Let’s Meet, but Not Really
With
the capabilities of the internet and new technology, businesses have been able
to expand. This expansion has taken place through the use of several different
tools including live conferencing. Live conferencing, usually known as
videoconferencing, has been around for many years however. Wikipedia states
that videoconferencing was used as early as 1936 in Berlin. Businesses were
able to send video feed through radio frequencies and broadcast on television
sets (wiki skype).
After several failed attempts by companies such as AT&T, video telephoning
became possible in the 1980s using an ISDN network. This was still difficult to
use with a $100,000 computer necessary. In the 1990s this was quickly replaced
by a much cheaper circuit board and technology continued to evolve to make
videoconferencing available to the public at a reasonable price (wiki skype). In the
2000s, thanks to free services via the internet, videoconferencing was easily
accessible to the general public. High definition videoconferencing was first
introduced in 2005 and has now become a standard (wiki skype). Now in
the 2010s, we are seeing videoconferencing being used worldwide and spanning
all age groups. You are able to not only use your computer, but you can use
your cellular device, personal gaming systems, tablets, or even your phone in
conjunction with your television. There are currently 1.8 billion hours of
video calls made each year and it continues to grow (skype
visual).
There
are several different live conferencing tools available for personal and
business use. Each tool has the same basic functions involving video, file
sharing, and instant messaging. There are however, slight variations between
companies. The main live conferencing tool, and probably the most popular, I am
going to focus on is Skype, it’s history, uses, and applications.
Skype was created
in 2003 by Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis. It was founded and is currently
headquartered in Luxembourg. Skype has gone from strictly a videoconferencing
tool on the computer to a tool that can be used on land line phones and
cellular phones. They have the capabilities to not only videoconference, but
text, talk across continents, and access WiFi (http://about.skype.com/).
In 2005, Ebay purchased Skype and hoped to form a solid partnership with them
and PayPal. At the time, Skype serviced 54 million members in 225 countries and
territories adding approximately 150,000 users a day (ebay).
There were several complaints over the course of a few years and Ebay ended up
selling the company to a group of investors (ebaysells).
Skype has henceforth partnered with Microsoft and has continued to grow
astronomically. It is available in 27 languages and aids communication for
people on a personal and professional level.
Now, let’s get
down to the nitty-gritty of Skype. Skype can be used on a personal level by
videoconferencing and through regular telephone. It ranks among the top
international phone companies as far as rates go and is highly recommended for
its service (http://about.skype.com/).
Businesses will be able to use this feature as well so they can reach their
outsourced companies in other countries and gain new clients. This can also be
done through the videoconferencing capabilities of Skype. Companies are now
able to have a conversation, “meet” the people they are doing business with,
and share files as well when used computer to computer. Companies can hold
stakeholders meetings without needing to have everyone in the same room.
I use Skype in
my work place daily. Being a high school teacher, I think Skype is almost a
necessity for me now. I am constantly informing teachers and deans when I am
sending students to them and what the situation is. In business terms, it cuts
out the middleman. Information is received directly from the source without
anything getting muddled during transport. As mentioned before, it is also an
amazing tool for file sharing. Teachers are constantly asking for more
collaboration time, but with Skype collaboration is much easier. Teachers can
share their activities and worksheets with each other while having a
conversation either through instant message or talking. The videoconferencing
allows for guest speakers to “come in” without having to actually be in the
school. With the upgrades in projector and video software the interview is
clear and still allows students to ask questions as though they were there.
Others and myself have even used Skype in our classrooms while we were on
maternity leave. When our substitutes were supposed to be teaching a difficult
lesson I would have them wire me in through Skype and I was able to teach. The
possibilities for Skype in the classroom are as endless as they are in any
business.
There are
specific business plans Skype has in place for companies to purchase as well.
They range from home office to enterprise and include features such as group
conferencing and international calling capabilities (http://about.skype.com/). There are several
different companies worldwide using Skype. This is one area that allows people
to have their one-on-one interaction without having to personally meet. I think
Skype is allowing us to keep a personal connection within our businesses and
keep that trust within our companies. It also provides employees with a
necessary connection to family while away on business. The main example I can
think of for this is the military. The use of Skype in the military is an
amazing tool for families to stay close. There was even a wedding that took place over Skype for a military person (skypewedding)!
There are several stories on the Skype website (stories) that give
examples of how Skype is enhancing people’s lives all over the world.
The future for
Skype is bright. It’s partnership with Microsoft opens up several new avenues
for communication and expands the user base as well. While airlines may not
enjoy the uses of Skype and its videoconferencing tools, I am sure several
other businesses are grateful for the money they are saving on plane tickets. I
am very excited to see the future of videoconferencing and what is in store for
us. Who knows, maybe the next season of one of our reality shows will be via
computer and video conferencing! :o)
BusheEd,
ReplyDeleteThere was some good information in here.
At our professional development conferences, this video was shown a couple of years ago as a tool to incorporate in the classroom for online video blogging/connectivity.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1mflr-kQlk
I was talking to my Superintendent the other day and his daughter just moved to Hawaii for work. she is going to be out there for two months and he is very protective of her. We often talk about how we miss our kids during the day, mine are of course younger.
