Students in Amy Cole’s Grade 3 classroom on the Bolles Lower School Ponte Vedra Beach Campus were dressed in short sleeves and shorts on January 22, a day defined by blue skies and warm sun. The mystery class with which they Skyped that day, however, was full of students in sweaters – and their teacher later shared they had snow on the ground!
Both classes participated in an hour-long “Mystery Skype” event. The goal? To figure out, using carefully cultivated yes or no questions, exactly what state their virtual friends called home. Students in both classes were assigned roles to help eliminate states, research questions, answer questions and share information.
By the end of the session, the Bolles students successfully determined their friends go to school in the state of Kansas. Both classes congregated excitedly in front of the computer to exchange hellos and congratulations at the close of the exercise.
Bolles Instructional Technology Specialist Jennifer Moore helped facilitate the exchange between the two schools. She said it is a resource via Microsoft and faculty may choose from many different Skype exchanges for engaging classroom experiences. Bolles teachers have staged several such sessions for classrooms this school year, and all have been positive, she said.
