I learned from Amber Rowland via Jana Craig Hare that SKYPE is giving educators FREE one-year subscriptions to group SKYPE! Even university faculty count. Sign-up and they will upgrade you to the premium account. Jana says you should receive your code within 24 hours!
Happy collaborating!
You are invited to nominate your school for a chance to win a $50,000 grand-prize grant or one of four $25,000 grants to help give your kids the power to grow and transform through playing, creating and exploring—the pillars of education inside and outside the classroom. Clorox is giving $150,000 to help schools nationwide, and now for the program’s third year it’s easier than ever to nominate deserving schools.
Anyone 18 or older can do it—simply pick a category (Play, Create or Explore) to nominate a new or existing program at your school and tell us how a grant would make a difference in your school community. Nominations will be accepted now through October 17th at www.PowerABrightFuture.com.
How technology helps to brighten the future
To further engage with teachers in a discussion about the role of technology in school, and what resources you need to deliver new programs, Skype and Clorox will host interactive chats for interested teachers during September and October. More details will be available via Skype in the classroom soon. Meanwhile, if you are interested in participating, please ‘favorite’ the project and we will send you an email you as soon as registration is open.
For more program details visit www.PowerABrightFuture.com. Please help spread the word by sharing this grant opportunity with your network and colleagues.
Thank you,
Skype in the classroom team.
Skype is a free and easy way for teachers to open up their classroom and their students to a world way beyond their campus. With Skype, students can learn from other students, connect with other cultures, and expand their knowledge in amazing ways. Teachers and parents can also benefit from Skype in the classroom. Read below to learn how you can take advantage of the power of Skype in your classroom.
Check out the resources at: http://www.teachingdegree.org/2009/06/30/50-awesome-ways-to-use-skype-in-the-classroom/.
More teachers are using the free videoconferencing program Skype in the classroom, but some say there is the potential for frivolous use of the online tool. To make the most of the program, proponents say it is perhaps most useful in connecting foreign-language students to native speakers in other countries, connecting with real-world experts or taking students on virtual field trips. Read the full story at Education Week
Michael Zimmer of The Pursuit of Technology Integration Happiness lists his top 10 resources for 2010. Most would be on my list as well. The interesting part is everyone of the resources on the list is blocked in many of schools. I guess I am envious that Michael teaches in a school district that “gets it.” Don’t get me wrong, I show all this stuff to my pre-service teachers, but unfortunately many do not get the opportunity to practice it in the schools they do their internships.
And here we go again………a topic I have written about numerous times, the tail is wagging the dog. In other words, the IT department is making decisions about want can and cannot be used in the classroom for teachers. How crazy is that! That is like me telling a doctor which knife to use in the operating room. I am certainly not qualified to be doing that. Recently I was in a school that I will be doing some staff development for next semester, and I suggested we use some of the Google tools, because they are free and easy. The answer I got was, oh no, out IT department won’t allow that, “it opens up too many thing.” Talk about the tail wagging the dog. The administrators I was meeting with were very open minded and they really want the professional development to succeed, so I am going to think positive and hope we can move the IT department into the 21st century.
Michael’s List of top ten.
Cyndi’s Top Ten (no particular order)
I just learned from 9 to 5 Mac, a great website with Mac info and news that Skype just updated their Skype application for iOS to include video chat functionality. It works both over WiFi and 3G networks and two-way video calling is supported by the iPhone 4, iPod touch 4, and iPhone 3GS. The iPad and third generation iPod touch support one-way video calling. Just like on Apple’s FaceTime application Skype for iPhone will video conference in both portrait and landscape orientations.
An Evansville, Ill., elementary school is incorporating technology into the classroom for its youngest students. Kindergarten students use an iPad app to work on reading and the alphabet, while Skype videoconferencing allows them to interact with authors of children’s books and solve weekly math problems that are posed by various Skype guests. “The engagement is the big thing,” their teacher said. Evansville Courier & Press (Ind.)
Read the full story, CLICK HERE
A free directory that connects teachers and helps them use Skype to enrich students’ educational experience.
http://blogs.skype.com/classroom-pre-register/
There are lots of teachers out there doing amazing things with Skype. But many of them say their biggest obstacle is finding other teachers and classes to connect with.
We’re developing a free online directory to make it easy for teachers to connect with other teachers and resources from around the world. The directory will launch in December in English only.
nce you sign up with your Skype account and create a profile, you’ll be able to search for other teachers and classes by subject and region. You can also share inspiration and tips to help kids learn with Skype.From today teachers can request an invitation to use the beta version of the directory. If you’re a teacher and you would like to be among the first to use Skype in the classroom, provide your email address and we’ll send you an invitation.
To keep on top of the latest news with this project, visit us on Facebook and Twitter.
Educators at two neighboring Florida elementary schools are using videoconferencing technology to connect students in their kindergarten classes. For three months, the students in the two classes have held weekly Skype conferences to share writing assignments, drawings and other projects, which one teacher said has helped the broaden the students’ awareness of the world outside their classroom.
To Read the full story : The Tampa Tribune (Fla.)
Additional Resources
Skype in the K12 Classroom; Collaborate, Communicate and Innovate, presentation by Kevin Jarrett
Videoconferencing in the Classroom with Skype, Arizona K12 Center, by Tony Vincent
Cool Cat Tips for Using Skype in the Classroom, by Vicki Davis
The Many Roles of Skype in the Classroom, by Neil Stephenson
Using Skype in the Classroom, from Teacher Hub
