Skype: Taking Students Far Beyond the Reach of the School Bus

York County School Division (YCSD) teachers met at the Jamestown Settlement in Williamsburg, VA on December 5, 2013, where they completed their sixth and final training session with YCSD   professional development specialists regarding strategies for delivering original digital video content to a global audience. 

 YCSD teachers ranging from kindergarten through high school, in preparation for this final session, developed lessons connecting cross-curricular topics such as math, science, and English to real world applications used at the Jamestown Settlement in 1607.  Teachers then posted their lessons to the Skype in the classroom website, providing classrooms around the world with an opportunity to participate during the December 5^th event.

The teachers delivered these live lessons through Skype to classrooms across North America from the Fort, Powhatan Village, and the Ships located at the Jamestown Settlement.  Topics that were addressed on December 5^th during the live Skype lessons included; the impact of weather on travel, early navigational tools and mathematics used to reach the Virginia coast, ship buoyancy, methods of archeology, freshwater issues, life comparisons of then and now, colloquialisms, exchange of technologies, and cultural traditions. 

During the lesson delivery, participating students learned from the teachers while stepping back to 1607 within the Jamestown Village, James Fort and Ships docked along the James River.  The students were able to view artifacts and ask questions to the expert Jamestown Settlement interpreters. 

Over 500 students from schools in Virginia, Texas, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Illinois, Missouri and Canada were able to visit the Jamestown Settlement through the virtual field trip.  Skype is a powerful vehicle for taking students to wonderful learning destinations that are far beyond the reach of a school bus. 

In addition to providing participating classrooms with an engaging learning experience from the Jamestown Settlement, YCSD teachers expanded their professional network for future collaboration and the exchange of information.  Future collaboration with this network may include opportunities for YCSD teachers and students to learn as they visit significant sites around the world through Skype and future Skype in the classroom connections.