Teachers Teaching Teachers #232 - Skype in the Classroom with George Mayo and Brianna Reynaud - 1.19.11

Skype is trying something new, and we wanted to find out what it’s all about. Do you use Skype in your classroom—or have considered it? Then you might enjoy this episode of Teachers Teaching Teachers.

We were intrigued when we saw “Skype in the classroom: A free directory that connects teachers and helps them use Skype to enrich students’ educational experience.”

When we saw that George Mayo was involved, we asked him to come explain what the project is trying to do.  As he explained:

I was one of many teachers Skype talked with. They are basically trying to set up a network for teachers who are using, or want to use Skype in their classrooms. The site is still in Beta I believe. It’s a great idea. I can also talk about how we just recently used Skype for our documentary project in my middle school classroom. We were able to Skype in and record about 15 different experts in different topics for our 18 different documentaries we are currently making. It would be interesting to hear what other teachers are doing with Skype. 

We were also joined on this podcast by Brianna Reynaud. As the Senior PR Manager for Skype in the Americas, Ms. Reynaud works “with media, bloggers and other organizations to spread the word about Skype across the region.” To get a sense of Brianna, check out a few of her recent twitter posts:

• The “Granny Cloud” uses Skype to educate children in India thenextweb.com/apps/2011/01/1… via @thenextweb

• It was love at first Skype http://t.co/VS39KBM (via The Scottish Sun)

• Michigan soldier watches daughter’s birth over Internet using Skype http://t.co/81SYPV6 via @freep

And check this out: Elie Wiesel, David Axelrod, and special guests talk politics via Skype at the Conference of Nobel Laureates at 92Y.

Enjoy this conversation with old and new friends of Skype!

Click Read more to see a copy of the chat that was happening during the webcast.

12:33:40 vvrotny: Welcome all
12:35:00 matt montagne: yes indeed...richard shares good stuff on his blog
12:35:08 arvind: hey folks, welcome!
12:35:13 arvind: getting the stream fired up
12:35:59 matt montagne: i would agree w/that, Richard...heavy, heavy focus on content and curriculum in the private school world.
12:36:11 matt montagne: little focus on pedagogy/form
12:36:59 vvrotny: I love the TPACK model
12:37:28 vvrotny: http://www.tpack.org/tpck/index.php?title=Main_Page
12:38:15 matt montagne: TPACK is a solid model, vinnie. It acknowledges that technology, conent, and pedagogy are all important in effective teaching, which has always been the case I suppose.
12:39:43 matt montagne: a few others to consider...Zoho and MSoft Live EDU...
12:39:46 arvind: Is Google Apps ready for schools that don't want to be on the cutting edge?
12:39:56 vvrotny: YouTube is not included in the apps work
12:40:03 matt montagne: Here is another question...is Google Apps 'cutting edge?'
12:40:21 jrichardson30: Stream up or is it just me that can't get it?
12:40:49 matt montagne: when you consider that users have been using private/personal web based email accounts for years now, Google really doesn't seem that cutting edge.
12:41:17 arvind: Richard's post about Google accounts: http://www.kassblog.com/2010/12/google-account-conflicts/
12:41:27 arvind: JRicardson: try ustream on the right
12:42:11 matt montagne: I guess google apps is cutting edge when you consider that many school email systems quota users at 100 mb or less even (that was the case with our firstclass system that we dumped in favor of gapps).
12:42:45 matt montagne: users still could use outlook with google apps...we have some users who use a client like outlook
12:44:16 matt montagne: one way to start with google apps that doesn't require much effort is to simply turn on docs...make it available for kids and teachers to use at their choice and discretion.
12:44:20 jrichardson30: Ugh, finally ustream widget loaded. 
12:44:49 matt montagne: that model creates organic use...kids gravitate toward collaborative writing spaces for things like movie scripts, collaborative presentations, data collection in forms, etc.
