24 Hour Skype-a-thon

#PVSkype24

Have you ever wanted to learn from other people around the world? Students from Pine Valley Elementary who participated in our 24 hour Skype-a-thon did just that. We skyped for 24 hours straight to reach as many students in 26 different countries all over the world.

I started using Skype in the classroom about 5 years ago, as I wanted to connect my students to the world and give them opportunities to learn and collaborate. Since I started using Skype in the classroom my students have become more aware of global issues and have a greater appreciation for the differences they see with other children from other locations.

 We have become a class that celebrates and embraces cultural differences.  My classroom learning community is not limited by my four walls because my students can reach anywhere in the world through Skype.  It is when the walls are down that real learning takes place and intrinsic engaged learners connect to build relationships and memories that last a lifetime. Learners are no longer limited to a book as they can see new friends in their actual learning environment. Skype allows the walls of a classroom to be knocked down and the door of learning to open.

I was inspired to begin thinking about the process of a Skype-a-thon when my students last year wanted to Skype others whom they were tweeting and blogging;  however, we were not able to contact Australia because of timezone limitations. Skype provided the opportunity to connect learners if we could make ourselves available during their school day.  In doing a 24 hour skype the timezone limitation was eliminated, so we were able to connect with students and classes in all timezones. After a year of planning it became a beautiful collection of 33 skypes with passionate and inquisitive learners from 26 countries all over the world. 

Throughout the 24 hour Skype students were in groups rotating activities: Skyping; creating travel journals; choice boards; blogging; tweeting; collecting data; making videos to document their learning. 

The only challenge I encountered was finding enough time to schedule every class that signed up. I had an overwhelming response from teachers all over the world willing to volunteer their time. Finding classes in Asia was challenging because there is limited technology in their public schools, so I resorted to finding international schools which saved me. 

My amazing twitter PLN, my fellow Skype Master Teachers and Microsoft were my heros through this process with their constant support. My administration was ALWAYS there to bounce ideas off of and to reassure me that I wasn’t crazy when I was feeling it.  My district, especially Dr. Markley and the Technology Department, always gave me permission to explore new opportunities to create learning in my classroom. 

I would encourage any teacher to start using Skype to connect their students to others around the world. I know that our 24 Skype-a-thon is the second of its kind in duration in the world and the first of its kind in the Northern Hemisphere.  However, any Skype lesson is an awesome experience and will engage learners; it’s not about the time… it’s about the learning. Skyping provides an authentic learning experience and gives students a chance to explore and learn from other students from the comfort of their own class. During the Skype we connected with 596 students from all over the world that we proudly call our classmates and friends. We still connect with them through our class blog and twitter, pen pals and Skyping when possible. My students and I will never forget those 24 precious hours we had talking to our friends all over the world.  

The learning is only a ring away…   

Check out our #storify of the  24 Hour Skype-A-Thon or check out #pvskype24 for pictures and video clips captured during the skype-a-thon and our class on twitter @beverly_ladd.