Skype

As educators in a new technological world, we are going to have to get out of our "comfort zone." The use of new communications tools and the potential for them to connect our students to others in similar courses across town and around the globe cannot be ignored. As Wesley A. Fryer states, (http://www.wtvi.com/TEKS/05_06_articles/skype-in-the-classroom.html) "Skype is an example of a potentially “disruptive” educational technology tool because it can fundamentally change the teaching and learning environment . . . this means increasing student achievement, while simultaneously encouraging students as well as teachers to engage in worthwhile and creative tasks. Twenty-first century educators should aspire for nothing less."

Students will be using these technologies at work in the near future and preparing them for this is also important. My high school, in fact, is installing VoIP technologies in every classroom in our district this summer and all employees will be required to use them. As Fryer points out, schools are "using wiring already installed for campus local area networks and Internet access. VoIP systems can prove to be more flexible and less costly than traditional phone lines for organizations of all sizes, including schools. In the case of VoIP software like Skype, the additional cost to install and use the software to make Internet-based phone calls is zero. Bandwidth, or Internet connection capacity, is utilized when Skype / VoIP calls are made, but the amount of bandwidth used for audio-only connections is much less compared to most videoconference connections which include both video and audio." It's an exciting world we live in!