12:45:43 jrichardson30: was wondering you use it with elem grades
12:46:38 arvind: We started with Docs (then Spreadsheets) and then added Calendars. Has been organic, but as a result, strategic
12:46:42 fred: hi all
12:46:45 arvind: not strategic, i meant
12:46:49 arvind: hi fred
12:47:35 arvind: http://typewith.me is great site to collaborate without needing any setups
12:47:45 matt montagne: it also is quite nice for students to be a few clicks away from creating websites for class projects and so forth...
12:48:21 matt montagne: portfolio assessment becomes possible with the various google apps as well...
12:48:47 matt montagne: also, we now can do lifetime email for our alums...our class of 2010 still uses their email on an almost daily basis!!!
12:48:57 arvind: I think docs is the killer app in Google Apps platform, but the rest seems user-focused, and not organization-focused
12:49:58 matt montagne: contact sharing across the apps is the feature that makes it worthwhile
12:50:07 matt montagne: no
12:50:17 fred: anyone concerned about putting too many eggs in the google basket?
12:50:26 matt montagne: users having acess to blogger, youtube, etc really is only useful for authentication
12:51:22 matt montagne: fred, even though we use google apps, we still have tons of other non-google tools being used...pages, office, open office, voicethread, imovie, moviemaker, etc.
12:51:55 fred: matt, same approach here
12:52:03 william stites: The right tool for the right job/problem
12:52:19 matt montagne: google apps useful for group/team productivity...office client apps useful for individual productivity
12:52:48 matt montagne: but that is changing too...
12:52:53 william stites: Difference w/Moodle, Wordpress & to some degree Office is that you own the platform
12:53:06 matt montagne: cloud apps are starting to work like client apps...and client apps are starting to work like cloud apps
12:53:09 william stites: Google docs is very appealing, but you don't own it
12:53:20 jrichardson30: challenging, but skills learned jumping between apps/tools is very valuable in our world
12:53:22 matt montagne: why do you mean by that, william??
12:53:47 kassissieh: I don't think we own MS Office any more than we own Google Apps.
12:54:08 william stites: Single Sign On can help merging tools
12:54:11 matt montagne: I think your point is really important to acknowledge, Richard.
12:54:14 william stites: SIS, Moodle, Google Apps
12:54:19 arvind: And Google changes the rules whenever they want to. That's the ownership difference. My Moodle server is mine and won't change until I change it
12:54:26 jrichardson30: Share point....ugh!
12:54:42 jrichardson30: We have that as well, but just not user friendly
12:54:50 arvind: @wstites we are using SSo as much as possible to help with username/password explosion. We're down to 2 for all platforms that we have
12:55:04 matt montagne: true, Arvind...but because their user base is so massive, they are motivated to not tick them off. As a result, most of their decisiions have been common sense.
12:55:09 jrichardson30: SP has gotten better, but it's still cumbersome and nothing seems to be as easy google stuff
12:55:17 fred: Watched 'The Social Network' yesterday and it made me think again about information that Google/Twitter/Facebook etc. are collecting about us.
12:55:47 arvind: @matt really? Changing OS experiences on a random day is how they have to roll. They can't pretrain people. We would never do that with any technology we dployed
12:56:19 arvind: Google Apps to me is the best idea every, deployed fairly averagely
12:56:33 arvind: best idea ever, rather
12:56:42 matt montagne: @arvind...in our two years of using it, I can't think of a change they've made, large or small, that has hacked us off
12:56:49 william stites: SSO is like the Holy Grail...
12:57:07 kassissieh: We don't plan to sync passwords -- not comfortable with pushing passwords from our network to the cloud, even if encrypted. Thoughts?
12:57:13 arvind: Having Google mail, docs, sites, Picasa, blogger is a pretty incredible toolkit for schools
12:57:38 matt montagne: that has been our thinking as well, Richard...we don't sync passwords.
12:57:40 arvind: @kassissieh Google is maniacal about passwords - they don't sync, they push people back to you to log in. About as safe as it can get
12:57:45 kassissieh: Vinnie, can you view/search all of the videos for one's domain?
12:57:47 william stites: @kassissieh - You don't need to push passwords, there are different methods to prove you are who you are without passwords
12:58:19 kassissieh: Arvind, can you point me to documentation for that? We only found documentation for running a sync tool on one's domain that pushes usernames and passwords to Apps.
