Journal 4: Internet Telephone (Telephony)

Internet Telephony is the use of computer programs and services to contact others through the use of a computer rather than a traditional telephone. Though there are many different forms of internet phone services such as Skype, Classroom 2.0 mainly dealt with the use of webcams to communicate with students and classrooms in other parts of the world and country. There are many interesting ways that a webcam can be utilized in a classroom setting. For instance, using different programs, a classroom can use a webcam to create stop motion films. These films can be created to narrate novels the class is reading, or to create fresh stories that the students made up by themselves. Another use is to contact other classrooms from different parts of the country/world and create collaborative assignments. One teacher took this idea to another level by communicating with classrooms in other countries and talking to them about current events. One class communicated with Russia during the troubles in Georgia and received a perspective outside of the United States. This is a great idea as it opens up the world for students and exposes them to things they may not ever be exposed to. It allows them to see that students from other countries are just like them, and that people are not as different from each other as they might think.