Teacher workshop on using IT as a resource in the classroom

A teacher workshop on using Skype as an effective and innovative teaching-learning tool, was conducted by Development Advisor, Ms. Susan Thomas on 26th June 2019.

Using Skype in education is a free and an excellent way for teachers to introduce the world beyond the classroom walls to their students. Teachers, parents and students can benefit from using Skype to share, find and provide information that will help students understand and experience the real world waiting for them outside.

She described a variety of Skype collaboration projects created by educators around the world in both, one time projects and ongoing ones, lesson plans, cultural resources, etc. When children acquire a feeling of interconnectedness with their peers around the world, they are better informed and more motivated to discover for themselves.

Ms. Thomas suggested that teachers can register on education.microsoft.com to quickly become a part of Skype in the classroom enthusiasts community or join groups like Mystery Skype/ Skype in the Classroom/Skype in the classroom enthusiasts on Facebook. While the Microsoft interface could help teachers view and contribute to ideas on how best to deploy Skype collaborations in different subject areas and across age groups.The Microsoft platform also offers a number of professional development courses to enhance skills.

Ms. Thomas demonstrated ways in which Skype allows learners to explore beyond the walls of their classrooms. The ways suggested by her included:

• Virtual field Trips which take the students on an adventure without leaving their classrooms
• Invite an author by setting up a Skype session so that the students can engage with new dimensions of reading and writing skills.
• Foreign language learning
• Cultural exchange where students can learn about unfamiliar cultures by connecting with a class overseas.
• Mystery Skype, Mystery Animal/Mystery game serve as educational tools that allow two classes to guess each others country, animal or game using yes / no questions.

[gallery link="none" ids="20232,20233,20234"] Beside these, one can also connect with different classrooms around the world and thereby get exposed to diverse backgrounds and ways of learning. Skype is also exposes the students to different classrooms that may look way different from the traditional classroom which the students are used to.

Lastly, Skype in the classroom prepares the students for the future where they are likely to be exposed to a greater amount of technology.