12:58:20 william stites: Actually went to a good workshop at FinalSiteU on SSO and how it works
12:58:39 william stites: @kassissieh - I'll see if I have my notes on it
12:59:23 vvrotny: @richard - if when you upload them, you can have it public within the domain. Or you can share only by link.
12:59:40 matt montagne: its a connundrum to be certain, Arvind...the pros and cons are many
13:00:03 matt montagne: what I really like about the platform is how it allows us to be agnostic to hardware and even software
13:00:27 william stites: @kassissieh - Just sent you the notes.
13:00:33 vvrotny: Great article by Doug Johnson - 2010, The Year of the Cloud - http://doug-johnson.squarespace.com/blue-skunk-blog/2010/12/31/2010-the-...
13:00:49 matt montagne: blackberries, iPhone, windows, mac, linux...google services don't care.
13:03:20 william stites: Question I have is how many tools are enough
13:03:22 vvrotny: equal access, platform independent, device independent
13:03:48 jrichardson30: we are wiki based on our collaboration, but the simultaneous editing is a stubbling block for sure!
13:03:51 william stites: if you invest time in Moodle (or some other tool) how many others do you bring on
13:04:15 william stites: I think that you can actually "plug-in" to Moodle
13:04:19 william stites: to use something else
13:04:26 william stites: remember seeing that a while ago
13:04:30 william stites: didn't do it myself
13:05:12 kassissieh: Bill, we have run Moodle here for five years, so it's pretty much part of the fabric of the place now. Is that what you mean?
13:05:13 matt montagne: there is a SSO connection to google apps from moodle william...but then your bottleneck becomes moodle. And Google's uptime will be better than moodle's
13:05:20 jrichardson30: How do you go about migrating users from AD into google apps?  Is it really complicated?
13:05:33 matt montagne: it isn't easy, jrich...but can be done.
13:06:43 matt montagne: Office = powerful desktop publishing Google Docs = powerful group collaboration. Both work in tandem as companion tools.
13:06:47 arvind: jrichardson: we pay Ping Identity 20cents/user/month to have them synchrnoize google apps to our active directory. Works pretty well
13:07:01 matt montagne: arvind, does that synchronize groups??
13:07:21 matt montagne: I agree...the money argument doesn't hold much weight.
13:07:40 jrichardson30: arvind, good to know, thanks
13:08:24 matt montagne: that is slick in moodle 2.0...users can push content out of moodle into google apps, flickr, mahara, etc
13:09:47 matt montagne: true...Moodle is becoming agnostic by providing easier ways to push content out of their system.
13:10:55 jrichardson30: We are so short-staffed in the tech coaching dept that if we did launch this, I don't know how we would get everyone on-board...
13:10:55 william stites: Is there a question/issue with those that already have Google accounts vs the new Apps for Ed account?
13:11:22 matt montagne: your users can't work in the same browser with personal accounts and domain accts.
13:11:49 jrichardson30: Arvind, Matt-Did you see a steep learning curve when implementing google apps with your faculty/students?  Or was it pretty painless?
13:11:52 johnpal: You can use same browser now; google has multi-account login now.
13:12:03 matt montagne: actually, that last statement I made isn't entirely true, but it is a recommendation we make to our users.
13:12:19 william stites: This is where I wanted to bring someone in to help manage any transition we might want...
13:12:19 arvind: jrichardson
13:12:20 arvind: :
13:12:28 matt montagne: that's right, john...but it only works for some of their services....its a bit confusing.
13:12:29 arvind: the learning curve is around how to use it well
13:12:42 matt montagne: we had 77 users affected out of 575
13:12:56 fred: thanks all... lots of good information
13:13:03 jrichardson30: that's what I mean, looking at it from a tech coach's perspective
13:14:40 william stites: these are a lot of the issue that have come up with the apps for ed that has made me cautious as they are time consuming
13:15:13 matt montagne: One of the reasons that we in tech at our site really like the system is in how it empowers people--no longer do they need to come to us to create collaborative work spaces.
13:15:27 william stites: you almost need a inventory of file ownership fo rkey documents
13:15:37 matt montagne: sunsetting accounts in a logical way has always been difficult, no doubt.
