Skype is the new Romper Room for K students
What really grabs you? What is that magical moment for you?
Recently I was speaking with a group of educators and I shared my experiences of SKYPE in the classroom. I talked about #FarawayFridays and the way my students responded so well to the visitors that virtually came into our room each week. A few weeks ago I was at Word on the Street, Toronto and I saw Polka Roo. I think Polka Roo stirred some childhood memories. On Thursday I was at a meeting with teachers and I tweeted out that it was like an episode of Romper Room. I felt I was sitting with my magic mirror and I could see all of my friends walk by. Then it hit me. Skype is like Romper Room for me. As a child I used to sit at the TV and wish that just once, the magic mirror would help the host see me. I wanted to hear, “I see Angie.” On the first Friday of September our K class SKYPED with Gillian @aljasngenietoo. My students were in awe that people on the screen were talking to them. Yes, SKYPE is their own personalized Romper Room show. The children are not passively watching, but they are interacting and learning from the conversations with others on the screen. So for me, SKYPE in K is like the modern day version of Romper Room.
October 8th, 2012 at 9:58 pm
I’d love to use Skype with my K-5 classes. I have been meaning to try it out in the classroom but Internet filters restricted us from doing so until last year. Although the filters have been eased now, the download still isn’t working. I’m investigating. YOur Romper Room analogy makes me invigorated to get the ball rolling asap.