He got into a philosophical discussion about Skype and he told me that what was really amazing is that he feels that the technology that exists today seems to dull down everyone's feelings. I asked him what he meant by that and he simply said that he thinks the definition of "missing someone" has changed. In the past, when you left... you left... people did not see you and this was tough on everyone. However, it is different now.
One thing that he told me that was absolutely amazing was that when he was talking to her, and he sort of felt bad about it at first, but that they were not truly engaged. In the past, you had a couple of minutes to talk and you would try to use that time to catch up on everything, but as he spoke to his daughter, they were both doing their normal stuff. She was painting her nails and he was sifting through some desk work as they were talking... what happened, is it was almost like a normal conversation that you would have with someone in the same room.
I find it curious that it is Wiki Skype. I think people associate wiki with "ease of use" and "personal." I am anxious to see where this goes once it clashes with cellular phone databases and how the phones are going to have to compete with this type of technology.
I can understand the thoughts and almost fears that Skype is making things a little impersonal. However, I think compared to the other communication devices out there it is much more personal. The ability to see facial expressions when you say something helps to prevent words from being misconstrued as they may be in text messages, email, and instant messaging. It is also a way for the young generations to be able to communicate when they are not allowed to or as adept at talking on the phone. I think there is a small generational gap as well when talking about doing other things while talking. The ability for the younger generations to multitask is amazing. While it is definitely a hindrance at times (school), it is still pretty amazing what all they can keep track of at one time. I think it’s nice to be able to talk about everyday things with my parents. It’s nice to be calling just to talk instead of calling when needing something or with specific news. It really does make it feel like you said as though we are in the same room.
DeleteGreat post BuschEd! I was most intrigued by the uses for Skype that you are finding in your work as a teacher. It just makes sense! From informing the deans that a student is being sent to the office to supporting the work of a substitute teacher to collaborating and file-sharing with your colleagues, these are creative and clever uses of this simple tool. Thank you for sharing these ideas!
ReplyDeleteI also thought I'd comment on your superintendents experience with Skype. I remember when our son went off to college, like most families we were sad and it was hard to say good-bye. My son was playing college football and I knew it would be even that much more difficult and yet I was going to be four hours away and couldn't get there if he needed us. After dropping him off at the college, while driving home that afternoon we received two phone calls and four text messages from him. After we arrived we Skyped him just to see if he was all set up in his dorm and how his first day went. And the first time he got homesick (which was within the first two weeks of two-a-day practices) we were able to have face to face conversations with him through Skype. Compare that to my days when we had to wait in line in the basement of the dorm to get a quick two minutes on the phone with our families. As a parent, I appreciated the ease of access that he had in reaching us. But we also realized we had to be careful not to make it too easy on him to avoid enabling him instead of empowering him. This is a danger that we need to watch out for. I also relate to what your superintendent said about not being fully engaged during the conversation. Again, this is a danger we have to watch out for. As I reflect back on my days in college, I know I truly treasured the quick two minutes I had once a week to talk with my parents and I have to wonder if my son felt the same way. In a way I think the hardship that we had many years ago helped us to grow up. I hope that we haven't stunted the growth of today's youth with too much and too easy access.
I found this post very informative BuschEd. I have used Skype primarily for international calls (much cheaper than land lines whether in the United States or not) and am just beginning to use it for business based video conferencing. For personal video conferencing, I tend to use Apple's FaceTime application or a Google application. For example, for our pregnant daughter who lives 1,100 miles away in Austin Texas, video chats have enabled us to really stay in touch and feel like we are one family.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I still believe in the periodic personal touch, there is absolutely no doubt that video conferencing is the wave of the future. I participated in two this past week on matters of importance and it was just as successful as being there in person. However, there can be a tendency of a group who is in person to sometimes ignore those in the video conference who are by themselves or in a much smaller group. And as MJC and Usaki1 said in their posts, someone needs to focus on the group's total interaction as sometimes it is easy for participants to not get fully engaged in a video conference.
I also think that attention spans are not as long as we think they are any more and the leader of a video conference needs to take that into account. For example, if there is a meeting here in Chicago where everyone attends in person, we can make it a three hour meeting with at least one break. However, if we have a video conference, we tend not to have breaks, which generally leads to a deterioration of the quality of the meeting after a while. Thus, the leader of the video conference needs to be very thoughtful in terms of inclusiveness and meeting strategy as the techniques are not the same as an in person conference.
Bottom line is video conferencing is here to stay and will serve as a further means of important communication between parties.
Nice post! The information that you shared was very informative but also extremely practical. My school district has not fully embraced the idea of skype but we use it as an option for some of our higher performing students who may miss time away from the classroom when there are involved with activities outside of school. The teachers that get this opportunity to keep the students abreast of the material covered in class, rave about the information that they get in return from the students. The "two way street" ideal certainly benefits the educational environment and should be viewed as an asset.