13:15:38 kassissieh: http://kassblog.com/2010/12/google-account-conflicts
13:16:04 matt montagne: great conversation...great 'cast...thanks a bunch!
13:16:21 william stites: thx Richard!
13:16:23 arvind: thanks for being here, everyone!
13:16:39 jrichardson30: thanks!
13:16:46 jrichardson30: learned some good stuff
15:37:25 S Adams: hello???
15:40:33 S Adams: anyone logged in???
15:43:24 S Adams: Hi Peggy G! I'm one of Ms. Adam's students! :-)
15:46:45 PeggyG: Hi there S Adams :-) Looking forward to hearing this conversation. :-)
15:47:21 S Adams: yup me too!
15:47:39 PeggyG: are they streaming video or just audio?
15:48:04 S Adams: we are trying to get both going
15:48:13 S Adams: we've been having trouble with audio
15:48:23 S Adams: but we can definitley see you
15:49:25 PeggyG: looking good and I see Amanda :-) no audio yet...I'll wait patiently.
15:50:36 S Adams: now we can hear!
15:50:53 PeggyG: I can't hear yet
15:52:21 PeggyG: hearing some music briefly-now audio! yeah!!
15:54:08 PeggyG: getting closer... :-) can see Sheila and hear Lisa and students
15:54:27 PeggyG: lost Amanda's image and voice
15:54:47 S Adams: ok working on it
15:55:13 S Adams: my cam twist isnt working
15:55:29 PeggyG: so sorry. wish I could help
15:56:26 S Adams: oh thats fine
15:56:40 S Adams: i think we almost got it
16:00:30 S Adams: we lost the video
16:01:04 PeggyG: I can see video (your screen) but not the Skype participants
16:01:10 PeggyG: still no audio though
16:02:37 S Adams: oh ok
16:03:14 S Adams: can u hear us now???
16:06:06 PeggyG: just briefly yes!
16:06:25 PeggyG: heard about 5 secs and now nothing
16:06:43 PeggyG: heard Lisa's voice and Sheila's voice about climate change
16:07:54 S Adams: oh i think just because we kinda talked over each other
16:07:58 S Adams: its alright
16:08:01 S Adams: now we are good
16:08:36 PeggyG: not hearing anything now though
16:09:06 PeggyG: hearing now :-) yeah!
16:10:57 PeggyG: audio keeps cutting out. can't hear now
16:11:28 S Adams: we shut off the microphone so that there wont be any echo
16:12:31 PeggyG: ok
16:19:41 PeggyG: guess it's over :-) thanks for trying
16:20:21 S Adams: Sorry about that!
16:20:28 S Adams: My computer is not doing well.
16:21:02 S Adams: Thanks for being there!
16:21:23 PeggyG: no problem! my laptop just died and I'm having to buy a new one so I can relate
16:21:29 S Adams: :)
16:21:36 S Adams: Hope you are well!
16:21:36 PeggyG: catch you next time
16:21:42 S Adams: Thanks again!
20:48:22 SusanEttenheim: hi paul
20:48:26 SusanEttenheim: hi carenmac
20:48:47 Paul Allison: Hi!
20:49:13 Paul Allison: http://paulallison.tumblr.com/post/2821069095/skype-in-the-classroom-wit...
20:49:44 Paul Allison: http://paulallison.tumblr.com/post/2821069095/skype-in-the-classroom-wit...
20:49:58 Paul Allison: http://voicesonthegulf.org/discussion/replicating-site-australia
20:52:40 SusanEttenheim: hi c fahnoe welcome!
20:53:39 SusanEttenheim: hi chris
20:53:46 Chris Sloan: Hi all.
20:53:56 Paul Allison: Happy Birthday to your wife.
20:53:58 Chris Sloan: Do I see Chris Fahnoe in here too?
20:54:20 Chris Sloan: Wife's birthday is tomorrow. That's why I'm here tonight
20:54:32 stacy k: Hello, all
20:54:47 Chris Sloan: hi Stacy k
20:55:01 rachael: Hi everyone
20:55:15 stacy k: hi, Rachel
20:55:22 stacy k: RachAel
20:56:28 stacy k: Is there audio or are we all just typing now?
