Skype to Lebanon and the Middle East

Skype is easy to use for international calling.  Skyping to Lebanon and the Middle East is just as easy as Skyping anywhere else.
 Click this link to see "Skype's Arrival in the Middle East..."

Skpe in Education - How to Use Skype for Teaching

Skype is now used for teaching.  This is a very inexpensive way to reach your students.  Skype actually created some features especially for teachers.  It is still based on the Skype calling model.  But, there is additional information so that teachers will know how to use it in education.

Click the You Tube link below for more information:

If a teacher is traveling, she can still teach her class.  The class holds a video conference with their teacher.  And she teaches them online.  This minimizes the effect of having a teacher gone.  It helps the substitute teacher not to panic.  And it keeps the students feeling connected and safe.  The teacher can now also have more flexibility.  For example, if the teacher needed to travel to be with a sick relative, she can still dial in to teach her class.  The reason for her being gone is not that she is unable to teach them.  It is just that she has to be somewhere else physically.

College instructors can use Skype as a format for their office hours.  If students cannot drive to the teacher's office in time, the teacher and student can use Skype as an option to connect.

Teachers can also use Skype as a professional development tool to network with their peers.  Again, the convenience of meeting online makes getting together a lot easier and, consequently, teachers may connect with each other more frequently.  This also opens up the world of teachers to each other.  Teachers can network with other teachers who live and work abroad.  This helps everyone tap in to global knowledge not just local knowledge.

For more ideas on how Skype can be used in education, click on the link below:

http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2012/06/complete-guide-to-use-of-skype-in.html

Skype International Calling Rates - Similar to using a Calling Card

Remember calling cards for dialing international numbers?  Now you don't need them.  With Skype, all you do is load money onto your Skype account and dial an international number.  It is the equivalent of a calling card.  Skype has very competitive international calling rates. The current Skype rates link is included below:

http://www.skype.com/en/rates/

Here are the directions for finding out how much it would cost to call international:

1 - Go to http://www.skype.com/en/rates/  
2 - Enter a country in the field.  For example, "China."

 

 

3 - Check rates to call, for example, China:

 

4 - Or, opt to buy Skype credits instead - see below.  You can set the charge to auto re-charge which reloads your card with the selected amount (either $10 or $25) every time the balance falls below $2.

 

 

 

Which option is best for you - Skype Credit? or Skype Monthly Subscription? 

What is the difference?

 

 

The simplest answer is:  if you use Skype occasionally to make calls, then get Skype credits.  If you use Skye a lot to make calls, then get the monthly subscription.  The monthly subscription may not be worth it if you do not make a lot of calls.

 

Check out the link  and Youtube below for more details;  keep in mind that the Youtube tutorial is based on Australian rates but I found it extremely well put together and helpful.  It also touches upon other feature Skype has like getting a Skype phone number, call forwarding, and Caller ID where you can choose the phone number that gets displayed to your friends' phones when you call or text.  The purpose of this would be to i.e. convert the Skype phone number that would show up (and which your friends would not recognize) to your cell number (so that when you dial through Skype and your friends see your number, they will know to pick up because it is you).

 

http://techuserfriendly.com/skype-pay-as-you-go-credit-vs-monthly-subscription/

 

 

 



 

 Skype internet phone rates  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYbKCyxOEdc

 

Calling internationally http://chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/call-internationally-for-free-with-facetimeskypeg/44931

 

Use Skype for international calls http://seniortravel.about.com/od/seniortravelbasics/a/Skype.htm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Loading money to get Skype credits for international calls

Here are the step-by-step instructions on loading money to Skype in order to get Skype credits to place international calls:

1 - Log in to your Skype account

2 - Click the Skype menu bar.  From the dropdown menu, select "Buy Skype Credit"

3 - See how much credit is left and decide whether or not to add more

4 - If you decide to add more money, click "Buy Now" in lower right hand corner of the page.  Once you do, it will set you up for auto-recharge.  In this case, I chose auto-recharge in the amount of $10.

