What is Skype?:
Skype is a free internet phone service that allows you talk, video chat, or text chat free to anyone else with a Skype account. For example, while living in Chile, my mother was able to see and talk to my first born son as soon as we got home from the hospital via Skype.
You also have the option to deposit money into your account to make phone calls to land lines or cell phones or send SMS messages for a small fraction of the cost of your traditional service.
The service that has been most useful for me is having a Skype phone number. I was able to pay a small fee to have a phone number with my home town area code that people could call (local charges for them if they were in that area code and skype fees for me, which are minimal) at any time. I also had that service forwarded to my cell phone in India while living there so that anytime I was offline and someone from the US or anywhere else called, the call would go straight to my cell phone.
Skype can also be very useful in the classroom. While living and teaching in India, I had to return to the US for a family emergency and missed two weeks of school. By using the very interactive software DyKnow and Skype, I was able to teach my students in India from Texas. I used DyKnow to present the lesson, and Skype to talk to them. It was amazing. When I returned, it was like we never missed a beat.
There are also other various ways to use Skype in the classroom. Students can communicate and collaborate with each other or with students from other schools. Teachers can collaborate with each other no matter their location. Files, images, videos, and links can also be shared via Skype. The options are limitless.
Below is an excellent tutorial video by Cool Cat Teacher to help you get started with Skype as well as ideas for how to use it in the classroom. I also highly suggest you check out her blog post about skype. You can follow her on Twitter at @coolcatteacher.
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