Learning 2.0 - Skype (Thing 6)

I just signed up for a Skype in the Classroom account and am excited to find out more about how Skype can be used in the library or classroom.  There are three main categories of activities that are listed on the main site:  Collaborating with other Skype in the Classroom teachers, finding guest speakers for classes, and taking virtual field trips.

After doing just a tiny bit of digging, I came across an activity that I think would be a lot of fun for my students.  It's called MysterySkype and involves two different classrooms from two different parts of the world connecting and giving their partner class clues about their location.  There are a couple of suggested formats for the activity, but one that I think would be fun is the "20 Questions" version.  Basically, each class would come up with 20 clues to share with their partner class that would help to narrow down where they are located in the world.  I think this would make a great and very interactive geography lesson...especially since geography is a subject that is often brushed aside in the curriculum.

If using MysterySkype in a classroom setting, I'd probably have groups of students work together to create a list of clues to share with the partner classroom.  As far as resources go, I'd try to focus on using more general sources such as encyclopedias for the initial clues as well as more specialized sources such as books on unique landmarks or even local history for the final clues that pinpoint our exact location.  Before Skyping with a partner class, we'd also talk about presentation skills (eye contact, speaking in a clear voice, intonation, etc.) and practice these skills.  After Skyping, I'd let the kids have a few days to figure out their mystery location and then set up another Skype call to share our thoughts.  During this second call, it would be neat to have a few kids share information about how they conducted their research (either for writing the clues they shared or for finding their mystery location) or give a more detailed description of a few of the locations we mentioned in our presentations. 

It would also be fun to try something similar on a school-wide scale.  Interested classes could participate as described above, and then partner sites could be mapped on a world map that is kept in the library.  If teachers wanted to extend things even further, their students could get into groups to conduct a very brief research activity on a specific aspect of the country.  I'm thinking CultureGrams or World Book Online would be good resources for this and that groups could be in charge of categories such as family life, schooling, holidays and celebrations, cultural food, etc.  The information they discover could be submitted to the library (perhaps through a Google Doc) and then transferred onto a newsletter style template and compiled into a "Travel Log," which could also be kept in the library for browsing.