Skype or Hype

Skype has entered the world of digital communication as it acts as a software which allows calls over the Internet. Its effectiveness comes in its ability to display the person you are communicating with on screen through the use of a camera. As people become tired of constant conversation on their telephones, Skype is new and original and a breathe of fresh air. Skype is a very easy to install software that is free of charge. It also works behind many firewalls that often block such programs. It also allows country to country communication to happen much more easily and cheaper than over a phone. Discussions or lessons involving many people in a classroom setting can be conducted through the use of Skype as the instructor acts as the center of attention.

Although Skype provides a plethora of positive aspects there are many problems that can arise. Quality is an important issue; the sound and picture quality can be thrown off by differences in Internet connection by the users. Also it can only be used with computer and Internet access as well as access to a mic and camera. These are parts that many people do not own, limiting the software's effectiveness. Another disadvantage is if a teacher is running a classroom through Skype there are limitations to how much of the classroom she can see. If a student has a question or is fooling around during class the teacher often times cannot respond to these situations very quickly.

Learning through Skype?

Skype is a very useful tool for communicating with other people, and it can be used in many ways including as a learning tool. Skype could be very useful in the classroom if it were used when a professor is sick or injured and cannot make it to class. He or she could them hold class over Skype so that the students would not have to miss that day's lecture. This could also work the other way around, if the professor was willing. If a student could not make it to class, the professor could have the lecture for all the other students while also having Skype open so that the missing student could be present through it. This would probably only work in small, close-knit classes because otherwise there are too many students missing class every day to be able to Skype them all. It could also be used to facilitate small group discussions. Skype also has a conference call feature, so it would be possible for students to work together from home. Professors could also assign small group projects and then use Skype to check in with the students. In these ways Skype is a very useful and effective tool in the classroom.

However, Skype is not necessarily made for classroom type settings and this is quite apparent in its drawbacks. Skype works better for 1 to 1 or small group connections because it is hard to see and hear otherwise on the small computer camera and microphone. Skype would be hard to use in a lecture style class, unless none of the students asked questions. It would be very hard to ask a question to a professor over Skype because the microphone would not be able to pick up the noise form far away. The professor also would not be able to see the whole class, as the computer's camera cannot span an entire lecture hall let alone provide clear pictures. There are also times when Skype freezes up which would cause problems in a lecture, especially if the students are not able to inform the professor that they did not hear that last part. Skype has many limitations that do not allow it to be used very effectively for large group communication.

To Skype or Not To Skype

Skype is a great tool to use for communicating with others online via a video conference. Because it is so easy to use and well-known, it has become extremely popular and has even been considered for use in the classroom. But just like everything else, there are pros and cons to using Skype in the classroom. It is safe to say that enough people know how to use Skype, so there would not have to be much of a support team to keep Skype running during class, should something go wrong with it. In addition to usability, it is pretty easy to setup, and Skype accounts are free. So, schools would not have any costs associated with using Skype, outside of equipment costs.

However, Skype is not all that practical in a classroom setting, if the school does not have the right equipment. One cannot just flip a computer screen around, which has a camera attached to it, and expect a classroom of students to easily communicate with the teacher. Most screens are too small, and even with a projector, there is only one microphone attached to the computer, which is only good for a few feet from the computer. Additionally, it is not necessary to use Skype unless the teacher is a reasonable distance from the classroom. Otherwise, using Skype would just create unnecessary communication difficulties.

Skype: The Up’s and Down’s

The use of Skype’s video communication carries several positives. For one, it allows people to better communicate over long distances; in business, Skype can be used to connect a distributor in America with a factory owner in China. Video conversation allows people to see the speaker with his/her movements and gestures. This allows for the receiver to better understand a speaker, where sometimes confusion occurs over normal phone conversation. Many examples can be found showing the greatness in Skype video communication.

Unfortunately Skype has a few issues. While Skype is currently free to operate, there are several start-up costs. For instance, one must a microphone, a web camera, a computer with a fast processor, and a high-speed Internet connection. These costs make Skype too expensive for some people to use. Also, Skype does not work well in large groups. It is difficult to see and hear everybody in a large group with one web cam and one microphone. In addition, because of the large bandwidth Skype requires it has a tendency to freeze the computer and cause confusion and frustration. Regardless of these negatives Skype is a pretty useful tool, and is nice to have.

Skype In The Classroom

There are many benefits of using Skype in the classroom. For example, a teacher could teach a class from anywhere in the world. No matter where they are at any given time, they would still be able to contact their class over Skype. Also, if you were sick and had to miss class for one day or an extended period of time you could still see your lectures. That way, you wouldn't have to get behind and feel bad about missing classes. Viewing class via Skype would also make going abroad much cheaper. If someone didn't have enough money to pay for studying abroad programs, they could take classes on Skype from teachers in different countries.

Although using Skype in the classroom is beneficial it also has many negative aspects. It would cause students to have a more distant relationship with their teachers. It is already hard enough to make good relationships with college teachers because they have so many students. Having classes on Skype would make that even harder. Another important negative aspect of using Skype in the classroom is the level of distraction. Yes, using Skype sounds like a good idea in theory, but with recent technology students already have such a high level of distraction in any class. If they were watching their lectures online, nothing at all would be stopping them from multitasking and therefore not paying close attention to what they should be learning.

Teaching With Skype

Teaching with Skype represents yet another way in which education is incorporating technology into the classroom and comes with numerous advantages. One such advantage is convenience as teachers can be in virtually any place, assuming they have a connection to the internet, while they teach their students, who eventually may not even need to leave their home but could rather sign onto their computer at home. Students would thus not be limited to the schools located near their house as they could be taught by instructors thousands of miles away. The program also allows teachers to multitask while they teach as they have spare time while the students are working on their assignments. As the program develops, many of these advantages will be enhanced while many more will become apparent.

Despite some of the advantages created by Skype, the idea of using the program in classrooms is laced with a myriad of problems. One obvious disadvantage during our use of the program in class was the sound quality as the teacher had trouble hearing most of the students speak. Communication is in general more difficult when trying to speak to a video screen rather than an actually person as one cannot also enjoy many of its basic aspects, which includes eye contact. Another problem it creates is the elimination of privacy as a student could not ask a question without having the entire class hear it or the answer. Taking the teacher out of the classroom takes the personality out of the aspect of learning, which could easily take away from the quality of one's education.

Skype: For your viewing pleasure

Skype has become one of the largest forms of video communication in the world bringing people from different nations, states, even dorm rooms together online to converse. This software has many pros allowing people to communicate effectively over long distances. The software allows people from different countries to talk to friends or relatives while also seeing a video of them. Skype is a type of extension from a typical telephone call. In normal calling, one has no access to viewing the body language or facial expressions being used; however, with Skype it allows for almost a full encounter. The software can also be used in education. Many people from other countries would like to experience a full education but are unable to travel to a major university to access this education, but many universities offer Skype or Youtube videos of the lectures allowing almost anyone access to the knowledge.

Although Skype has many pros, the program had many negative aspects as well. The program is especially problematic in large groups. As demonstrated in our class, there were many technical problems with Skype. Skype froze many times and in order for our class to communicate we had to almost yell for the teacher to hear or understand us. Skype is a very good software for person to person conversation, but with use in large groups it is very difficult to coordinate. The start up costs of Skype are also troublesome. In order to use Skype, one needs to have a computer, preferably with a fast processor, and Internet, preferably high speed. In order to use the video and audio functions of Skype, one needs a webcam and a microphone. These start up costs and technical issues make Skype limited in its uses and functions; however, for the right purposes and groups, Skype can be very useful.