Last week I reTweeted someone’s request to find a partner for a Mystery Skype activity. That generated some new connections, but it also generated a few questions from people who wanted to know what Mystery Skype is and what it entails.
What is Mystery Skype?
Mystery Skype is an activity in which you connect your classroom to another classroom somewhere in the world via Skype. The focus of the activity is to have students guess where in the world the classroom is located based on their knowledge of geography and culture. When the classes connect students aren’t allowed to simply ask “where are you?” Instead, they have to ask questions like “are you north or south of 45N?” The students answering should only give “yes” or “no” answers. Watch the following video to see Mystery Skype activities in action.
Where to Find Mystery Skype Partners
Members of Microsoft’s free educators community can complete their profiles to indicate that they are interested in participating in Mystery Skype activities. You can also find a list of potential Mystery Skype partners here.
If you’re not a member of Microsoft’s educators community you can try to find Mystery Skype partners through one of the many Facebook groups about Mystery Skype. And if you’re on Twitter, try Tweeting with the hashtag #mysteryskype to find potential Mystery Skype partners.
