Bring the world into your classroom! With all the technology that we have at our fingertips these days, why not invite visitors to your classroom without them actually being there? Use Skype or Facetime to connect with other classrooms, authors, community helpers, etc. A first grade class at McGowen recently connected with Dori Butler, author of the Buddy Files series. Shana Prugh(McGowen first grade teacher) contacted Ms. Butler and asked about visiting via Skype. Mrs. Prugh's class had just finished reading The Case of the Lost Boy. They loved the book so much they wanted to talk to the author themselves so they could tell her just that!
Before the visit, each student in the class wrote a question for Ms. Butler. This way, the students would feel more confident when it was their turn to speak to Ms. Butler. They didn't have to worry about what to say or fumbling on their words...they were well prepared! Also, to make sure the network worked properly, we did a practice skype visit with another classroom to make sure our voices were loud enough and to practice where to stand, etc. We simply plugged Mrs. Prugh's macbook into the SMARTBoard and made the connection. It was simple to do, since the macbook has a built-in webcam. You can easily do this in your classroom by sharing your macbook screen with your mac mini. Click here to find out more about screen sharing on a MAC.
Many authors will do Skype visits for free - you just have to ask! Here are a couple of resources to help you get started.
http://skypeanauthor.wetpaint.com
http://www.katemessner.com/authors-who-skype-with-classes-book-clubs-for-free/
This was such an amazing experience for my class. We enjoyed the book so much and to have the opportunity to speak with the author is something that will not be soon forgotten by my fabulous firsties!
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