Skype

  • Skype is great for adults and their communication.  Skype is not great for students without a lot of control and a lot of ground rules set down by you. 

  • Here’s the issue (and the same issue applied to Google Docs, Gmail etc).  When you install technology in your school, you control the whole system.  If a student makes a Podcast, you know where it is stored initially, and you know that before it gets onto a shared network or be able to be heard by others, you would have corrected its mistakes and taken out any private information etc. 
  • The issue with Skype and other online services is you never know what’s in the middle of the communication between your students in your classroom and their digital work, wherever that is.  Part of the terms of service of these systems is that you won’t know what happens in the middle, how and where the information is stored, who gets to listen in, who gets to record a copy of your students talking to each other with video, take the video home and do things with it. 
  • And it happens.  I’ve seen a few news articles about some random person employed by a third party (ie, not a Skype employee but an employee of one of the 1000 other services Skype information passes through).   I’ve also been aware of many more cases that never get to the news.  Some employees in some organizations like monitoring teenage girl conversations.  Ick.
  • So keep Skype and other online services for adults who take their own responsibility for their privacy, and if you do use these services with students, make sure you have made them (and their parents) aware of the dangers and the need to hide any personal details that you don’t want recorded through audio or video.
  • If you are careful, Skype can be an incredibly useful tool, if your education department  doesn’t have an alternative service for your use.  I particularly like the Skype lie detector, which is incredibly accurate and a massive invasion of privacy.  Another teacher and I would get on and ask each other very direct questions about if we liked our jobs and who we thought was an intelligent colleague.  We were caught up in a horrible situation and both felt isolated, so this was a fun way to relieve some stress.  I always told people I had it turned on when it was on, but you can never be certain about what the other end is doing.   Thank goodness no-one was recording it. Or were they?  How would we know if either of our employers recorded these things, or if someone in the middle would grab it, realise it was funny and post it online for others to laugh at.  All of these things are entirely possible and allowable under the vague Skype terms of service that users must agree to. Employees listen to things and leak things.  We've all laughed at leaked 911 calls, or seen leaked images from someone's phone (Ms Hilton included). 
  • Something you may not be aware of is the amount of software and tools that internet creeps can use within the Skype service.  It is all too easy to replace a video of my face with a video of just about anyone of any age and gender, mirroring my gestures.  I can also get my voice changed to sound like someone else also. Believe me, as a teacher you have a lot of responsibility to ensure any communication between your students and someone else is entirely safe. 
  • A good indication is if the other party you are communicating with isn’t as paranoid as you, then you should be extra cautious and re-evaluate if you really do need to speak with a stranger or another school for your curriculum activity.  

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