20:56:43 rachael: yep thats right stacey - dad couldnt spell it so he thought is sounded close to michael
20:56:45 stacy k: or should I say...chatting
20:57:28 C. Fahnoe: Hello Chris!
20:57:39 stacy k: Where is everyone from?
20:57:43 C. Fahnoe: And hello to all
20:57:45 stacy k: NJ here
20:57:49 Chris Sloan: Hi Chris. How's stats
20:57:50 C. Fahnoe: I from outside of Chicago
20:58:04 C. Fahnoe: Love stats, regressions are my close companion
20:58:05 ggroulx: hello all from prince Rupert, Bc
20:58:09 C. Fahnoe: And you?
20:58:16 Chris Sloan: I think I'm regressing
20:58:34 george mayo: Hello everyone
20:58:42 Chris Sloan: Hi George
20:58:44 Silvia-l@angwitches: Hello from Florida
20:58:53 george mayo: Hey Chris
20:59:49 Chris Sloan: Where in Florida Silvia?
20:59:59 Silvia- @langwitches: Jacksonville
21:00:14 Chris Sloan: I went there once. And the Okefenokee
21:00:25 stacy k: Are we talking Skype tonight?
21:00:37 Chris Sloan: Yes we're talking Skype
21:00:52 stacy k: Has anyone used Skype on their cell phone?
21:01:04 stacy k: Hi, Peggy!
21:01:11 Brianna: Thanks for having me. Happy to answer questions and/or find answers for all things Skype.
21:01:18 PeggyG: Hi Stacy!
21:01:20 george mayo: Hi Silvia,
21:01:31 Chris Sloan: Thanks for being here Brianna
21:01:35 PeggyG: really looking forward to this conversation!!!
21:01:38 Silvia- @langwitches: Hello George
21:01:43 stacy k: me, too
21:02:06 Silvia- @langwitches: @Stacy k Yes, I have used skype on my iPhone
21:02:26 PeggyG: I use Skype chat a lot on my iphone
21:02:30 SusanEttenheim: george - your skype isn't on?
21:02:35 stacy k: Silvia...that's the only wayI'll be able to use it my classroom...Looking for tips and tricks
21:02:56 george mayo: on now susan
21:02:57 PeggyG: Paul says everything "real fast" :-)
21:02:59 stacy k: My district won't let me use it on the computer so thought i could use that as a workaround
21:03:02 Silvia- @langwitches: @stacy k Do you have a document camera to project to big screen?
21:03:23 stacy k: Yes
21:03:35 Silvia- @langwitches: It makes a BIG difference in students' attention span, if they can ALL see the video
21:03:52 PeggyG: audio is great!
21:04:36 stacy k: there's audio?? ????
21:04:41 stacy k: I'll leave and come back
21:04:43 PeggyG: yes click on ETT-A
21:04:52 PeggyG: it opens in itunes
21:04:55 SusanEttenheim: hi jack - welcome!
21:05:09 Jack Zangerle: Hi...!
21:05:52 PeggyG: thrilled to be in this chat room with so many awesome educators!! exciting night!
21:06:12 Jack Zangerle: My students have a Skype called scheduled with George's students next Friday! Our students are very excited...
21:06:18 SusanEttenheim: everyone - please introduce yourself! where and what do you teach?
21:06:24 george mayo: Hey Jack!
21:06:40 C. Fahnoe: Chris Fahnoe, Director of Technology, Arlington Heights, Illinois - good evening!
21:06:52 SusanEttenheim: welcome chris!
21:07:00 Silvia- @langwitches: Silvia Tolisano- 21st century learning specialist- Jacksonville, Florida
21:07:14 SusanEttenheim: hi silvia!
21:07:18 billfitzgerald: Bill Fitzgerald, open source geek, recovering teacher
21:07:29 C. Fahnoe: I walk in the shadow of Chris Sloan, but glad I am here
21:07:35 Chris Sloan: Chris Sloan - high school English teacher and media adviser, Salt Lake City, Utah
21:07:41 PeggyG: Anne Mirtschin was our special guest on Classroom 2.0 LIVE last Sat. (from Australia) and she shared some wonderful examples of how they are using Skype every day in their HS classroom.
