My class and I have been using Skype for the last 2 weeks to talk to my sister, Ali, while she is interning in Israel. My sister spends part of each day in a school in Tel Aviv and I thought it would be a fun idea to have my class learn about what school is like in another country.
It has been a real eye opening experiecne for my class. Firstof all, they did not understandf the time difference until my sister took her laptop outside to show them that it wasw noght time even though we had just come back from lunch.
One of the biggest challenges I found while doing this with my class has been them not understanding that they cvan not all talk to my sister at once. When we are working in whole group I can normally dicifer if several of them are talking at the same time. This is not the case when Ali is trying to pick up the sounds on a microphone on the computer. My kids have to repeat their questions often. The kids also do not understand why sometimes the picture freezes, but we are all working on being patient.
As my sister works more in her school program she has been able to bring work samples and activities to show us when we chat. My students get a real life visual of what other students the same age are doing at school. They also get to see some of the books, games, and clothing that might be different and something that they are not used to seeing in their everyday lives.
Overall this has been a great experience for my class. It pulled them out of that me, me, me attitude, even if it was only for a short time. As we continue our social studies curriculum on cultures and community I am sure their understanding will continue to grow.
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I think that using Skype in the classroom with your students is an awesome idea! My step-mom is in Israel right now visiting the newest grandchild and we have been Skyping with her to keep up to date on everything. I would be interested in using Skype in my classroom, but I am willing to bet it's probably blocked by Baltimore County's filter.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a great idea! We talked a lot about telecollaborative projects in class and this seems like a good way to introduce kindergarteners to global learning. It seems like they have become more aware of how other people live.
ReplyDeleteFantastic!!! I love this idea,so many practical applications that support what we have been discussing. My question is does your school have Skyping capabilities or do you bring in your own laptop?
ReplyDeleteI wonder if using some kind of external microphone might help with the kids talking over each other. That way, only the person holding the microphone would have permission to speak.
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