Thing #3 Library 2 Play 2

Okay-little bit of a blogging break while Spring Branch ISD decided if I could be in the course!

Thing 3 is about video conferencing, which can be Skype or a variety of other programs that are similar. I have just downloaded Skype on my home computer; I had it on my school computer last year but didn't get an opportunity to use it because of TECHNOLOGY (always a problem) --had a very old computer that wouldn't support it--but it seems to work just fine from here.

I am very excited about Skype. Last year we had an audio conference with an author in my classroom; the author was in New York and we could hear him but not see him through a program called Elluminate. The kids could talk on mike and ask questions, even see visuals on a virtual whiteboard, but I think Skype and video conferencing would have been so much better! Also, this would be a way to conduct distance learning if you do not have podcasting capabilities, and I could call into my classroom if I am not there, and even be teaching in multiple classrooms at the same time! I have used video conferencing in my professional life; students need to be equipped with knowledge in this area to be better prepared for the working world.

The one thing I do not like about Skype--and maybe there is a solution I do not see, is that it searches for contacts only through a limited list of supported e-mail servers. Since my primary e-mail is through comcast.net and my secondary e-mail is through my school district, it is difficult if you don't already have a skype name to find someone. I have like 5 e-mail accounts but those are the two I use and have all my contacts.