I don’t know if this is the first, but it’s certainly an early example of how Skype and other VOIP products are going to create a new form of business: Accessible voice services. An Online Language School Uses Skype to Teach English:
Isle of Man (UK)-based school Telephonenglish.com [not the most elegant of website names, and you have to wonder how the spelling will rub off on students] has committed itself to using Skype VoIP technology to teach English to its global clients. “The quality and the popularity of the Skype VoIP telephony service makes it the obvious choice for our e-learning services,” said Telephonenglish founder Martin Curtis.
Telephonenglish.com was founded in September 2004 to take advantage of cheap internet telephony as a means of teaching English students around the world who are either too isolated, or simply too busy to travel to a traditional language school for classes.
Why Skype?
“The ability to send files during the lesson, as well as using the text-based chat facility during the e-lesson, makes Skype a perfect platform for affordable online learning,” said Martin Curtis.
So who is Telephonenglish.com? It’s four full-time teachers, and as far as I can figure out from the websites, students get emailed the lessons in advance, download Skype and then will get called by the teacher at a booked time.
Hallo i finding people who will comunicate and learning english from skype.With interested at prodraming PC, electronica, technica can be diferent. I like changing information with new people and obtain new expirience. my skype is marian7493.
I am a retired teacher of English and also a children’s poet. I also skype into classrooms where pupils both enjoy listening to some of their favourite poems which I have written, talking to me and I also enjoy listening to what they have written and helping them. ESL students also use my poems (which have voice recordings to them) and they also enjoy meeting the writer. You can find the poems on Google: Josie Whitehead – children’s poetry.
Josie, thanks for this, sounds a lovely idea.