"Skype in the Classroom" Launches to Connect Teachers & Students Worldwide

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"Skype in the Classroom" Launches to Connect Teachers & Students Worldwide
By Audrey Watters
February 27, 2011

Teachers use Skype to open their students to a world beyond the classroom walls. They use it to bring experts, authors, and guest instructors into the classroom, those who would never otherwise be able to visit the school. Students can take virtual field trips, if you will, via Skype as they're connected to places through video chat. A Skype communication session can involve foreign language learning or a cultural exchange. It can connect classrooms across the city, state, country or around the world.

This usage by teachers has caught Skype's attention, says spokesperson Jacqueline Botterill, and the company has just launched the beta version of Skype in the Classroom, an effort to support their efforts.

The first step, Skype says, is building a directory of educators who use the VOIP service and want to connect their classrooms with others. Currently, many teachers turn to Facebook, Twitter, and their own personal and professional social networks in order to find other teachers to connect with, and it looks like Skype wants to make sure it's providing its own matching services and helping provide the resources and skill-building so that teachers feel comfortable with video conferencing.

Read the full article at http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/skype_in_the_classroom_launches_to_connect_teacher.php
Check out the beta version of Skype in the Classroom at http://education.skype.com