Thing 4 - Skype

my contact list

Skyping the Experts 

Sychronous video tools are not for the faint of heart! (Or those of us who are intra- rather than inter- personal learners.) There's a certain disconnect with writing.  I'm safely absconded behind the words on the page.  Video -- yikes! Is my hair sticking up? What if I say something ridiculous? so exposed...

So how do us introverts get F2F with experts in the classroom? Like everything new -- start small and have a plan!

• Invite the expert down the hall, your good friend expert and others who will help you get comfortable. 
• Skype calls with experts have to be scheduled. Make a plan with a time frame, create goals for your conversation, have questions at the ready, assign roles, role-play, practice!   
• Once you've dipped your toe in the water, let your gregarious students take the plunge for you. They can drive the conversation while you moderate. 

Who are the Experts?

• student teacher who's left to do a semester abroad
• friend / family member
• colleague
• 21 Things cohort
• conference presenters
• authors
• scientists
• TED speakers 
• students in other countries

Recently in my district, the drama club coach at one of our high schools attended a tech conference and discovered the key note speaker was also a playwright. He chose the play as their spring production, connected with the author via twitter and set up a skype session for the kids. Suddenly, not just some words on a page to be randomly interpreted, but the opportunity to get direction on the intention of the actual author!