A few years ago Joey Adams connected with a classroom outside Atlanta, GA via Skype. The classes shared book discussions over several months. Joey brought his students to the Cwing lab, attached a webcam to the top of the big screen, had his students arrange chairs in front, and then he popped up a YouTube video of a plane landing before switching to Skype and connecting with the other class. The kids loved it.
You don't have to be that elaborate, but Skyping with another class or (even better) an author is motivational and rewarding for students. Here's a link to an article appearing in the Sept./Oct. issue of ISTE's Learning & Leading magazine. This article tells how to find authors and how to connect with them. There are plenty of resources and how-to's to get started. For technical set-up at school, if you want some help, we can provide assistance. We have microphones to borrow that work better in larger groups, and we can help you set up a Skype account and use if, if you haven't done so. Let us know how we can help with the places you'll go.
