Skype Enhancing Education’s Three R’s

Skype, a software program enabling users to enjoy voice calls and chat sessions over the Internet free of charge, is making its way into your child’s classroom. This new and evolving use of Skype promises new opportunities for teacher interaction and training as well as promising captivating ways for students to communicate with others, worldwide.

The new tool is called Skype in the Classroom and is aimed at helping students and teachers connect with each other.

Teachers can also use the new tool, along with the built-in social community, to connect with other teachers.  By sharing expertise with one another, teachers can enhance their curriculum, solve a problem and even share teaching sessions live with students located in a completely different geography.  Nearly four thousand teachers have already signed up and are using the tool.

Skype has been able to help students experience enhanced learning, especially with projects focusing on weather, culture and languages.  Students with hearing disabilities or perhaps absent from school can also utilize Skype to help them explore more opportunities for success.

Certainly, Skype’s full potential for work, play and leisure enjoyment has yet to be realized. As someone who grew up in a rural school environment with limited curriculum choices, I see endless opportunities to enhance the education of our youth.