Wednesday, September 26, 2018

Mystery Skyping: Comparable to an Air Traffic Control Tower

We had a blast today mystery skyping with a class in Virginia! We won't tell you what city they were in because well, that was the hardest mystery to unravel. Who knows, you may find yourself mystery skyping with them one day and I wouldn't want to take away the fun. Our 5th grade students loved it. We follow the mystery skype process that I refer to as "Paul Solarz style". He is a master at crafting an environment that becomes organized chaos. Similar to an air traffic control tower. Every student knows their role and responsibility, some of which are limited to themselves and some of which are shared responsibilities. While doing our part, we try our best not to run into each other. Somehow it all works out. 




We always have a dress rehearsal at which time we review the roles, choose our parts (or in some cases have them assigned if necessary), learn the importance of mystery skype netiquette, and brainstorm examples of "good" questions that aren't too direct but also help us beat the clock to discover where the other students are located before they figure out where we are located. We even have assigned places within the room so that we each have a home base for our jobs. Jobs include Atlas researchers, Google Earth explorers, a task master, a greeter, a closer, the question askers, the runner, and more. Regardless of one's job, everyone has the opportunity to research and submit possible questions. 

The day of the mystery Skype typically involves covering up our school name and logo information found on our clothing. We file in quietly, assume our positions, and connect virtually with the other class. Even those students and bystanders (sometimes we have classroom visitors) who don't think they will get caught up in the energy, can't help themselves. Before we know it, we are all working feverishly to discover the location before they discover ours. It's high energy, anxiety provoking, totally focused, crazy fun. We love it! If you haven't done one yet, be brave and try it. You won't regret it!


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