Skype for Teachers: "Skype in the Classroom"

Skype is that free voice and video site purchased by eBay several years ago.  It is my preferred way to have a live discussion while sitting at my computer.  With or without the video, the audio is fine when you have a good computer, broadband, and a quiet office.  Even if the room is noisy and somewhat chaotic (like a classroom of antsy students), the audio with video is powerful.  Given most school libraries have wireless Internet, thanks to annual Federal E-Rate funding, Skype is an ideal way to bring authors, scientists, college admissions officers, and other guests to the schools.

Skype's special site for teachers is worth checking out, even if it is mis-named.  Skype in the Classroom should be "Skype in the School Library".

Authors Who Use SKYPE to Speak with Book Clubs

A California school teacher librarian alerted me to a post on kid's author Kate Messner's Live Journal. Messner is building a list of authors who offer 20 minutes of their time using free Internet-based phone/video service SKYPE to chat with book clubs. At this time, there are about 40 authors on her list. What an easy way for authors to reach out to book clubs!

By the way, after looking over the list, I started clicking on each of the authors' weblinks. What a wild variety of ways authors are making their books accessible -- video clips, podcasts, reviews, games, book club questions, and much more.