21:08:06 SusanEttenheim: hi mark and mrs.... welcome!
21:08:09 Jack Zangerle: George... Bonnie noticed you were on tonight. We are watching and discussing your student's videos again tomorrow as part of our study
21:08:12 PeggyG: http://live.classroom20.com/archive-and-resources.html  You can listen to Anne's recording here
21:08:33 stacy k: got it
21:08:51 SusanEttenheim: great stacy!
21:08:56 PeggyG: Peggy George-retired elementary principal and university pre-service instructor, currently co-hosting Classroom 2.0 LIVE webinars every week
21:08:59 george mayo: @Jack we have lots of new productions we should be sharing soon
21:09:12 stacy k: peggy...educator extraordinaire
21:09:18 Jack Zangerle: Jack Zangerle--- 8th Grade English Teacher... Dover Plains, NY
21:09:39 stacy k: stacy...third grade teacher, Medford, NJ
21:09:48 PeggyG: are you attempting to merge any of the existing Skype directories for educators?
21:10:04 stacy k: OZ is in the house
21:10:57 PeggyG: Bill Fitzgerald is an awesome author for Drupal books! He got me on my start!
21:11:23 billfitzgerald: PeggyG - Thanks!
21:11:41 stacy k: That is so sad
21:11:42 george mayo: @silvia has anyone had the chance to set up a profile page on the new Skype for ed site?
21:12:39 Jack Zangerle: Is there a link to Skype for ed?
21:13:10 stacy k: Oh, dear...please stay safe...concerned for my friends in your country
21:13:25 PeggyG: http://www.abc.net.au/news/qld/  great site to learn about the floods
21:13:55 Brianna: http://education.skype.com
21:14:17 Chris Sloan: Here's my profile page on Skype in the Classroom: http://education.skype.com/users/706
21:14:37 SusanEttenheim: hi iscott - welcome back!
21:14:41 SusanEttenheim:  can you hear ok?
21:14:54 mrsannieeducates: no how  do we get sound?
21:14:58 PeggyG: hearing great Susan
21:15:14 SusanEttenheim: click on the little volume icon where you see participate
21:15:33 SusanEttenheim: good - thanks peggy
21:16:08 PeggyG: http://education.skype.com/users/710 this is my profiile page on Skype in Classroom Would love to connect!
21:16:56 stacy k: I did my exchange teaching in EvansHead, Au
21:17:49 stacy k: So...back to skype...I SHOULD try to use my iphone since my district won't let me use the computer? That will work?
21:18:21 PeggyG: do you have a way to project your iphone to your screen in class, Stacy?
21:18:29 mrsannieeducates: I can hear now thanks!!
21:18:40 SusanEttenheim: good news!
21:18:42 stacy k: I think so. I have the adapter that plugs into the iphone and then into  my projector
21:18:56 stacy k: I can show movies from my iphone
21:18:58 PeggyG: then definitely use your iphone with Skype! works really well for me
21:19:06 billfitzgerald: VoG link: http://voicesonthegulf.org/discussion/replicating-site-australia
21:19:10 stacy k: Great. Now I need to try it out on someone LOL
21:19:22 stacy k: thanks for the encouragement
21:19:33 PeggyG: you can try it out with me :-)
21:19:53 stacy k: I'll contact you, Peggy. Of course I WILL see you in Philly, right?
21:19:59 Jack Zangerle: Sometimes tethering a laptop through an iphone over 3g could be the best way around obstructive filters
21:20:01 stacy k: in person
21:20:10 PeggyG: Yes I'm going to ISTE11 in Philly!
21:20:11 stacy k: Ohhh...Jack...that might work
21:20:36 Jack Zangerle: @Stacy K it eliminates having to buy a special cable
21:20:57 stacy k: Well I already have the special cable but for someone else who doesn't that might be great
21:21:08 Jack Zangerle: true
21:21:10 stacy k: Anyone else coming to ISTE this summer/
21:21:17 PeggyG: glad to have the hashtag for the floods from Rachael's site: #QLDFLOODS
21:21:55 SusanEttenheim: hi jim welcome!
