VoIP

Imagine you are sitting at home watching your favorite movie on some online streaming service. All of sudden your iOS 5 device starts to ring. At first you think its a normal phone call, but after looking at the screen of your iPhone or iPad your realize that someone is calling you via Skype. Skype is a type of VoIP software. VoIP stands for video or voice of internet protocol. Skype is the most common type of VoIP software that we use today, or at least I think its the most common VoIP tool we use today. I might be a little biased as it works really well across my different technology platforms (iOS, mobile, and desktop machines).

In the book The Digital Diet, there is a full chapter dedicated to VoIP services and the chapter specifically focuses on Skype. The chapter discusses more so how to use Skype in the beginning and provides educational uses toward the end. The start of the chapter walks any user new to Skype through the entire process of how to use and even explains what tools one will need. It is pretty self explanatory. At the end the educational use that it provides is that teachers can use it to have video conferences with a guest speaker or talk to a class around the world. The book suggest teachers that use this VoIP service implement the 5P rule. The 5P rule states: Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance. This basically means that before teachers use Skype in the classroom that they have everything done that needs to be done from a planning standpoint prior to putting their class in front of a camera. This makes sense!

My opinion, I think that this type of technology tool should be used in the classroom. I understand that it should be used carefully and only when appropriate. I would almost use it as a reward or a culminating event for a lesson I would be teaching. It would also be a great way to incorporate a global perspective on some things that you are teaching. I think using VoIP services would be a great way to help students that are absent from school due to illness still be able to attend class without having an absence counted toward them. I always that that was a good idea, though the actuality of it happening is probably few and far between.