Instant Messaging and Video Email, Skype, Meebo, YackPack....

[Cyndi Danner-Kuhn]

Teachers from the Trenches please tell us about their experiences using these tools (Instant messanger, Meebo, Eyejot, Skype, YackPack, etc....

TECS 390 Students: Your reflection should include how you envision using these tools in your own classroom someday and what you learned through your exploration. THINK, THINK!!!

[Ginger Lewman]

Wow, it's nice to see your thinking regarding these tools. Not many teachers I know use them as every day practice like we at Turning Point Learning Center (charter school in Emporia) do.

Skype:
Used every day to send links, pictures, files and other goodies from computer to computer. We also use Skype to connect to other schools/classes when we're collaborating on projects, or learning more about a topic from someone in that region. This year alone, using Skype, we've connected to:
UT, CT, MD, AL, KS (multiple locations), Australia I also use it as an easy distance-learning tool for myself when I need to talk to another professional, which I do a LOT. There aren't many innovative teachers near me (or at least they're not online) so I have to go a distance away to get/share hot ideas.

We also use Skype for when a kid is sick at home, yet still needs to work with their group, because the group is depending on them. Happens at least once a week.

Finally, we use Skype on "snow days." My students know to log on at 9:30am, and we work until 1:30pm, and don't have to make up the snow day like everyone else in the district does! yay!

Chat/IM
We use Macs, so we use iChat/AIM as our IM, in addition to Skype. We use chat to do much of what Skype does for us, but we also use this for group chats for taking quizzes. I post a question, allow for some think time (and boy does this get kids to learn how to type quicker), then tell them to post and I instantly know who knows what and those who don't know, get the correct answer asap. SO much more fun than pencil/paper quiz and NO grading for me! We can assess w/o taking grades, can't we? ;-)

The kids don't really like YackPack, but we rarely have occasion to use it as an embedded tool in our wikis or webpages. If we did, we'd like it better. You know, like when we may have someone on a page who doesn't necessarily need to know our Skype names? Perfect use! I like it. Kids don't.

I've also begun using Oovoo a bit more, since we can group video chat in there, but Oovoo has only recently begun playing nicely with Macs. I got to talk to teachers on the east coast (group interview with Dan Pink) who don't use Skype at all--just Oovoo. I was very interested!

We also connect to other schools in Virginia, Florida, California, Canada, Thailand, Qatar, Egypt, etc, using Global Nomads Group, and our Polycom. Unfortunately, though, that does have a significant cost to it.

If you'd like to see a few of the tools we use on a regular basis, you can see the Digital ToolBox we use when we go presenting to other teacher groups.

[Cyndi Danner-Kuhn]

Wow, sounds like an amazing school, I want to teach with you!!! Thank you so much for sharing all the information. I think it will really open my students eyes.

[Katie Ganger]

Hello! I gladly chose Meebo for my video and email tool. I currently have an MSN account, but would like to expand my horizon's and use something different. I like Meebo because one, it's a way cool name, and two, its easy to access and you can change almost anything about your account make it your own. I could use Meebo when I'm forced out of the classroom due to illness or other reasons to contact my students through video. At least I could leave an introduction video for the sub to show the students of what to expect that day that I'm out of the classroom and give a brief explanation of the assignments as well. Pen-pals is another good idea we could use this cool new tool inside and classroom. Receiving letters and the occasional picture from a pen-pal is always nice, but to talk to them through video messaging would be awesome; if the internet is a possibility!

[Mathew Needleman]

We used Skype to videoconference with other schools and with experts in fields we are studying.

[KEvin Hoff]

I am using Skype and and IM to commincate. I think that these are great tools for me as a teacher because I can keep in contact with other teachers who I can commiicate any problems that I might be having with them. I think IM works wonders because it is so fast and easy I can send a response and hear back from them the next time they get on their computer

[Chris Schmidtberger]

Hello everyone, I used YackPack for my video messaging service. I really like how it's easy to use. I could definitely use this in my classroom as a way to update videos to our school website. Whether it be a report by a student or showing parents how I teach in my classroom, it should be able to perform all the necessary tasks.

My aol screen name is [e-mail]. I also signed up for Trillian. I have a bunch of friends on MSN, and also, I can import other services so I figure why not. Trillian was really simple, and I enjoy how it works for me.

[Alicia Denning]

I chose to use Meebo. I thought that it was really easy. I also think that it is great to be able to access my IM accounts from other places. I am still getting everything figured out with this new program. I am still discovering ways of using it. I love Amy's ideas about letting parents see students in class. I know that my parents would have loved to come to some of my presentations growing up and this would be a way to do that. It would let the parents become involved without being a distration to a class. I also like the idea of being able to communicate with other classes, school, states, or even other countries. Talk about pen pals. This would definitely bring new meaning to that term. I am very excited to get started using this program, but I am sure that I will have a lot to learn. I think that it will be a great classroom asset.

[Alicia Denning]

oh, my gmail sign in name is: [e-mail]