Skype in the Classroom

One of the most exciting technologies in the last few years is Skype. I don't think that our students realize how cool this is; literally, the Jetson's video phone has come to life. However, just because something is exciting and cool does not mean it is always a good fit for education. One must put a great deal of thought and planning to design an effective Skype lesson.

First, let me share what I strongly believe Skype should NOT be used for. Skype should never be used to replace good teachers. This is a topic that I will be revisiting in a future follow-up posting on Khan Academy. Nothing can replace an effective teacher directly interacting with her students. A teacher can walk the room redirecting students who are off-task, checking for understanding, and calling on students during the course of a discussion. None of this can be done via Skype.

I find similar difficulty when giving webinars. Since I am looking at a computer screen instead of a class full of students, perhaps using a small webcam, it is very hard to gauge students interest and engagement. I find that I become more of a "talking head" going through a lecture with the help of PowerPoint slides and screen-sharing. While I only interact with students when they pose questions via chat or ask the occasional audio question. I also find that I gain a great deal of energy from being in front of students. I feel like I am on a stage putting on a performance. This type of positive enthusiasm is harder to generate on Skype.

Let me make it clear. I agree that there is a place for Skype and these experiences can be quite meaningful for our students. However, this is only when there is clear added value for using this medium which cannot be easily done face to face. For example, if through Skype or similar video platforms, I can easily interact with a class of students from another country or connect students from many different locations then that is a great added value that only Skype or similar platforms can provide. When using Skype for these reasons, care should be given to always have a teacher in the room so that the important educational tasks that I described above can be accomplished through direct face-to-face communication.

Here are three recent examples of Skype that I have done at my school. I am sure that there are many others that people can share with me by commenting on this posting.

1. This past year we Skyped graduation. We had three seniors who were already in Israel learning in Yeshiva in preparation for their service in the Israel Defense Forces. Through Skype, these students were able to attend their graduation. They watched the entire graduation from the Western Wall in Jerusalem and at specific moments of graduation each of them appeared on the big screen so they could be seen by family and friends "accepting" their diplomas just like their fellow students.
2. For Yom Yerushalayim, we had a class Skype with an American Oleh in Gush Etzion who shared his personal experiences being in Israel during the 6 Day War. For this presentation, we were able to involve 3 classes who were all able to hear from the Oleh and then ask him questions about his experience.
3. Just yesterday, we connected one of our classes with a class in one of our sister schools, Ulpanat Harel of Nahariya, Israel via Skype. You can read details about this class here: Skype Conference @FrischSchool with Ulpanat Harel, Nahariya, Israel. In this class, I saw an interesting transformation occur. At the beginning of the lesson, it seemed that students were merely making personal speeches with little interaction with their peers. As the lesson  continued, a genuine dialogue started to occur so that by the end of the period it almost felt as if we were in the same room as our fellow students who were across the globe. We wished we could have continued for much longer as the conversation became increasingly more rich and tremendously enjoyable.

It is these types of valuable experiences, when computers are used to accomplish educational goals that cannot be easily reached any other way, that makes educational technology so exciting.