Ten AIW coaches chose to work — not by braving the roads, but rather by using SKYPE to conference. For those who have only heard of SKYPE, it is a free, real-time communication tool that allows two or more people to communicate live. You can video conference if both people have cameras, audio conference (like a phone call), instant message (IM), and send files live.
Part of why this particular day went so well was that everyone already had a SKYPE account set up, we had done a couple trial calls, and everyone was patient!
The key, though, was maximizing the features of SKYPE. I had everyone on a common IM chat for general directions and comments, as well as on individual chats in case someone needed to communicate one-on-one with me. Then I called everyone using the conference call feature. Because it was too chaotic to all talk at once, we used this to disseminate common points for consideration. Then folks would break off in pairs and video-conference, discussing their own experiences and questions. These questions could then be typed into the common IM chat space and I organized them thematically to address more generally. When I did this, I used GarageBand to record the answers and newly generated prompts; then I posted the podcast on their password protected coaches’ blog so they could comment collectively using the comment space.
It’s hard to describe how truly well it went — special thanks to the coaches who stuck it out and revolutionized the way we will meet in the future! Fantastic job!
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Technology and AIW: Coaches Skype!
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