Videoconferencing in the Classroom

While I haven't used Skype professionally yet, I suspect I will soon. I already use it fairly extensively for personal communication, and am part of the tech team at our school testing the functionality and practicality of a new Polycom videoconferencing lab. I believe that while it uses Internet2 instead of ISDN, a Skype connection can be made with the unit.
I'm exploring the resources at CILC and MAGPI  to arrange a visit with a classroom of 4th graders in another country. Language, time zone, and school bell schedule considerations are some things to account for, Along for back up plans if the connection should drop. I suspect that the work I've done in the past with bringing in guest speakers, and having students prepare questions for them will transfer into this activity.  Extensive pre-visit planning is part of this, too: I plan on having my students ready with a set of questions they have generated, be well-versed on basic background and cultural expectations of the other country (and be on their best behavior!) for the event.
I hope that by using this technology, I'll acheive greater relevance, to foster an appreciation for cultural differences, and hit on the NETS standards, particularly 2A & 2C:


Communication and Collaboration
Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others. Students:


a. interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media.


c. develop cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with learners of other cultures.

Podcasting in the Classroom

I've begun looking into the prospect of using podcasting & vodcasting in the classroom.  There are any number of excellent uses for these technologies, and I'd like to highlight one such use.

Students at Woodlands Academy in Castle Rock, Colorado use podcasting to produce 'Owl Bytes'; a weekly student-produced show chronicling the history of technology.


It's actually more of a video podcast, or vodcast, because it displays images and links in sync with the audio narrative that plays.  It demonstrates student ownership over a project, and could obviously be extrapolated into other areas. 

I chose this podcast because it focused on technology, and I am the technology education teacher at our school.  I am considering using this podcast in my classroom to introduce my students to the idea of student-generated content in podcasts, and also to suggest the serial format as one that we can also employ - episodes in a series, rather than one huge master work.

I learned a thing or two about the history of technology from this podcast, and comment both the teacher and students on a job well done!