The challenge of a real-time Skype (or similar video call) in this instance is that all students are in drastically different time zones. But this could still be done! At least for a couple of sessions, depending on the length of the assignment.
Below, I provide a link to a video I made of a Skype session with a friend who lives in South Africa and works in Ghana, a country in West Africa not far from Nigeria, the home of one of the hypothetical students on this blog. I wanted to show how easy it is to connect with someone halfway across the globe. Actually, this still astounds me. It’s free, it’s easy, and I don’t know why every college in the nation couldn’t make use of this to provide an international element to the curricula. (For example, my next hope is to connect with a French-speaking student or professional from West Africa who is interested in practicing his or her English. My French is terrible, so it would be fun to learn more French while simultaneously learning about another culture. Shouldn’t every foreign language student do this?!) Of course, colleges should also make use of the resources for international experiences that exist with the international students and staff and others right there on their campuses and in their communities. That’s IaH. As I mentioned on another page, the sort of project going on on this blog could be called IfH (Internationalism from Home).
DISCLAIMER: You may hear a couple of swear words that slipped past the censors! Here’s the link to the video:
Caravansaries--Cultural e-Exchange 