1

Jane Espinoza

Khadijah Sajjad

Benyamin D

CUIN 3313

The Importance of Skype in Education

What is Skype and what can it do for you? Skype is a communications program that

works as a VOIP, voice over internet protocol. It provides video chat and voice calls between

computers, tablets, and mobile devices via the Internet. The application can be installed on

different devices, whether it be a computer, cell phone or even tablets. Skype has a wide range of

plans to choose from to suit various businesses or personal needs. It is free for some basic tools,

but ranges in price depending on what subscription you purchase of the program.

Skype has come a long way from when it was first created. Skype was created in August

2003 and is founded by Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis in Estonia, located in Northern

Europe. This was during the early days of VOIP, and it wasn’t until 2004 that Skype introduces

audio conference call. In 2005, eBay attains Skype. In December 2006, Skype introduces calling

subscriptions. Fast forward to February of 2008, Skype hits 100 billion minutes of Skype to

Skype calls. In September 2010, you could call up to ten people at the same time. Skype

continued to skyrocket from the beginning, taking off like wildfire. It was soon available on

Mac, cellular phones, and even striking up television brand deals for what are known as smart

TV’s. In May 2011, Microsoft decided to partner with Skype and close out the deal that October.

With Microsoft’s take over, Skype continues to flourish to this day. Now one can call up to 50

people at once on Skype, you can record your calls, and it is even available via Amazon Alexa

devices.
 2

Jane Espinoza

Khadijah Sajjad

Benyamin D

CUIN 3313

Skype is easy to use, and there are many different blogs and articles that show you how

and even include images in your conversations. To use Skype, first you must sign up, then you

download the program onto your device, and test and check your audio and video settings. After

you do that, you will then need to set up your profile, fix your status to show whether you are

available, away, or one of the other options you must pick from. You can even list your current

mood. From there, you set up your contacts and then you can start with anything from instant

messages, phone calls, or even video calls. Depending on your subscription, there are many other

Skype features that you can take advantage of.

Skype, besides providing easy access to connection and communication between the

users, has given many opportunities to businesses and educational institutions as well. There are

several reasons in which Skype has been used for instructional and educational purposes.

To use all of Skype's features, students need to open active accounts that are usually open

through school, and teachers’ login information will be provided to students and their parents.

Skype can aid schools and teachers by assisting in financial issues. For example, sending all the

school kids to a field trip will be costly for school and children’s families; thus, using Skype will

make this process so much easier. Not only does skype serve a cost-efficient way to provide

students with a “virtual field trip”, safety is also the priority for the school principal and

management and having a “virtual field trip” would help the students to learn a new feature of

the Skype technology and have the school project completed. Moreover, choosing Skype will
 3

Jane Espinoza

Khadijah Sajjad

Benyamin D

CUIN 3313

support foreign-language speakers to be assisted with their native language and video sessions

which are available for them to better understand the material. Another example of using Skype

for educational purposes would be bringing enthusiasm to the classroom and encouraging the

students by being scheduled to meet a celebrity, author, or an expert online.

Moreover, students need assistance with their homework, and parents do not always

have time to help them; therefore, online Skype sessions will be a great help and make the

learning process smooth for the children by being taught online. One of the best reasons that are

provided by Skype would be the learning process for the students who are out of the school for a

long time due to medical issues; by Skype, students can be able to follow the classroom sessions

while they are in the home or at the hospital. With Skype’s help, distance learning has become so

much easier; for instance, if students are working on a group project with this application are,

they can work on the group work remotely.

The cultural aspect of Skype will be another main reason that encourages the schools'

authorities to utilize this program throughout the school levels. If schools want to indicate

cultural differences between nations in a school program, they will be able to show that online by

running the Skype program. However, Skype has made some improvements in its training

programs for school students, such as enhancing and implementing the Mystery Skype,

particularly for students. Overall, Skype would be an inexpensive and affordable software which
 4

Jane Espinoza

Khadijah Sajjad

Benyamin D

CUIN 3313

conveys a significant role in the communication and training purposes in almost all level of the

society.

Skype not only serves classrooms a tool for education, it also delivers many companies a

way to train their employees and stay connected between team members all throughout the

organization. Skype for Business is an application that is geared specifically towards businesses,

unlike the Skype someone may use to chat with family members in another city or country.

Skype for Business has several benefits. One benefit is that it allows team members to

communicate with each other regardless of which device they are on. Skype is applicable on

Windows, Androids, iOS, and Mac. It gives businesses a way to work efficiently by allowing

teams to communicate whenever and wherever they are, whether its in the same room or from

another office in another country.

A second way that Skype benefits companies is that it cuts costs on business travels.

Instead of having to send employees on a trip, they can video conference with their partners and

investors. Skype for Business also increases productivity and communication. Through this

platform, you can schedule meetings and video conferences into the workday. Skype for

Business links with Outlook which allows for an easy way to stay organized and complete day to

day tasks and meetings. Skype is not only a convenient way to stay connected and on top of your

schedule, it is also incredibly safe to use and has a high-level security authentication. With Skype
 5

Jane Espinoza

Khadijah Sajjad

Benyamin D

CUIN 3313

for Business, you can easily stay in contact with your colleagues through instant messaging, and

only people within the organization can contact you.

Skype serves a useful tool for Human Resources as well, since it may be used as a

platform for performing online interviews. It has proven to be effective and efficient and is a

cost-effective way to meet with candidates “face-to-face” without the hassle. This also allows for

more availability in candidates since some may find it difficult to meet with the employer during

regular business days and hours. It allows for candidates to meet during make evening or

weekends for their interview.

Overall, Skype helps the industry in more ways than one can imagine. It aids in company

growth and helps save the company expenses and cut back on business travels associated with

meetings. It is versatile and available on all platforms which is very convenient for its users.
 6

Jane Espinoza

Khadijah Sajjad

Benyamin D

CUIN 3313

References
Bright Hub Education. (n.d.). How Can Teachers Use Skype in Education?. Retrieved from
https://www.brighthubeducation.com/teaching-methods-tips/76557-setting-up-and-using
skype-in-the-classroom/
New Updates and Features: Skype News. (2019, August 29). Retrieved October 28, 2019, from
https://blogs.skype.com/category/news/.
HR Staffing and Recruiting: Skype and the Job Interview. (2011, March 1). Retrieved October
29, 2019, from https://www.fosterthomas.com/hr-staffing-and-recruiting-skype-and-the
job-interview/.

Singh, K. (2014, July 9). The Beginner's Guide to Skype. Retrieved October 28, 2019, from
https://mashable.com/2014/07/09/skype-for-beginners/.
The History of Skype Timeline. (2012). [ebook] Skype. Available at:
https://blogs.skype.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/skype-timeline-v5-2.pdf
[Accessed 28 Oct. 2019].
The Edvocate. (2018). 10 ways to use skype in the classroom. Retrieved from
https://www.theedadvocate.org/10-ways-to-use-skype-in-the-classroom/

Unuth, N. (2019, August 21). What is Skype? Learn All About What Skype Is and How to Use
It. Retrieved October 24, 2019, from https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-skype-3426903.
Ulloa, E. (2018, September 13). 5 Benefits of Skype for Business - Alexandria, Arlington,
Washington DC Metro. Retrieved October 29, 2019, from https://www.envision
consulting.com/2018/02/13/5 benefits-skype-business/.

What is Skype? (n.d.). Retrieved October 24, 2019, from

https://www.digitalunite.com/technology-guides/email-skype/skype/what-skype.