hello

ive just installed skype for when pupils so they contact me directly, instead of using house phone...does anyone else use skype?

Yup.

do you use this for pupils to contact you? and how do you find it? im still yet to buy a phone for it

You don't need a phone for Skype. Heck you could get away with headphones! A mic would be the best option though

I use Skype also, but to talk to friends

i know i dont, but i would prefer a phone.

I use headphones with a mike - these days they sell them with a "Skype" sticker on them just in case you are in any doubt.

I really think a headset is a much better way to go than a phone handset - with your hands free, you can open the chat window and send/receive files (e.g. audio or documents), send URLs for websites you want your students to look at etc.

I've been using internet phones for a long time now, and I think Skype has the best sound quality yet, plus they make the effort to make it easy for users to understand.

I'd never heard of it until I read this thread. Googling it brings up some very useful information.

Thank you.

The next step is to get a web cam to add the visual dimension. One sometimes sees teachers who claim to be able to teach by webcam teleconferencing, e.g. http://angelachan.ca/onlinelesson.html . I think I prefer the "real thing" though...

UPDATE

Well it works really well.....unfortunatly ive got ###### speakers but getting new ones at weekend, but its definitely going to be an advantage.