Virtual Student Interaction

As my students gain in knowledge, they are able to do more virtual interaction.

Today, I have students texting, video chatting, skyping, facebooking and emailing me. Students from hundreds of miles away to thousands of miles away. Ages 6th grade to 21 years old. My 21 year old is very advanced in his skills and very gifted with technology. He did not start technology instruction until he was 16, but took to it like a duck to water. He can just ask for any type of lesson and I know he can pretty much handle any detail with that lesson. As I sent him lessons on how to download video chat and texting for gmail, he suggested I add scripts to Skype to enhance all its features.

After creating a lesson on scripts for Skype, which makes every component accessible and enhances the fun, I sent that lesson off to another student. She needed help on the lesson, since she is only in 6th grade, so she texted me and I brought her computer up on my screen with Jaws tandem then added SKYPE and within minutes her issues were fixed and she was hearing all the joys of Jaws with her Skype. We then disconnected and she contacted one of her friends with the new enhancements of SKYPE. She later sent me a text saying how much she loved this feature because she no longer had to struggle over using the mouse---and when we started, that is all she wanted to use---hmmmm, can we say eye fatigue!!

Another student calls me through SKYPE from thousands of miles away and I was able to help him with downloading JAWS and real speak voices. Within minutes he has his lesson. Another student asks how to access something in Facebook. A quick response and she is off adjusting.

The excitement every time one learns one more thing to make their lives easier just keeps me going. No one should feel isolated any more with this great technology. When you need help or a friend, it is there. Not only do the students contact me, they contact each other, creating their own social network.