ReplyDeleteOn a personal front, I have used skype to communicate to family members and friends, However, the most important time that I used the tool was when I skyped to my six year old daughter from Bangkok, Thailand to tell her about and show her her new baby sister that my wife and I had finally adopted. Technology is wonderful!
What a great story! You should post that story on the Skype website. It's so nice to hear that technology was able to bring you together as a family. As I posted in my reply to Uszaki, Skype is a great tool for children to use and feel connected as well adults. Someday maybe you will show your new daughter visions of Thailand through Skype again!
ReplyDeleteI think you make some excellent points – referring to both the business and educational environments. To begin, you mention having meetings without having everyone in the room. I can truly say from working in business in the past – this will help to cut down on costs tremendously. It’s amazing how sophisticated the technology is today, and some of the systems out there truly have the feel that the people on the other side of the screen, are in the same room.
ReplyDeleteYou made an interesting point about teachers “skyping” in to a class when they are on maternity leave. I think this is a good idea although I wonder if the substitute teacher would feel comfortable with this type of set up. In our district, we have basically cut almost all field trips due to budget constraints. Your idea about using this as a means to have speakers come in is very insightful – and one that I will share with my teachers. It’s important for students to have the opportunity to interact with professionals in the field – and this certainly would give them this experience.
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ReplyDeleteAs a businessman, I have used this collaborative tool (Skype) many times for my meeting with clients across the United States and overseas. Skype was also used in some of my past interviews by partnering companies. Like you, when I am on travel overseas, I use Skype to talk to my daughters daily as if I am home having conversation with them. Other tools I have used similar to Skype are WebEx and Google Video Chat
ReplyDeleteI used Skype on my iPad last weekend so that my daughters and grandkids in New England could talk to my Mom in Georgia before her operation. My grandkids, all under 6, love talking to Grandpa on the 'puter!
ReplyDeleteWeb conferencing really opens up new options. I routinely have guest speakers in my classes from around the world. I co-presented at a conference recently and my co-presenter sat in his office and attended via Skype.
I also am intrigued by some of the emerging tools such as Google Hangout, that allows up to six people to have a conversation and see each other.
Neat post! I found it really interesting that you use Skype as a daily tool from your classroom. The new age of "intercom", I reckon. I use Skype as a personal and business tool all the time, but had never thought of it as a classroom productivity tool...so thanks for that perspective (am going to share these ideas in my next workshop). I really liked the idea of Skyping in with a sub, etc. Do you ever use Skype to connect with other classrooms around the country (or world)? That is how I always thought of Skype in the classroom (before your post).
ReplyDeleteI have yet to use Skype to actually connect with classrooms outside the district. We do connect within the district however. I teach Intro to Education as well as Math courses and I am trying to get it set up so that we can chat with elementary classrooms or just "observe" for a period or two so my high school students can get a feel for the elementary level.
DeleteVideo conferencing has definitely put a twist in the phrase “let’s meet any day, any time”. My organizations uses video conferencing technology (Skype more than others) in building relationships through our school district and local businesses. Actually, at the beginning of the year, my school district (located in Columbus, Ohio) participated in a collaborative project with a school district in Cleveland, Ohio which is roughly 2 ½ hours away. The staff members of each school got to “meet” each other and it really established a since of connection going into the project. With regards to turning the world flat, Friedman (2007) mentions the purpose of flattening software as things “from anywhere to anywhere and from any computer to any computer-seamlessly” (p.79). No doubt that communication / collaboration is a driving force that characterizes work flow software.
ReplyDeleteFriedman, T. (2007). The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century. Picador: New York, NY.
Interesting.
ReplyDeleteI had never thought of using Skype in my classroom or school environment outside of conducting virtual field trips. Since I have never been able to actually do one of those field trips, even that was just in theory.
As I read about your communicating with peers and the dean about students being sent, I had forgotten about the messenger feature. I guess I have come to think of Skype as only a video chat system. I guess I was looking too far ahead when a more simplistic tool (instant messaging) would actually be more practical.
There are so many options out there.
-Ken B.
Very informative. I am very aware of Skype and use it. I have never thought of utilizing it for a leave instructor or for a field trip "guide" to present to the classroom - what a great idea! No money for field trips - no worry - a virtual field trip with the guide skyping in. One of the reply comments suggested using Skype as an "intercom" means. Another great suggestion. I can envision a teacher Skyping to an Assistant Principal on a student discipline issue while the student is en route. This would cut down on the misunderstanding of much of our communication. How many times have listened to a voice message, received a written referal sheet, or an email, and misunderstood the "tone" of the communication. Skyping would allow for body language and facial expressions, demeanor, etc. that clearly communicate tone and meaning. Got to love all this - really making me think out of the box!
ReplyDeleteTom
The communication between deans and counselors with Skype has helped me out so much. It provides warning for them as well as a basic understanding of the situation. This allows the students to get back to class in a timely manner as well. I think it would also benefit in emergency situations such as a lock down when administration does not want to or can't use the intercom system.
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