TES Magazine Article 'Scope for Skype' by Stephen Manning

I have to thank Joe Dale http://joedale.typepad.com/integrating_ict_into_the_/ for letting me know that the article was published in the TES Magazine on Friday 5th January ( I missed it as I believed it was to be published on Friday 12th - but received a pleasant surprise today ). The second reason for thanking Joe, is that having met him while using Skype, and having joined in a skypecast or two with him, it was Joe who mentioned the work that we were doing in school to Stephen Manning who then contacted me in order to write the piece - Thank You very much Joe, the desired effect hopefully of widening our colleague's understanding of the new Web 2.0 technologies.
I am in the process of listening to Graham Wegner's K12 online 2006 video podcast on why Web 2.0 is useful in the classroom and how it enables teachers to achieve using web 2.0 tools http://k12online.wm.edu/wegnerk12.mp4, in preparation for a skypecast this evening - Graham puts a very good case for the use of Web 2.0, explaining that it will only become more widely used if the technology is relevant to our colleagues.
This links directly to Skype as a tool, the connections that we have made is nothing new, teachers, classes and schools have been linking for years - it's the potential for linking and talking ( and seeing - using a webcam ) to people anywhere in the world via the internet that is an added bonus ( a much cheaper and less 'techie' method than going for full blown videoconferencing ). The K12 online planning wiki is at http://k12online.wikispaces.com/

What has Skype given us - number one from my point is that it has given the children in my class a voice, it has enabled them to frame questions, and ask them ( asking a person sat 13,000 miles away ), and responding to the reply they get and formulating a further question - so a big boost the speaking and listening in my classroom.

skype in education