Skype

“What is Skype, anyway?”

Those words were uttered by my mother when I told her I was blogging about Skype for my online class. My dad’s response was, “I’ve never used that. How does it work?” Well that, ladies and gentleman, is what I am going to tell you about today.

Using Skype

Having used Skype many times before, I can tell you that it is a really cool piece of technology and that I enjoy using it. But, what exactly is Skype? Basically, Skype is a program you download off the internet and use to make video or voice-calls. You can call anyone from your friend in Pennsylvania to your loved-one who’s stationed overseas. The calls are free if you are calling from one computer to another. If, however, you’re calling a cell or landline using Skype there is a small fee. Since its release in 2003, Skype has over 663 million registered users world-wide.

How do you set up a Skype account? First, you need a computer and a webcam. Then, go to http://www.skype.com/intl/en-us/welcomepage to download the software and set up your free account. Once there, click on the “Get Skype” option on the top menu, and it will walk you through the download steps. The hardest thing about getting Skype is deciding on a user name and password!

After the software has downloaded and you’ve signed into Skype, click on “Learn how to use Skype” in the top menu and it will walk you through the steps to making a voice or video call, how to check for call quality, how to call a landline or cell phone, and how to find and add your friends to your Skype address book.

Using Skype in the Classroom

“Well that’s all well and good”, you say, “but what if I want to use Skype in my classroom? Is there an app for that?” Yes, yes there is. Launched in March of 2011, Skype in the Classroom provides and online resource to help teachers find other teachers and other relevant projects and resources throughout the world. Information and project ideas on how to use Skype in the classroom are available at http://education.skype.com/about. Ready to install Skype for your classroom? Scroll down the webpage to “Here’s how to get started” and the three short videos will walk you through how to create a profile and find other teachers, how to create Skype projects in the classroom, and how to share Skype resources in the classroom. Happy Skyping!

About Me

Hi! My name's Christa Dunker and I'm a single mom of one son who's 8. I have a B.S. in Secondary Education with emphasis in English and Theatre/Speech. I graduated from Concordia in Seward in 2008, and taught high school for two years. The first year, I taught Read 180 (a remedial reading program by Scholastic) in Garden City, Kansas, and the second year, I taught English 9 and Creative Writing in Independence, Kansas. In 2010, I decided teaching high school was not for me and my son and I moved back to Lincoln. When I finish the Curriculum and Instruction program, I hope to be an admissions counselor at a college or university but for now, I work part-time as a hostess at the Olive Garden and raise my son. :)