Learning with Skype

Skype is a program that seems to be replacing traditional instant messaging services such as AIM, mainly due to its innovative video chat feature. There is a variety of ways that video chat could be utilized inside and outside of the classroom to further the education of students. One way that Skype could be used is that if a student is unable to make it to class because of sickness or something similar, the student could get a direct video feed of classroom activities via Skype. Another way that Skype could be used is to use it as a group instant messenger. It is possible to type to many people at once, so this could provoke discussion about the topic at hand in a format that most students are already familiar with. Often verbal discussions are dry and hard to develop, but if things could get typed then better ideas may get expressed.

Although Skype has these features that could help the classroom, at the same time it has limitations that would dampen its effectiveness. One of the major ones would be the attention span of a typical student. If Skype was being used in the classroom, I think it is safe to say that students would play with it and abuse it by talking to each other about topics that are irrelevant to the classroom. Also, if Skype were to be used from home to watch a classroom, this would also get abused, probably leaving a fairly empty classroom on many days. If one doesn't need to physically be in a classroom, one will not actually go every time. I know some friends who watch many lectures online using other video feed sources and they rarely ever take time to go to the class. When watching the class online, one could also get distracted with other things going on at their computer.