Let me explain what I mean. Skype has been awesome in the classroom many ways. In my class we have this awesome thing called "Mystery Reader." This mystery reader comes and visits the classroom and reads a book. They send in three clues in the morning before they arrive in the afternoon before my class leaves for home. The kids then try to guess who is the "mystery reader" by the clues given. Many times we have had "mystery reader" call in over Skype or Google circles etc. When they call in the read a special book they have chosen. It all works so well and the children love it. This is just one way that we use it in the classroom.
On a personal level, my oldest son Cameron, is in Lishui, China teaching English and will be there for almost a year. As you can imagine I miss him very much but the invention of Skype like apps have made it much more bearable. The app that we use is called Viber and it is an awesome way to keep in touch with people internationally for FREE!! Yes Free!! It sounds to good to be true but it is true. I can text, call and video call just like Skype for free. This has been such a lifesaving lifeline for me. I am sure my son would be fine without it. So if you ever go over seas make sure to download Viber. I don't really know how they make money but they do. I was introduced to it by my sister the year before my son left because they were traveling Europe for the summer. It worked well and she was continually sending me pictures. Here is the link: http://www.viber.com/en/
Kat,
ReplyDeleteI LOVE that you use Skype for your “Mystery Readers”… What a great way to introduce this concept to our young students.
I have also used Viber when my husband travels internationally and I totally endorse this free application and let me explain why… When we were in college, my husband studied abroad for six and half months. We committed to talking every Sunday afternoon but had to limit our time because of the international calling fees. Before he left we went to RadioShack to buy mini cassette players and tapes so we could record things that happened on a daily basis. We would mail the tapes back and forth to one another to share what all was going on while we were apart… To think that today people have ability to communicate immediately with these free applications such as Skype or Viber was truly unfathomable several decades ago! LOL!!!!!! I know you appreciate being able to see as well as hear Cameron’s voice while he teaches half a world away! His students are so lucky to have him for a teacher! I wish him well and look forward to hearing about his experience.
OMG! I totally agree with Viber. It has been a God send because it is so expensive to call over seas. We have come such a long way and aren't we lucky because of our own kids. :)
ReplyDelete