Ms. Long’s first graders at Davis Elementary have been Skyping (video conferencing with Skype) already this year! What a great way to begin. Today they Skyped with another 1st grade class and compared their classroom rules and routines to see how they were alike and different. They learned a valuable lesson, that you can get good ideas by collaborating and communicating. Next they are planning to Skype with a community helper since they will be learning about communities and citizenship (SOL 1.6 & 1.12). He’s an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) that is related to Ms.Long. The students don’t know what his job is though. They have to come up with “Yes” or “No” questions to figure out what he does. I’ve only known Ms. Long for a few weeks since Davis is one of my new schools, but I can already tell that she has fantastic ideas to get her students engaged in learning and technology. I’m hoping to do more Skype sessions with her class and other classes this year!