 



 

 

 



 



 

Skype Credit   http://www.skype.com/en/offers/skype-credit/

 

Credit card details on Skype

https://support.skype.com/en/faq/FA10486/how-do-i-update-my-credit-card-details

 

 

Add funds to Skype account

http://wiki.wmtransfer.com/projects/webmoney/wiki/How_to_add_funds_to_Skype_account

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Skype mobile calling step-by-step

Here is a simple step-by-step guide to making a mobile call using Skype.  You can call a mobile from your computer or a mobile from your phone.  The illustrations below are from calling a mobile from your computer; however, the menu options look almost exactly the same when doing the below from your mobile phone.


1 - Log in to your Skype account

2 - Click "Call", then "Call Phone"

3 -Dial the number using the keypad

4 -Hit the green dial button (see above picture).  After you hit that button,  you will see the below:

5- Once it connects, you can begin speaking.  Once you are finished, hit the red phone icon (see above) to end call.

In an upcoming discussion, we will take a look at how to load money, check out the rate sheet, and make an international call.


Calling mobile from computer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVs9uvUVa9Y


Skype calls
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTPmrxI1P60


How to call Skype users from landline or mobile
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJIYO6AKQKs

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More about Skype

So, I wanted to go more in depth about how to use Skype.  I am simply fascinated by the amount of value you can get absolutely free.  Even if you have to pay for the added features, it is still an unbelievable value.

Skype allows you to connect, computer to computer, with anyone in the world for absolutely free.  You get to decide if you want video (you can both see each other while speaking); or if you just want audio (you select the audio option, not the video option.

Once  you make your selection (see above radio buttons "video call" and "call"), you will see the bottom screen as the "phone" is dialing.

Once it is connected, you will hear (and see, if you had chosen "video call") the person you are trying to connect with.

Sometimes, however, this feature doesn't work well.  This is particularly true if one of the parties is in a poor wifi coverage area.

There is another option; this one costs money, but it is totally worth it.

You can use your credit card to upload money to Skype for "Skype Credits".  Skype credits can be used to make a phone call, mobile to mobile, by dialing the other person's mobile phone #.  So, it is like making a regular call from your mobile phone to their mobile phone.  However, when you do this through Skype to, let's say, a person's phone overseas, it is as cheap or cheaper than using an international calling card.

I did this recently with a co-worker in China.  When my co-worker was traveling through certain parts of China where wifi access was not the greatest, I was able to log into Skype, but instead of activating the above free feature, I activated the phone dialing feature instead.  Again, this feature costs money, but it is totally worth it since I was able to connect to my co-worker's China cell phone and still pay less than I would had I made that call using a calling card.

Calling mobiles and landlines using
https://support.skype.com/en/category/CALLING_PHONES_SKYPEOUT/


How much does it cost
https://support.skype.com/en/faq/FA1214/how-much-does-it-cost-to-call-mobiles-and-landlines-from-skype


Rates page
http://www.skype.com/en/rates/

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Useful Information About Skype

Skype www.skype.com   is very useful.  I have a coworker who was traveling abroad and we were trying to figure out the best, most cost-effective way to communicate.  We used to have a calling card that we would refill with money every time it depleted.  Unfortunately, I lost the physical card, I couldn't remember the website the card came from and there were no instructions anywhere on how to refill the card with money.  So, I asked our IT department what they knew as alternatives.  They came up with Skype.  I didn't quite understand at first.  I thought Skype was just for computer to computer wifi connected chit chat with or without video.  My IT contact told me that Skype actually had another feature which was, in essence, a "calling card".  What I would have to do would be to add money to my Skype account, obtain Skype credits, and then look up their international chart so that I could see how much per minute it would cost to any country of my choosing. 

The rates were comparable to the lower priced calling cards out there.  I was amazed.  This was a more portable, reliable method. There was also a feature that allowed for auto-refill of the Skype credits (they pull money from your credit card) whenever you dipped below $2.  That way, you could avoid the hassle of being disconnected in the middle of a conversation while using Skype credits.

So, this "calling card" feature would actually allow you to log in to Skype, pull up their telephone key pad, dial the cell number or landline of the person you are trying to reach - either from your laptop, ipad, or cell phone -  and make a phone call.

How to use Skype to save on international calls   http://www.fodors.com/news/story_4687.html

Skype mobile  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KELbBjArzU

Making calls using Skype credit  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5RkVm4XsMc

 

 

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