Week Five EDOL533

Blog Week 5
I have not yet used online communication tools in the classroom. As a sub, I have not been able to create and use my own lessons, and no lesson plan has been left for me that included using an online communication tool. I do, however think online communication tools are very useful for aiding in classroom instruction and I plan to use them in my future classroom.
One online communication tool that I feel would be very beneficial to my future classroom is Skype and videoconferencing. I feel like Skype is a universal connector for students, and their global peers. I remember when I was in elementary school having pen pals from across the country. We had pen pals for multiple subjects, and the use of pen pals taught us many things from communication, to writing techniques, to culture, and more. In college we learned about travel abroad opportunities, and had much communication back and forth with colleges and students from around the world in places that we were considering studying.
I think Skype can be used in the modern elementary classroom in numerous ways. Skype and video conferencing can be used one on one and by multiple people at once to have a live, audio, visual chat session with peers, teachers, or whoever. Videoconferencing uses the best of many online communication scenarios, you can chat with a group or one person, as well as have the benefit of seeing that person to view things as simple as their dress and manner, to being able to view their school project, room, home, family, classroom, school, anything! Video conferencing is a synchronous communication tool that can be used anytime in collaboration with whoever you are chatting with.
In order to prepare my students for using video conferencing I will first show them how to use the software, or the website associated with the tool, i.e. the Skype website. They will learn how to safely navigate the site / software according to the schools AUP on communication technology. Then I will find people for them to communicate with and assign projects associated with the video conference. For example, I will research and find a school somewhere else in the world to do a group virtual pen pal project with. I will then monitor the progress of the student’s assignments to see that they are making the most out of their time during the video chat, reaching the goals of the assignment, and learning about technology, culture, and enhancing their knowledge of others as well as communication technology.