Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Communicating with Skype

About Skype
Skype is a software that allows you to communicate and collaborate over the Internet. With Skype, you can make telephone calls over the Internet to other Skype users, to land phone lines, and mobile phones. Services include, instant messaging, file transfers, and video conferencing. Calls to other Skype users are free, but other services are fee-based.

With Skype, you can :
  • teach class remotely (from home, a museum or a conference)
  • communicate with other colleges, colleagues, or people throughout the world
  • conduct teleconferences for participants in separate locations
  • conduct online interviews with speakers and lecturers
  • capture conferences for future playback
  • deliver live learning support for students
  • allow parents to watch students as they present in class

Fact
The first version of Skype was released in 2002 and was purchased by EBay in 2005 for $2.6 million. The number of Skype accounts is estimated to be more than 250 million.

Resources

See me, hear me: Skype in the classroom, Julie Clark, School Library Journal 30 July 2008
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/index.asp?layout=talkbackCommentsFull&talk_back_header_id=6497594&articleid=CA6515247

7 things you should know about Skype, Educause
http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7032.pdf

25 Tips to improve your Skype experience, VoIP News, 6 February 2007

http://www.voip-news.com/feature/hacking-skype-020607/

Skype's extras: desktop sharing with Uyte, Mark O'Neill, Read/Write Web, 20 August 2007
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/unyte_skype_desktop_sharing.php

How to record Skype calls: a mini-guide, Robin Good, 24 June 2007
http://www.masternewmedia.org/online_collaboration/skype-recording/how-to-record-Skype-calls-tools-guide-20070624.htm

Skypecasting For Beginners - How To Do It, Livia Iacolare, MasterNewMedia, 23 May 2007
http://www.masternewmedia.org/online_collaboration/free-conference-calling-with-Skypecasts/Skypecasting-how-to-do-it-step-by-step-tutorial-20070523.htm

Skypecasts Academic potential, Jeff Van Drimmelen, Educause Connect, 13 November 2006
http://connect.educause.edu/blog/jeffvand/skypecastsacademicpotenti/11367

Skypecast FAQ, Skype

http://support.skype.com/?_a=knowledgebase&_j=subcat&_i=42