Mystery Skype
is an educational game, invented by teachers, played by two classrooms on
Skype. The aim of the game is to build cultural awareness, critical thinking
skills, and geography skills by guessing the location of the other classroom through
a series of yes/no questions. Other variations can be used for different
content areas. Classes can play “Mystery
Element” or “Mystery Animal” in science class, “Mystery Number” in math class, or
“Mystery Historical Figure” in history class.
It is suitable for all age groups, from Kindergarten through college,
and can be adapted for almost any subject area.
Some general guidelines that I’ve typed for my teachers can be found
here: Mystery
Skype Guidelines
Once people
learn about Mystery Skype and the student learning that results from playing,
they immediately want to begin setting up connections for their students. In this post, I will share three easy ways to
find a partner class for your next Mystery Skype game.
Skype in the Classroom Website
If you have never taken the time to explore the Skype in the Classroom (SITC) website, drop everything
and do it now. In addition to Mystery Skype connections, this site will allow
you to find authors, scientists, social innovators, and experts who are willing
to talk to your students via Skype call to enhance their learning. There are
also Skype Guide lessons which will teach you how to use Skype in your
classroom and how to best use the website to create amazing learning experiences
for your students.
Finding Mystery Skype connections is amazingly easy on the
Skype in the Classroom Website. First,
create an account and log in. You can use your Skype or Microsoft ID to create
your SITC account. Be aware that, while
they are connected to each other, your SITC account and your Skype account are
different.
Next, Click on the “Mystery Skype” link on the top of the
page (click on pictures to see them bigger).
On the next page, scroll down a bit and you will see a few different
ways to connect with other teachers who are willing to Mystery Skype. On the left side of the page, there are drop
down menus that will allow you to narrow down the choices. This is helpful because there are over
100,000 teachers and experts using the Skype in the Classroom website. If you choose “United States” as the country
you will have the option of narrowing your choices down by state as well.
Clicking on any teacher’s name will take you to his/her profile where you can
send him/her a message (see below).
My favorite way of searching for Mystery Skype connections on
SITC is by using the map feature. Above
the drop down menus there is a blue button that says, “Search the Map.
The interactive map is very easy to use. Simply move the map and zoom in/out on the
location with which you are looking to connect.
Teachers and guest speakers in the area shown on the map will appear
below. Clicking on any of their names
will take you to the teacher’s profile.
On this page you can see Skype in the Classroom lessons that he/she have
created, lessons in which they’ve participated, and information about his/her
class. To contact the teacher to set up
your Mystery Skype, click on the “Send a Message” link on the right side of the
page.
In the message, make sure to introduce yourself, to list what
classes and/or grades you teach, and to list a few times that you would like to
connect. I also like to include my email
address and to have the teacher respond to me via email so that it is easier to
keep track of our discussion.
Finding Connections on
Twitter
Many
educators use Twitter to learn from each other, share lesson ideas, and to set
up collaborative projects for their students.
This is a great tool that can be used to find Mystery Skype connections
as well.
To get the
most out of Twitter, it is important to understand hashtags. Hashtags are used
by people in their tweets as a way of curating posts into categories. For
example, someone sending a tweet about a math lesson might put #mathchat in
their post so that others who follow that hashtag can see it and respond. Kindergarten teachers may use #kinderchat in
their tweets, and principals may use #edadmin.
A rather comprehensive list ofeducational hashtags has been collected and published by Jerry
Blumengarten.
If you tweet
out a request for a Mystery Skype using the correct hashtags, there is a good
chance that another teacher will see it and respond to you. It’s always a good idea
to put the age/grade of your students and any preferences you have in your post. Since you only have 140 characters, feel free
to use abbreviations like “Ss” for Students and “Ts” for teachers. Make sure that you use one (or more) of the
hashtags below in your 140 character post.
Some of the
best hashtags to use when looking for Mystery Skype connections are:
- #MysterySkype – Lots of teachers follow this hashtag and use it to connect.
- #Skype2Learn – This hashtag is used for Mystery Skype as well as other types of Skype lessons.
- #SkypeMT – Skype Master Teachers are experts at using Skype in education. Using this hashtag will let them see your request and help you find a connection.
- #GlobalLearning – Teachers from around the world who connect their classrooms for global projects follow this hashtag.
A good tweet
might look something like this:
Following the
hashtags listed above is also a good idea if you are interested in using Skype
in your classroom. To follow a hashtag
on Twitter, use the search feature at the top of the page. Type the hashtag you
wish to follow in the search field. Make
sure to include the # at the beginning of the hashtag.
After you
search for the hashtag you’d like to follow, click on “All” on the top of the page
to see all tweets using that hashtag. If
you see a post to which you would like to respond, click on the arrow below the
tweet. This will allow you to tell the
person that you are interested in connecting with him/her.
Building
your professional network on Twitter will also make it easier for you to find
connections. When you see people who are
tweeting about things that interest you, click on their name. In their profile you will find a button which
will allow you to follow them and see all of their tweets. Just as in real
life, the more you interact with people, the more you will build relationships
that lead to collaboration.
Use Your Other Social Media Networks
to Find Connections
Many people
think of Facebook as a place to share pictures with friends and family, but it
can be a great tool for finding connections for your students. It never hurts to ask for what you need from
your network. I’ve had a lot of success
finding experts to connect with my students in this way. It also can be a great way to find Mystery
Skype contacts.
Facebook
groups also provide excellent opportunities for teachers to connect and learn
from each other. Some groups are public
(anybody can join and contribute), and others are private (you must be
invited). If you do a search in Facebook
for “Education”, you will see more than a thousand groups where educators are communicating
and collaborating with each other. More specific searches such as “Mystery
Skype” will give you less results, but may help you find a group that meets
your needs. Find a public group that
looks interesting, and join to get involved. If you see a closed group that you
would like join, you can send a request for membership.
The Most Important Thing Is to Get
Started
Trying
something new is always a little scary. Setting up your first Mystery Skype is
no different. It’s natural to be
nervous, especially when you know that another teacher will be seeing your class
and any mistakes you make on camera.
Everyone feels that way when they start out, and for that reason, the
communities of teachers on the Skype in the Classroom website, Twitter, and
Facebook are usually happy to help you get started. Don’t be afraid to tell the teacher(s) that
you connect with that you are new to using Skype and may need some help. Teachers
who are experienced at creating this type of learning experience become
passionate about helping others do the same for their students.
Once you
start using Mystery Skype as a learning tool with your students a new world of
global learning will open up to you. The
possibilities really are limitless when you can bring other classes and amazing
people into your classroom via Skype to help your students learn. You can see
the reactions of teachers to the amazingexperiences their students have had on the SITC website.
There’s no
time like right now to add your story to that list. Go find your perfect Mystery Skype
connection!
