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Deport second graders use technology to Skype
By Mary Madewell
Published November 1, 2009
DEPORT — Second grade students at Deport Elementary School get all excited when a signal sounds on a classroom computer.
“Someone’s calling; somebody is calling us,” instructor Marsha Cunningham says is the normal reaction.
The second graders are “Skyping,” using modern technology to communicate not only with classmates across the hall but with students at the district’s Blossom campus as well. The class is in contact with a class in Midlothian with plans to talk with students in Australia and others in Paris, France.
“We are having to work around time zone issues,” Cunningham said. “The kids can’t wait to compare their Paris to ours.”
Earlier in the year, Cunningham asked for a high quality webcam, one she can hold and scan her classroom.
“It’s amazing,” Cunningham said. “We no longer have to wait on video-conferencing equipment.”
Before learning about SKYPE, a free software program that provides free Internet phone calls with both audio and video capabilities, schools relied on expensive video-conferencing equipment. Now with a webcam and a Skype download, instructors can reach out on their own.
Skype has been around awhile, but only in recent years have broadband Internet connections been fast enough to support the program sufficiently. Headquartered in Germany, Skype came on the market in 2002 and was purchased by eBay in 2005. Now there are 42.5 million daily users around the world, according to information from the company Web site at www.skype.com.
Using a projector, instructors can project images on a large screen so everyone in the classroom can see.
“The kids are so excited about using Skype and I have to say that I am too,” Cunningham said.
She and Blossom second grade teacher Stacy Bethel have paired to begin a Skype Book Club. Both teachers read the same book to students and at the end of the week both classrooms analyze and evaluate the book via Skype.
“We are still trying to get it to run smoothly and get all of the bugs out, but the students are thrilled,” Cunningham said. “I think the students are amazed to see that other kids their age are reading the same literature that we are.”
Cunningham said she had one student ask her if she had to take books to the Blossom teacher.
“I told him that Mrs. Bethel had her own book and that many copies of the same story are printed for people all over the world to read,” Cunningham said. “I guess that hadn’t really become relevant to that student until then.”
When asked about Skype, students seemed willing to talk.
“You get to travel all around the world and you might can learn new languages,” Brayden Oats said.
Emma Victory said she likes to call other teachers and classrooms.
“You can visit other classrooms and see what they are doing,” Emily Newman said.
J.D. Martinez seemed equally impressed.
“I like Skype because you can meet people and learn about them,” he said.
Michael Carpenter echoed enthusiasm.
“You can learn about what things are in other people’s class and see what they are learning,” he said.
Lily Gilbert said she liked to talk to the Blossom classroom.
“We can talk to Mrs. Bethel’s class about the story and tell what we liked about it and ask them what they liked about it too,” she said.
Cunninham summarized the benefit of “Skyping” this way:
“Skype has allowed us, as educators, to bring our history and social studies curriculum to life,” she said. “It is no longer a point on a map. It is now a face, a voice and a story, often times very similar to our own.”
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