Anyone using Skype?

[Rachel Brockman]

I work in a K-2 school, and today we used Skype to meet with an author for the first time. Two kindergarten classes are collaborating with me to study alphabet books and then create their own. My students had generated questions questions about their writing, so we Skyped alphabet book author, Michael Shoulders. An absolutely wonderful experience - my 5 year old patrons were conferring with an alphabet book expert! Anyone else using Skype (or other video-conferencing) in conjuntion with your collaboration with teachers?

[Nancy Buchholz]

Wow, Rachel! That is really cool. How did you find out that Michael Shoulders would do a Skype "visit"? That sounds like a really wonderful way to "meet" an author. Are there other authors or illustrators that do this? Thanks for sharing.

[Rachel Brockman]

Sorry Nancy! Haven't been on in a ridiculously long time! We met Mr. Shoulders when he actually came to our school for an author visit several years ago. He is a Skype user, and and wanted to try out an author visit to see how it would work. I think we are on the early cusp of the author/videoconference thing. I have heard that Alabama author, Charles Ghigna, is also experimenting with this. I think it will take time for us to have a bank of authors using these new technologies. We need to ease them into it!

[Sharon Burke]

We are going to try to Skype 3 classes on linear equations--our two middles schools with the high school. Keeping our fingers crossed that it will work. The idea behind it is that every year the math teacher notices the 9th graders struggling with material they already encountered in the 8th grade and so thought it might be fun and more memorable if the classes collaborated.

[Rachel Brockman]

Sharon - how did the linear equations Skype go?

[Ann Krembs]

My husband and I recently just got our next job through Skype! We teach internationally, and after our 3rd Skype interview with the International School of Beijing they offered us positions! Cool huh? We're excited for our move after five wonderful years in Bombay, India.

[Sally]

Rachel,
How did you find the author with Skype accounts? I've had very little success with find thme...I have no problem asking them to join us-I'd even pay a hourly rate. Most authors love it. Did he chat for free?
So Sherlock Rachel--how did you find them. Wouldn't be a great idea to build a database for SKYPE capable authors?

[Rachel Brockman]

I absolutely agree - it would be fabulous if we had a database of authors willing to visit with our schools in this manner... Found Mr. Shoulders at a conference - he visited our school, and we kept in touch. He is a Skype user, and we decided to give it a go... Michael Shoulders did our first session for free, as he was feeling this whole thing out to test its feasibility. He has agreed to work with us in the future for a sum somewhere between $100-$150 per hour. Maybe we can begin here - try to find a bank of names and then I can begin a list on my website... Let me know if you find anyone else who is willing!

[Margaret Whalley-Thompson]

New to the library. Please explain Skype. What does it do, how is it accessed?

[Rachel Brockman]

Hey Margaret! Skype is a free program you can download from their website (www.skype.com) that allows you to make free phone calls over the Internet. If you and the person you are calling both have webcams, you are able to see one another, too. You have to create an account with them, and enter in the user names of those you wish to call. If you wish to try it out, download it, and send me an email through this forum - I can get you my user name, and we can try it out. So many wonderful applications - had a 2nd grade class Skype a bat expert for a project - will be Skyping a meteorologist next week with a 1st grade class. It's good stuff!

[Donna Forester]

I can't find it now, but not long ago Patrick Carman (Dark Hills Divide, Atherton) had something on his website about being interested in trying Skype.

[Melinda Pennington]

I am in a middle school in North Carolina that was recently blessed with a big technology grant. We have Skyped in meeting presentations and between classes in our school. But now we have made a contact through e-Pals to a class in New Jersey. We will be Skyping an 8th grade class about the Civil War--North vs. South informational debate. It will be our first exchange with total strangers. I'll let you know how it turns out.

[Rachel Brockman]

Melinda - Were you guys able to get your Skype session done? How did it go?