Week #11, Group #4, Buddha's-Current_Event

Hi Everyone. This week our current event topic that our group chose was submitted by Jason Nagata.  Jason found a blog written by Steven W. Anderson.  Steven W Anderson posted it on November 9, 2011, and the title of the article is:  Cool Projects with Skype.  Url:http:www.techlearning.com/Default.aspx.  You can also find the article/blog using the hash tags:  skype, web20classroom, and under StevenWAnderson.

Steven W Anderson decided to check out the Skype In the Classroom website to check out projects, and to search out how teachers use Skype in their classrooms.  His interest in the subject came across by a tweet that was tweeted by a teacher that was searching for teachers that would partner up and join a bookclub.  Steven W Anderson was interested in how teachers collaborated in the USA and around the world using Skype and how they communicated with other classrooms by means of projects and by searching teachers out on the website. 

I went on the Skype In the Classroom website:  url:  https://education.skype.com .  The site has three videos on how teachers can create a Skype account, and how to create a Skype in Education account.  Once teachers create those accounts they can search the directory for other teachers, they can also specify in their profiles what subjects they teach, where they are located in the world, and what subjects their classes are studying.  They can also disclose information on what kind of educational background they have. 

After teachers have created their profile, they can then search for partner teachers for projects, and or post projects that they are creating in thier classrooms.  They can invite other teachers to Skype in on certain days and times and have their students hold discussions, interact with games, and  also invite guest speakers and experts to participate on projects throughout the USA and around the world.

Some of the projects that Steven W Anderson's blog speaks of is a project that a teacher posted on Practice Graphing.  This particular teacher was searching for classes to Skype in and play the game Battleship with this particular class.  Instructor was willling to provide the template for the Battleship board to those teachers and classes that were interested.  This project was to teach students graphing and interacting with other students as well.

Another project that caught my eye was on:  What Does Your Sky Look Like?  This teacher wanted "students from different parts of the world to show students how the Earth is positioned, thus causing different moon phases around the world."

This site is great because it introduces teachers and students to different cultural exchanges around the world and different ways of collaborating using technology all around the USA and around the world.

Thanks Jason for the article/blog.=)