Skype and Online Courses: The Evolution of the Online Education Experience
The really cool thing in online education now is that we are finding the introduction of audio and video into the course work.
What we are not discussing here are audio files that are shared and downloaded or streamed to the student, or video files which can be viewed online as part of online coursework. These technologies are certainly available and are a part of the online education coursework. But that is not what we are talking about…
We are talking about Skype! We are talking about live, real time video and audio conferencing during class time in an online course. Today, we are able to skype and be there either by voice, or by both voice and video, brought into the virtual classroom in real time, online. Now, it is actually just like being there, in the moment, in the virtual classroom, and in deed we are…
Though we may be thousands of miles apart at class time, at the same time we are online and in the presence of one another and able to react to the discussion together and share ideas, debate, and have greater impact and absorption of the lecture from the instructor.
Today, the classroom is really happening wherever “you” need it to take place; and we, as students, are able to interact with the instructor and all the other students in our online classes, just like we would in the traditional classroom. As this technology revolutionizes the way we attend classes online, we are evolving the very foundations of education. Skype is the next movement in bringing the video conference into the online class experience.
Individually, classmates are now able to use the video conference as the way to have study groups and individual study sessions outside of class time. The computer video camera is nothing new, but the technology of Skype has taken the video conference or video call to the next level. Skype is software that allows users to make telephone calls over the Internet. Calls to other users of the service are free of charge. Skype is not just freeware for the masses; it does have a profit component. The other services of Skype are that calls to landlines and cell phones can be made for a fee, a smaller fee than traditional telephone companies. Additional features in Skype include instant messaging, file transfer and video conferencing.
So, the Skype technology is not necessarily brand new… video conferencing has been around for many years now. But, the difference between previous versions of video conferencing available through private business including Microsoft and Apple and other companies is that the main difference between Skype and standard VoIP and video is that Skype operates on a peer-to-peer model rather than the more usual client-server model. The Skype user directory is entirely decentralized and distributed among the nodes of the network —i.e., users’ computers— which allows the network to scale very easily to large sizes (currently about 240 million users) without a complex centralized infrastructure costly to the Skype Group.
With Skype, the user does not have to join MSN or Apple in any way. You don’t have to become a member of any network. You don’t have to subscribe or be forced to share your personal information in any way. All you have to do is download the software, get a video camera and headset for your computer and you are up and running.
This means, students can get the software for free with an online download, and get the hardware from any WalMart, Target, or Best Buy at a nominal cost, and then may be able to experience class and study sessions that are more convenient than going to college has ever been! The technology is truly svelte and sleek and easy to use. It is peer to peer and does not require a great deal of set-up. It is easy and affordable and it has revolutionized online education!
