Author visits. This is something my Media Center has been very interested in offering. Last year, we did offer a

NASA field trip but that was done through our technology department and science department. Kate Messner who writes for the School Library Journal sets up authors to skype into classrooms. One of the authors, Laurel Synder, loves the fact that "the kids see an author as a regular person, a human being, doing a job that they could do, too, if they wanted to work hard" (Messner, 2012). Messner goes on to say that most educators become more relaxed with skyping the more they use the tool. Katherine Sokolowski, a fifth grade teacher, states that students that are skyping "are more connected, and they see it as an extension of the classroom and the curriculum. (Messner, 2012)" Sounds like a great tool for all educators to try utilizing in their classroom. The potential for using skyping in the classroom are huge. As I mentioned earlier, fieldtrips are a great way to introduce skyping. NASA has some great field trips (www.nasa.gov) Another way to use Skype is through author visits. Kate Messner talks about the free services offered by authors. Messner has a list of free authors that can be found on the School Library Journal web page at http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6673572.html. It was so exciting to see so many teen authors available. Another great way to use skype is through international collaboration (Skyping science, 2010) Language classes can certainly

benefit from having classes with a foreign country and any other class can benefit from having partners " halfway around the world" (Skyping science, 2010).

After exploring the tool first hand, I am liking it even more. I found out that two of my sons have Skype so they participated in my "experiment" and skyped with their Mom. We did have a little trouble with the audio but we all connected our headsets and it worked better. I wonder if it will be difficult for a whole class to ask questions or will we have to set up a microphone for questions? I really feel like this tool has so much potential to reach so many educational needs in the future. Technology including phones are getting better and better so I see Skying on phones becoming a reality in the near future.

The tool is so easy to set up and use. Almost anyone can download it and it is free for the basic. This is such a great service that so many people are using to stay connected with loved ones and colleagues all over the world.

One of the barriers of this tool are " when multiple computers are video conferencing at the same time, they can be a drain on the schools bandwidth" (Skyping science, 2010). Therefore, it is essential to have a great technology

department that is available during the Skyping session. As I mentioned earlier, time coordination is important when you are skyping with another class or with someone that is in a different time zone. It is also important to read your schools "district's policy for acceptable computer use and review internet safety with students" (Skyping science, 2010). Some districts may have to rewrite their policy in order to have a skyping program.

"In coming years technology will be used more and more to introduce young

people to global ideas and the important conversations that emerge from relationships across the world. And they won't even have to leave their classrooms" (Messner, 2012). This statement says it all for future Skyping. With budget cuts and so many programs being cancelled, this is a way to continue global education for students in all settings. This tool has so much potential to reach so many areas of education.

References

Cordell, D. (2012). Skype and the embedded librarian. Retrieved June 26, 2012, from Library Technology Reports, 48(2), 8-11.: http://search.proquest.com/docview/927128199?accountid=10661 Ford, L., & Vaughn, C. (2011). Working together more than alone: Students evolving perceptions of self and community within a four-year educational administration doctoral cohort. The Qualitative Report, 16(6), , pp. 1645-1658. Messner, K. (2012). Author visits? . School Library Journal, 58(3), , 30-30. Skype. (n.d.). Retrieved from Skype.com: http://about.skype.com/ Skype an Author. (n.d.). Retrieved June 25, 2012, from skypeanauthor: http://skypeanauthor.wetpaint.com Skyping science. (2010). Retrieved from The science teacher, 77(7: http://sfx.gsu.edu/sfx_academic? Turning adversity to advantage: The department for education and employment uses managed videconferencing to meet its changing training needs. (1999). Education & Training, 41(2), , pp. 140-143. www.nasa.gov. (n.d.). Retrieved June 25, 2012, from NASA Field Trips: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/events/field_trips.html