Exploring language and culture with Skype...

by: Abigail Lundeen and Abigail Anthony

http://www.poderpda.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Skype-Logo-Art-e1340910971882.jpg 

What is Skype and How does it work???

Skype is a voice or video chat tool that works computer-to-computer. In order to use it, one must have a laptop with an Internet connection, a webcam, a microphone, and a Skype account. Basic Skype accounts are free, and include everything one would need in an elementary classroom setting. One must simply go to http://www.skype.com/en/ and click “join us,” creating an account. Once the account is created, it is ready to use. The user must add friends, allowing them to make video and voice calls to that person. In order for a video or voice call to be performed, both parties must be online at the same time and ready for the call.

The features include...

     basic free Skype account: are video and voice calls to anyone with a Skype account, instant messaging, and file sharing.

     If one wishes to upgrade and pay for an account: it unlocks a few other features, including text messaging, group chats with up to 10 people, and calls to landlines and mobile phones around the world.

Source:

http://www.skype.com/en/ 

Video Tutorial:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehKYL00d-UU 

Skype in the classroom...

1. Author study:

               ESL students require a sense of connection between their native culture and the culture of the United States. A great way to build these bridges of familiarity for students is to give them authentic learning experience as well as interaction with their native culture in order to build connection. It is important to show that you support and value an ESL students native culture and language which can be done by providing experiences that can help them to see that you are not trying to dismiss their native culture.

               For this activity teachers can initiate author studies where students would explore the work of a particular author from a different country and culture. After students familiarize themselves with the author, then the teacher can set up a way to communicate with that author via Skype. The Skype session can take the form of an interview or even as a read aloud. A great aspect of this set up is allowing for students to communicate with the author in multiple languages which can build multicultural value.

2. Foreign Education:

               Another way that you can use Skype in an ESL classroom is by connecting with universities and schools that are located in the native countries of some of your students. By doing this you can create a type of pen-pal system in a more modernized way. Arranging this type of connection and communication is a great way to help ease the confusion and frustration that many ESL students feel and it is a great way to team teach with the adjacent teacher, if that is something that you are able to do. the classes can work together on a whole class project or even use Skype as a way to present information to one another, ultimately enlarging the amount of information that both parties are exposed to.

3. Foreign museums and libraries:

                  Too many times, students are asked to abandon their native language and culture in order to assimilate themselves to the "American way." Over the past several years; however, it has been proven that bilingual students do better on standardized tests which holds as a strong argument why teachers should support ESL students native culture by teaching them about their history. A great way to do this is to contact a foreign library if possible in order to share bilingual read alouds, and native legends. After connecting with a foreign library it would be great to have students write their own versions of local legends in order to enhance their writing skills.

Other ways to use Skype in the classroom:

http://www.onlinetutoringworld.com/technology/teflskype.htm

-          This website gives information about using Skype in an ESL setting. One suggestion it offers is doing one-on-one tutoring for ESL students via Skype. This would be particularly helpful if the school one teaches at does not have a very strong ESL program. Skype could assist collaboration in taking place.

http://hatteras.wix.com/skypechesbc

-          This website is the Skype book club for an elementary school that encourages people to participate and become partners. Doing a Skype book club could help all students, but especially ESL students, as it would help them interact with people outside of their own classroom still on an academic level. An online book club would help bring classrooms together and allow students to see into the lives of other students their own age.

http://teachingiselementary.blogspot.com/2011/06/skype-in-classroomfor-real.html

-          This website is the blog of a 4^th grade teacher, and this particular entry talks about how she uses Skype in her classroom. She Skypes with another classroom to learn Social Studies. The students do a “mystery state Skype” with each other, giving clues to try to get the other classroom to guess their location. Students must have knowledge of geography, bodies of water, climate, famous people associated with the area, animals native to the area, and be able to convey these things in a way others understand. I think this would be helpful for ESL students because it would allow them to express the knowledge they have learned and help them learn to convey what they are trying to say in academic terminology, using words they have learned in the classroom.

http://www.teachhub.com/using-skype-classroom

-          This webpage is simply titled, “Cool Ways to Use Skype in the Classroom” and has a list of ideas for incorporating Skype into elementary classes. My favorite idea is having a Skype pen pal, which would help ESL students use conversational English and bond with someone who is not directly in their classroom.

http://thinkonline.smarttutor.com/10-ways-to-use-skype-to-learn/

-          This webpage is simply titled, “10 Ways to use Skype to Learn” and has some really good ideas for using Skype in an elementary setting. My favorite was, “Explore foreign cultures first hand with classroom to classroom video conferencing.” This may be helpful for ESL students, as they would be learning things at the same level as the rest of the students in their classroom, helping level the learning playing field.