Since launching Skype in the Classroom as a beta program this past December the company has signed up more than 16,000 teachers and now they have announced plans to shoot for 1 million educators.
Speaking at the Social Good Summit Skype CEO Tony Bates revealed:
“ Skype has been going on for many, many years, and teachers have been finding each other and they’ve been finding ways to use the power of Skype in the educational process for a long time.”
Bates then went on to add:
“We really felt that it was time to take this to the next level…moving from grassroots Skype in the classroom to an initiative driven by Skype.”
The platform currently allows teachers to create profiles that describe the classes they teach, while providing their teaching interests at which point that directory is then searchable by teachers from all over the world.
Mashable points out the the most useful features is the “project” tab that:
“Helps teachers find partner classrooms for projects and ideas. One teacher, for instance, used the platform to coordinate a “weather around the world” unit. A middle school in Massachusetts regularly chats with an Afghan youth peace volunteer group. Another was able to host a virtual visit from Barbara Bush.”
More than 900 projects have already been posted through the Skype education website.
Do you believe that allowing Skype to connect classrooms around the world provides for a more robust teaching environment for students who have learned to engage with technology since birth? Share your thoughts in our comments section.
