Skype, Yuuguu and InspireData

What better way is there to get my graduate students excited about technology than by modeling for them what is possible with today's Web 2.0 tools. Using programs like Skype and Yuuguu has enabled me to make my graduate classes so much more dynamic and has allowed me to bring in guests into my classroom which was just not possible years ago. Just yesterday, I had Laura from Inspiration give a demonstration of InspireData to my students who had never seen it. Using Skype, and the video conferencing capabilities Laura was able to introduce herself and my students were able to see her which really personalizes the experience. Once she had introduced herself , I turned off the video component and I just used Skype for the audio so that we could listen to Laura as she described the product. Using Yuuguu, a free screen sharing application Laura was able to share her computer with my class and move through InspireData as if we were looking over her shoulder. Yuuguu worked extremely well and kept up with the pace of Laura's presentation to us. Using tools like this gives me access to other experts and makes it easy to bring them into my classroom. One of the really nice parts of this technology is the ease of use; with just couple of clicks of the mouse I was up an running on Skype and Yuuguu. What great tools to use to make classrooms more dynamic and exciting!

Posted in: InspireDate_1.5,Skype,Yuuguu