Sunday, February 17, 2013

Skype Me Maybe


As the winter months press on, students are constantly getting sick and missing school.  Even when students are only out of school for one day, catching up on schoolwork can be a nightmare.  Not only will the students need to make up what they missed in all of their classes while they were out, but they will have to complete all of their daily homework assignments as well.  Just typing that last sentence gave me heart palpitations, so I can only imagine how stressed out my poor students feel when they are faced with this situation.

It dawned on me last week that I could easily Skype with any of my students who were home from school.  When I had my daughter six years ago, I regularly Skyped into my graduate class for several weeks until I felt ready to return to class.  Skype truly saved me from falling behind. Today, the technology is even better, and with the ability to share my screen during a Skype call, students could literally watch the same lesson that I am teaching at the Promethean Board and hear my voice, all in real time.  They could ask questions and get them answered right then and there, which means they would not have to play catch up when they get back to school.

Obviously, this is optional, but according to many of my students, they think it's a great option.  If any of my students want to Skype in for class, I am happy to arrange the call.  They just need to email me their Skype name before school starts so that I can be prepared for the call during their class period.  I am really looking forward to giving this a shot with my sickie students.  What do you think?  Should students be able to Skype into class when they are home from school?

1 comment:

Amy Birtman said...

I think it's a great idea. If the students are feeling well enough to tune in, why not?

-Amy Birtman

Mrs. Faust, can I be your tester? I'll skip school.

-Joey