Using Skype in the Classroom

I had a read through an article about using skype in ESL classroom, written by Lee (2013). In his article he reviews the pedagogical values of using skype in classroom by using evaluation criteria suggested by Bates (2005). The evaluation criteria is called ACTIONS which stands for Acccess, Cost, Teaching and Learning, Interactivity and user-friendliness, Organizational issues, Novelty and Speed. Based on the criteria, it seems that skype fits all the criteria although with some limitations.

The following is the result of his evaluation based on the ACTIONS concept. Firstly, skype can be accessed quite easily as long as there is an internet connection. It can be downloaded easily from www.skype.com to PC, Laptops, or mobile phones. Secondly, despite the fact that there is certain amount of budget for internet connection, downloading skype software is free. However, for premium users for instance for conference, some amount of money will be charged.  Thirdly, skype provides the teachers to interact with global community from their class. They can communicate with other people from different country by simply sitting before the screen. What is interesting here is that they do not need to have technical skills to be able to do so. Next, using skype in the classroom might cause resistance from school, although this technology offers benefits for teachers and learners. Therefore, it is advised to get approval prior to setting skype in the classroom, probably from the school principals. Following that, with skype class materials can be created quickly and adapted with learners’ learning pace. Having said that, it is also worth mentioning here that the limitation of using skype would be the download speed. For video calling, bigger capacity of internet broadband is needed, otherwise there will be many video or audio lags.

Lee (2013) also mentions some teaching learning activities which can be done via skype in the classroom. Basically, learners can chat with their peers, teachers or with any penpals overseas. This would beneit them in a way that they can communicate in English either spoken or written as skype provides such facilities. With skype in the classroom program, teachers and learners can find a lesson. Teachers and learners can select the appropriate materials provided in the skype. More interestingly, teachers can create their own lesson by using skype. With this, adjusting materials with learners’ need may not be the issue anymore.

Lastly, in his final thought, Lee (2013) highlights the benefit of skype in the classroom. Skype increases the opportunities for communication and enables the class to have a global network. Not only becoming a powerful tool for language teaching and learning, skype facilitates cross cultural communication as well as interaction among people from diverse background. At the end, Lee, emphasizes that with skype in the classroom, it enables the learners to get engage in language learning as well as encourage them to learn independently.

Reference

Bates, A. W.'(1995).Technology,open learning and distance education.New York,NY: Routledge.   

Lee, Y.H. (2012). Skype and Skype in the Classroom: Options for Language Teaching and Learning. The Electronic Journal for English as a Second Language. May 2013–Volume 17, Number 1.