28 July 2006
Show #4: Voice over IP and instant messaging
Posted by Steve under: Main Podcast .
Voice over IP (VoIP) and instant messaging (IM) are two popular communication methods with strong educational potential. In this show, we define VoIP and IM, and then talk about two categories of educational applications: bridging geographic distance and using the tools as new ways to facilitate traditional classroom experiences.
- Along the way, we mention a few links:
William and Mary’s Electronic Emissary program
Using Skype for assessment in language classrooms
Articles on pen pals in education: one | two
Jyve
William Kelso
Audio Hijack
FreeCorder
And here are a few more:
Web-based multimedia in K-12 education
IM in the classroom
Skype in the classroom
ePals
Staying secure with Skype
Technorati Tags: VoIP, Skype, IM, edtech, generative technology, web2.0
As always, we want to hear from you. Please leave comments or voicemail, or email us at gentech@stevewhitaker.net.
Download the show, or listen with the player below.
8 Comments so far...
Barbara Says:
28 July 2006 at 11:52 pm.
Glad to see that you linked to our site with regard to using Skype as an assessment tool… please let me know if you need more inforation. I am (slowly) writing up posts and information from the past semester while getting ready for the next one. Stay tuned. Sigh, it never ends in academia~
–Barbara
Barbara Says:
30 July 2006 at 12:46 am.
Greetings:
I just had a chance to listen to your show.
A couple of comments: Jyve is available for PCs only.
Jyve also seems to be asking for a great deal of personal, confidential information (BEFORE you download the tool) to facilitate what it wants to call social networking. This, I am afraid, would bother many people.
There is a site set up to arrange Skype exchanges (be they 1 on 1 or whole classes) called the Mixxer (http://www.language-exchanges.org/). It was created by Todd Bryant at Dickinson College for facilitating language exchanges in Skype.
You posed the question about why not just use the phone for these types of connections. Sadly, for many language teachers, that is exactly the question we hear from the IT departments in our schools when we try to introdice these tools.
Skype is often perceived by IT people as a security threat (due to the way it connects via supernodes and the fact that the calls/IMs are untraceable); it is also seen as a diversion, a pass time, and not a sound tool that could have sound pedagogical value in the classroom (the same is true for IM’ing). Slowly, this is starting to change.
For info on studies about how these tools might be affecting learning, check out the studies that are being done in Computer Mediated Communication (CMC). The findings are just now starting to emerge, especially in the field of second language acquisition.
Regards,
Barbara
Steve Says:
30 July 2006 at 8:56 am.
Barbara,
Thanks so much for the thoughtful comments and feedback, and the excellent information. I’d love to have the chance to talk further with you about this.
You’re correct that the Jyve “experts” plug-in is for PC only, but I think that you can sign up to be a community member on other platforms, also.
I’ll check out some CMC-related sources, as you suggest.
Thanks again!
Michael Says:
1 August 2006 at 5:39 pm.
Sightspeed - I tried it, I uninstalled it.
Steve is none too pleased with it either (see below).
Steve Says:
1 August 2006 at 5:42 pm.
Yes - here’s a copy of the comment I left over at Wes Fryer’s blog:
I just tried installing this on an OS X machine. The iSight worked just fine in Sightspeed, but I couldn’t get it to work with anything else afterwards, even after (a) quitting Sightspeed, (b) uninstalling Sightspeed, and (c) restarting the computer. I finally unplugged the camera and plugged it back in, and it worked.
With Skype supporting videoconferencing now on PCs (and hopefully soon on Macs), I just don’t see the need for another piece of software on my machine. And the whole “watch TV” thing? Not for me. But if it were, there are tricks to do this with iChat as well.
Mark Says:
3 August 2006 at 5:03 am.
I had the same experience with SightSpeed, but in fairness, I have a friend who regularly uses it to connect with friends in South Africa and she raves about it. Who knows…
todd bryant Says:
5 March 2010 at 12:13 pm.
[…] 5 / First 2 plot … Todd Bryant as Mattingly. Image: Copyright 2005 ©Buena Vista Home …GenTech Show #4: Voice over IP and instant messagingThere is a site set up to arrange Skype exchanges (be they 1 on 1 or whole classes) called the […]