@jeff, we did have cams. I took my Logitech camera and attached it to the cork strip over my whiteboard with thumbtacks and masking tape (hey, any port in a storm), then had all my students cluster together in three rows in the center of the room. It’s a smaller class (18), so it was a tight squeeze, but we got everyone in. Dave had his laptop-mounted cam, and we projected him on our 6′x6′ screen and had his voice coming through our wall-mounted speakers.

I debated whether or not to use it, but I think the visual element gave the kids one more thing to latch on to.

Love the fact that you pulled your family members into the mix. In addition to calling upon expert sources, it probably also helps your students to see you as more than just a teacher, but also as a brother and son – never a bad thing.

what a great lesson you did there. i especially like the use of your wikispace as a scratchpad prior to the interview.

skype in my classroom, i’ve used it twice to add members of my family to our class conversation. for one, we emailed a list of questions about the renaissance to my sister (who has a degree in art history and knows tons more than i do). she wrote back, i gave each student a copy of our questions and her answers, then we called her and she elaborated on a few of her answers. another time, during pastoral ed, we called my dad and asked him to share about his career.

i don’t think i gave those phone calls the necessary prep time re: interviewing…my students are younger than yours (middle school) and much more hesitant / unsure of how to ask follow-up questions. but i did notice that they took a heck of a lot more notes when my sis was sharing than when i deliver lectures / powerpoints.

wondering, did you have webcams set up?

and of course, i offer myself/any contacts i can share if anyone reading this ever wants to hear about hong kong. almost four years here, and i’ve managed to develop a broad network in this city, expat and local alike.

http://misterpark.ca

Other than that, I’d suggest the usual text-based channels (Twitter, nings, blogs, etc.) first, and then once you find someone, see about setting up the Skype connection – I “met” Dave and Christian through blogging and Twittering. Maybe try searching TweetScan or hashtags for “Afghanistan”?

Any other suggestions for Liz, folks?

PS: Probably should have put this in my post, but I would be more than happy to set up future “Skype-Ins” with other teachers, either with my students or just me alone. Leave a comment or drop a line if you’d like to knock some ideas around.