Mystery Skype Game: Increase Student Engagement in The Classroom
When we think of Skype, classrooms don’t really come to mind. However, the use of Skype in the classroom is becoming more common than you might think. Thanks to Microsoft, you can now engage your students using Skype with an entire curriculum. Teachers can connect their students with classrooms globally to play the Mystery Skype Game to increase student engagement in class.
What is the Mystery Skype Game?
Mystery Skype is a class activity where students are connected to another classroom via Skype and have to guess where the other class is located. It’s like playing a game of Jeopardy between two classrooms. Teachers can collaborate with other classrooms globally by searching for classrooms and integrate class activities with a Mystery Skype Game session.
Additionally, by using the ‘Skype in the classroom’ initiative you can also invite guest lecturers to remotely give lectures from different parts of the world and take your students on virtual field trips using Skype. This is a more engaging method which allows students to use their cognitive skills and creativity and makes learning more fun than going through mere PowerPoint slides or blackboard lectures.
You can find out more about the Mystery Skype Game from the video below.
How to Play the Mystery Skype Game?
You can play the Mystery Skype Game by connecting to classrooms by searching for them via ‘Skype in the Classroom’ website and coordinating with other interested teachers globally.
Mystery Skype Curriculum: There is an entire curriculum that you can download for OneNote. You can download the Mystery Skype Curriculum and view it using the OneNote app. If you don’t have OneNote, you can view it online via this Mystery Skype OneNote Online Curriculum.
This curriculum provides detailed information and instructions about the Mystery Skype Game and gives you resources for engaging your students by arranging a class based on the concept.
Mystery Skype Class Notebook: If you have Office 365, you can also make use of the Mystery Skype Class Notebook, which is an app which comes with interactive space for collaboration and handouts.
Play Mystery Skype Game in 5 Simple Steps
Step 1: Go to Mystery Skype website, search for class rooms and arrange a date and time to play the game by going to Find a Classroom.
Step 2: You can search for classrooms by location, language, subject and age groups. You can also enable the Available Now option to ensure that available classrooms from your selected region or country become visible.
Step 3: Go to a profile and click Request a Mystery Skype. Once a classroom session is arranged, make sure you don’t tell your students about the location of the other class.
Step 4: Assign jobs to students. You can get a detailed overview of the jobs from the Mystery Skype Curriculum. This step includes assigning jobs to students in class to ask questions, keep track of responses, manage maps, etc.
Step 5: Start the call and let the game begin.
Note: In case you don’t have Skype installed on your computer or the host class wants to interact without the need to install Skype (e.g. due to school policy prohibiting installation of software by the teacher), you can use alternative methods described in our post: 3 Ways to Use Skype without Installing It.
Connect with Global Classrooms, Guest Speakers & Conduct Virtual Field Trips
Other than finding classrooms you can also look for guest speakers and browse virtual field trips. There are short videos and contact details for arranging a virtual field trip to various farms, zoos, conservation centers, etc.
