SKYPE PAGE

HOW COULD USING SKYPE HELP WITH EDUCATION

On this page i will be describing how using Skype could help students and lecturers in education. the main subheadings are as follows; 

• What is Skype
• Advantages of using Skype in education
• Disadvantages of using Skype in education  

What is Skype?

Skype is a type of software that allows communication between many people. for instance, video chats, messaging and conference calls. Nowadays it is used among family members and friends that are far away from each other but still wish to stay in contact. it allows us to add contacts to that we can video call them. it is a good piece of software as it is free if you are just wanting to video call to one person at a time or wanting to just message people. However if it was to be used for multiple video calls at one time in is needed to upgrade to a premium version of the software. It is not just used between friends and family however, it is also used for large businesses who have centers all around either the country or world. It helps them to host major meetings for all those needed not matter where they are at that present time. 

Advantages of Using Skype in education

I do believe that it would be useful to learning as sometimes you will find that students and lecturers are having to travel a long distance just to attend lessons. This costs money and depending on distance the time it takes to arrive. But what if there was an easier way? 

If lecturers allowed the use of this software for students then it could save them a lot of time and money that they may not have but still get the education they want. Also if they wanted just a one to one session with the teacher then this is very useful because they will still get the facial expressions from each other so they know if it is going well or not. 

My final example of an advantage would be, 'What if lecturers had to attend a lecture in another country but didn't want to abandon their students?' 

Well because they have this software the students would still be able to attend their lesson but just have the teacher showing on a projector teaching as normal and because its just a one to one connection it would cost the school/college/university any money from their pocket. 

Disadvantages of using Skype in education 

Although i have said i would introduce this software into the way we are taught their are some issues that should be taken into account. As show below. 

What if there is no internet connection or it lost mid session?

If a session is due but when it comes to it and there is no internet connection to host the call then it is wasting both the student/s and the teachers time. This is because both will be asking to hang on while they try to fix the problem and they both might have other arrangements on that day. Also there is a problem of losing connection. If i use the example i said above of a lecture teaching from another country. They don't want to get half way through a presentation and then be cut off because they lost the signal. And what if they can't get it back the students won't have contact with the teacher to see if they are coming back or not. 

These are just some of the things to think about if education was to use this software. please leave any comments about this matter. whether you would use it or not.