My students thoroughly enjoyed a recent Skype visit with author, Lisa Graff.  Her novel, Umbrella Summer, is nominated for the Texas Bluebonnet Award and students across Texas will vote for their favorite book in January 2011.  I used music from Creative Commons and posted the video on Schooltube.  The experience was extremely well-received, so I plan to utilize Skype again with other authors or special contacts.

Skype Tips:  Be sure to prepare questions ahead of time, so students will be ready for the Skype session.  Test the Skype connection before students arrive, to avoid technical problems.  (Actually, we crashed because I forgot to unplug my document camera and plug in my webcam!  After rebooting the computer, it worked perfectly.) Ask permission before taking pictures or video.  Thank the participating author or individual for taking time to communicate with students.