My classroom is at the end of the hallway. Teachers drop by our classroom, and our principal stops to visit, too. We always try to learn from our visitors and special guests.
Of course, my students also learn from each other. They can teach other in ways I cannot. I've seen students explain things to each other using visuals, examples, and analogies I never would have thought of! But we also learn from the world! How? Through Skype!
Two ways I have used Skype in my classroom:
1.)Mystery Skype:
We Skype with classes around the country. I know the location, but the students do not. There are many formats that work, but the best one I've come across is where each class comes up with 12 clues about their state. Usually, the students have guessed the state by the 8th or 9th clue! After all 12 clues are given, we state our guess and celebrate! We've always guessed correctly, and so has every class we've met. (Great way to learn geography!) Afterwards, we have a time where the students ask each other questions. It's so awesome to watch them learn from one another!
(I first learned about Mystery Skype on Twitter!)
2.)Author Skype:
We connect with authors of books we've read. We read the book beforehand, create products to share with the author, and schedule a time/day for a visit. Each student has written two questions for the author. We don't always get through all the questions but we're always prepared! The students feel empowered when they are able to interact with an author in this way. They gain valuable reading tips and are often inspired to be even better writers.
I try to remember that Skype is a tool. The real learning is in the interaction it brings about!