………………..the students will play, or so the old adage goes.

Last week the verse when something like this.

When the teacher is away the students don’t know it because he checks in and leads a class by SKYPE!

One of our teachers did just that while at a Partners in Learning conference in Madrid Spain.

His class has been exploring similarities and differences between cultures and he saw a great opportunity to share some on the ground experiences as they were fresh in his mind. He as able to share some art he bought and the students were able to ask questions on the fly.

Its about making connections.

Minimal planning with huge learning rewards.

When teachers are willing to take risks and they know they have support on the other end to make thing happen, great teachable moments emerge.

A few observations:

Classroom management needs to change a little so questions can be addressed one at a time to allow for any delay.

A brief mention to the students that although the medium is different nothing much has changed, this is still their teacher and the same behavior expectations apply.

Projecting the picture engages the students and immerses them in the experience.

Elevate the camera so the speaker can see the maximum amount of room space.