Share Your Screen with Skype

I was trying to explain to my 78 year old dad yesterday how to log in to his blog. (And how cool is it that my 78-year-old Dad is keeping a blog!?) I was trying to talk him through it on Skype--it would have been a lot easier had I known that Skype recently added a share your screen feature.


To Share Your Screen (for Mac and Windows)

Once your call is in progress, go to Call>Share Screen.

How easy is that?

You will need Skype 2.8 for Mac and 4.1 for Windows. 

Screen sharing is available in Skype 2.8 for Mac and Skype 4.1 for Windows.  You can share your screen with someone who has an older version and they will be able to see it, but they won't be able to share their own.

Skype an Author!

Apparently, my school in Mongolia brings in an author once a year--which, as you can imagine, can get a little expensive.  But whether you're in Mongolia or Montana, author visits can be as easy (and inexpensive!) as a Skype call. Started by Ramona Kirby and Sarah Chauncey, Skype an Author hosts a growing list of authors, with an option for a free 10-15 minute "Meet the Author" session, or an in-depth, fee-based visit you arrange with the author.

What a great idea this is, and what a powerful motivator to promote reading!  It would be easy to schedule monthly quick sessions, with maybe one or two in-depth visits each year.  While nothing beats having a living, breathing author in the building, this would be either a wonderful supplement if you have the budget, or a nice alternative to bringing someone in.

For more information, Joyce Valenza's TL Ning is sponsoring a live webinar on June 7th.  You can found out more here.