21:22:29 PeggyG: Hi Jim. Great to see you!
21:23:11 C. Fahnoe: I am heading to Educon in Philly
21:23:41 PeggyG: I'm jealous C Fahnoe!!! I'll be participating virtually and can't wait
21:24:00 Jack Zangerle: is there a twitter hash for educon
21:24:47 stacy k: C...where are you presenting for educon?
21:24:48 PeggyG: http://educon23.org/
21:25:00 stacy k: Hi, Jim...glad you're here
21:25:07 billfitzgerald: C Fahnoe - see you there!
21:25:11 PeggyG: #educon
21:26:01 C. Fahnoe: I am not presenting this time around, just a excited attendee - #educon
21:26:55 PeggyG: already lots of chat on that hashtag :-) excitement is building...
21:27:01 stacy k: nice...i will be attending virtually from across the river
21:27:18 stacy k: anyone using skype for read across america?
21:27:29 mark parry: BTW, I can offer some suggestions (based not on floods, but related to athletes, sport and life values) for how Skype has been succesfully used in the Classroom.
21:27:39 C. Fahnoe: Looking forward to more conversations like these
21:27:53 stacy k: mark, I'd love to see that as I'm trying to talk my district into this
21:28:08 george mayo: Do any teachers on here work in a school that blocks Skype?
21:28:29 Chris Sloan: Skype isn't blocked in my classroom
21:28:30 stacy k: me
21:28:32 C. Fahnoe: We have it open
21:28:38 Jack Zangerle: Skype is open
21:28:46 stacy k: skype is closed
21:29:00 stacy k: that's why I was inquiring (and received) info about using my iphone
21:29:02 PeggyG: many schools block skype because it requires a download :-(
21:29:22 stacy k: they say our bandwidth isn't large enough
21:29:48 george mayo: @PeggyG Yeah, I had to lobby for a few months to get it downloaded on my classroom computer- worth the hassle
21:29:53 stacy k: thanks for that url, RachAel
21:29:58 mark parry: http://corporate.olympics.com.au/index.cfm?p=798http://corporate.olympic...
21:29:59 PeggyG: definitely worth the hassle!!
21:30:07 stacy k: thanks, mark
21:30:15 mark parry: http://corporate.olympics.com.au/index.cfm?p=798http://corporate.olympic...
21:30:29 mark parry: http://corporate.olympics.com.au/index.cfm?p=798
21:30:38 stacy k: I'm thinking maybe I can connect for RAA
21:30:48 PeggyG: Silvia has tons of resources on her blog for ideas for using Skype and connecting with other classes/teachers. Be sure to explore it. She provides great rationale for skype benefits that you can use with admins
21:31:07 stacy k: love the logo
21:31:11 mark parry: these links might give you a few ideas on how to prepare students!
21:32:12 PeggyG: http://langwitches.org/blog/  Silvia's blog
21:32:35 stacy k: thanks, Peggy
21:33:07 PeggyG: we lost Silvia but I hope she will be back!
21:33:21 PeggyG: those are awesome links Mark! Thanks!
21:35:27 PeggyG: http://langwitches.org/blog/2010/11/20/assessment-of-learning-via-skype/
21:35:59 PeggyG: that link has fantastic resources related to learning with skype
21:36:56 rachael: for anyone willing to help me and participate please send me a direct message on twiter @ #rachbath thanks
21:37:44 PeggyG: wonderful, personal stories!
21:39:24 mark parry: sample clip of skype session with subject matter expert (althlete) answering student-generated questions: http://media.olympics.com.au/video/bell-chats-to-warrigal-state/prevColl...
21:39:25 SusanEttenheim: rachael - I have a digital photography class and I'd love them to see photos from students there and correspond
21:39:50 PeggyG: http://murcha.wordpress.com/2008/12/06/using-skype-in-education/ this blog post by Anne Mirtschin shares some great tips about managing skype in the classroom and ways to use it
21:40:01 stacy k: This has been so great. unfortunately have to go work on my rehearsal schedule for play. hope to see lots of you on plurk. night
21:42:27 PeggyG: that's really great advice from George!
