Skype

with a guest speaker

Influences

Before listening to Mike Soskil in his Ditch That Textbook Summit video (@msoskil), I had NO idea Virtual Tours and Guest Speakers were possible through Skype. I knew what Skype was but only thought it for personal use. I was excited to navigate through their website to learn all of the opportunities available for my students.

I chose to contact an organization called Roots and Shoots. I believed in their message and what they promote. My route to contacting them was interesting as I had filled out a form on the Skype website and I received no initial response. I then took to Twitter and tweeted at the organization to inquire if they still participated in Guest Speaking and I immediately received a response. :) I was then connected with Jen Duffy of Roots and Shoots Canada to schedule and come up with a topic etc...

What Really Happened

Pictures taken during our Skype call with Jenn Duffy. Engaged students!

Conscious Acts of Kindness

Based on the topic of our Guest Speaker, the class was challenged to find places in and around our Community that our Gr. 12 Graduating Class could volunteer at. The students confirmed places at Lakeside Retirement Home, Hospice Simcoe, the Barrie Women's Shelter, Holy Cross Catholic School, St. Michael's Catholic Elementary School , the Tiffin Conservation Centre, Autism Ontario, YMCA, etc... While our graduating students did not sign up for every location, our students were still able to give back to the community

Student Feedback

All students enjoyed this experience. They thought it was 'fun, entertaining, amazing, different, cool, educational and enjoyable'.
They thought it was interesting to be able to reach people across the country and felt that the experience was genuine and informative.
They indicated that they wish we had more experiences with this type of interaction.
It was recommended that perhaps that we do it again in smaller groups as they found it a bit crowded, that they wish it could have been longer.

Future Considerations

I will continue to check Skype for opportunities related to Leadership
I would invite my students to check Skype for topics they are interested (perhaps these could spark Genius Hour topics)
I'd love to do Mystery Skypes with my classes however haven't found many at the Secondary Level
I would reach out to Twitter more to inquire if there are any other speaker available.

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