21:43:44 PeggyG: that's so exciting!
21:44:39 mark parry: great suggestions re: brainstorming, preparation, wide scope of topics from George!
21:44:57 PeggyG: absolutely!!! I really agree with letting them choose their own topics!
21:45:29 Chris Sloan: Thanks for the link Peggy.  I have a feeling a lot of teachers would be interested in doing this, but might think that it's too hard to do
21:45:41 PeggyG: so true Chris
21:46:33 rachael: choosing thier own project topics appeals to the interests of the sudents and intrest = enthusiasm = great achievements
21:46:42 Chris Sloan: How do you prepare students to interview Mark?
21:47:38 PeggyG: as with all things related to technology you have to be prepared for it not to work every time :-) This afternoon I joined a video stream on Skype between Amanada Marrianan in AU and Lisa Parisi's environmental club in NJ talking about the flooding. Stream didn't work well today so they'll try again.
21:47:57 mark parry: lots of brainstorming of questions, documenting them, choosing the best ones (BEFORE the session)
21:48:11 george mayo: http://docproject.wikispaces.com/p2group4
21:48:15 PeggyG: you have to click and drag the url into the text
21:48:27 PeggyG: pop up the text chat window
21:48:56 PeggyG: click on the icon for Float and Dock-then it's easy to drag urls into the chat
21:49:17 SusanEttenheim: hi rachael
21:49:33 PeggyG: great example of pre-planning!
21:50:34 PeggyG: what a valuable document!!! Thanks!
21:50:51 mark parry: great link, George (lot of skills being developed there!)
21:51:14 rachael: sorry everyone I just cant do the skype & chat room & looking @ links all at once
21:51:31 Brianna: Vodburner offers a way to record Skype video calls as well
21:51:44 PeggyG: no worries Rachael!!! it can be very challenging!
21:52:01 PeggyG: I just click on the links and save them in my browser to check out later :-)
21:52:20 mark parry: on a mac, use the latest quicktime (snow leopard)
21:52:25 PeggyG: http://www.mrmayo.org/
21:52:41 PeggyG: http://docproject.wikispaces.com/
21:53:32 george mayo: dropped on skype
21:53:40 PeggyG: I use Call Recorder from ecamm to record skype calls on my Mac. Works really well
21:53:48 PeggyG: http://www.vodburner.com/
21:55:15 PeggyG: you can find lots of good examples on the blog post about Anne Mirtschin's experiences with Skype  http://live.classroom20.com/archive-and-resources.html
21:55:57 PeggyG: great question!
21:58:11 PeggyG: thank you so much Mark!!!
21:59:33 george mayo: my audio has cut out- thanks guys! have a great night
21:59:41 PeggyG: http://www.teachingdegree.org/2009/06/30/50-awesome-ways-to-use-skype-in... this is also a great article: 50 Awesome Ways to Use Skype in the Classroom
22:00:19 rachael: thanks mark would love to catch up with you with skype in the classroom
22:01:35 rachael: thanks Brianna you have taught me lots about a tool I love. Can't wait to catch up in skype in the classroom
22:01:44 Chris Sloan: Thanks for another good link Peggy
22:02:05 rachael: thanks for that Peggy
22:02:22 PeggyG: http://skypeinschools.pbworks.com/w/page/11008311/Directory this is another Skype Directory site for teachers
22:02:37 mark parry: sure, rachael, no worries
22:04:42 SusanEttenheim: any last comments/questions?
22:05:04 rachael: susan I will catch up with you about the photos & collaborating with your students
22:05:04 PeggyG: wow! a jam-packed fantastic session! thank you all for sharing!!!
22:05:15 SusanEttenheim: that would be great rachael
22:05:22 SusanEttenheim: you can find our work at youthvoices.net
22:05:46 SusanEttenheim: thanks for joining in tonight peggy!
22:05:57 PeggyG: so glad to be here
22:06:02 rachael: thanks to everyone am looking forward to the upcoming year & its challenges.
22:06:11 Chris Sloan: good luck rachael
22:06:15 PeggyG: good night everyone