How to Set Up and Run a Mystery Skype Session

What is a Mystery Skype?

Mystery Skype is a 45-60 minute critical thinking challenge that your class takes part in while Skyping with another class somewhere else in the world. Your students' goal is to guess the other school's location (country, state, city, school name) before they guess yours. We do this by asking yes and no questions.

Here is a more thorough explanation of Mystery Skype from Skype in the Classroom: https://education.skype.com/mysteryskype/how-it-works

How do you find Mystery Skype partners?

There are lots of ways of finding partners for Mystery Skyping! One way is to connect with teachers that you collaborate with outside of your district. Another is to use Twitter. Send out a tweet that looks something like this and you are sure to get some takers (the hashtags I included are helpful and increase the number of people who will see your tweet):

Skype in the Classroom has worked hard to make this process easier on teachers. They've now created a Mystery Skype page where you can find other teachers around the world who are interested in Mystery Skyping by registering on this page: https://education.skype.com/mysteryskype

Why should I have my students Mystery Skype?

Reasons to do Mystery Skypes:

Creates a global community of learners
Critical Thinking
Geography skills
Listening and Speaking skills
Student-Led
Using Resources to find information
Authentic purpose for research
Collaboration
Communication
Challenge-Based Learning
Creates partners for future projects
Gets teachers to collaborate globally

Maximum engagement for a sustained period of time!

How do I start?

1. Before your first Mystery Skype, teach your students how to ask general questions (as opposed to specific questions). We do this by playing a mystery game where a situation was presented and the students had to ask Yes or No questions to try to solve the mystery. As they asked questions, I helped them refine their questions to be general to start and get more specific as they narrow in on a correct answer. When students ask "specific" questions too soon, it's often a waste of a question.

Good examples of General Questions:

Do you live east of the Mississippi River?
Do you live in a state that starts with a letter A through L?
Do you live in the northern half of your state?
Do you live within a 65 mile radius of Chicago?

Poor examples (These questions are too specific):

Do you live in Oregon?
Do you live near Springfield?

2. It is best to create a web page or a shared Google Doc (see image below #3) that has all of the links your students will need prior to your first Mystery Skype. You may also want to show them one of the clips from our Mystery Skype YouTube Playlist (these are raw videos, so preview them ahead of time to decide which one might be best).

You will need to link to:

a Google Doc or Google Sheet for the students to collaborate on for each Mystery Skype
a site with all of their jobs on it (or you can link to mine)
Google Maps

3. Show your students the documents and websites they will be using during each Mystery Skype. Also, make sure they know how to use an atlas (or one online).

4. When your students understand how to ask general questions and know the resources they will need to use, teach them the roles that you will be using during your first Mystery Skype. (Don't assign any of them yet, though.)

Here are the jobs that I use:

Researchers: This is the most important job and one that everyone needs to do. Looking up the answers to questions we are asked when we don't know how to answer them by memory. Everyone needs an atlas and a computer. Come up with questions to ask the other class by adding them to the Google Doc. We can use Google Maps, search engines, and any other tools that will help you find where they are located that is allowed at our school. While you are researching, add links to the Google Doc for others to see the great resources that you find. Encourage others to add links that will help people as well. Give polite feedback to others as needed. (Everyone does this in addition to their other role.)
Greeters/Sharers: Greet the partner school/makes initial introduction. Offers the other school a chance to introduce themselves & ask the 1st question. Be specific by stating our own names and introducing the sharers by name and the questioners by name. Share something special about our school, city, or state. It could be a song/dance, souvenir, but nothing that will give anything away. Feel free to practice this before you have to do it for real. (2-3 students)
Questioners: Ask the other school questions that help us learn their whereabouts. You are responsible for keeping the conversation going. Questions are kept on our Google Doc, so all Questioners can see them and so others in the room can have their questions asked. Be aware of whose turn it is to ask questions (ours or theirs), and be quick to decide our question when it is our turn (be reading the Google Doc while the other team is thinking or speaking). (3 students)

Questioners' Assistants: Whenever the Questioners need the Researchers to do anything, it is your job to quietly ask the Researchers to do it. Be specific with what you are asking for (e.g. "The Questioners need a question. Let's try to narrow down which part of the state they live in."). (2 students)
Photographers: Responsible for taking lots and lots of high-quality photos while everyone is working. When the Mystery Skype is over, it is important to upload the pictures to our Daily Photo Journal. (2-3 students)
Videographers: Responsible for videotaping the entire event, especially the dialogue between schools. Never press PAUSE! The only time you should have the video camera on the projection is when they are talking to us. The rest of the time you should get us working. Also, it cannot be so shaky - move slowly from one place to the next. Don't zoom in and out - there's no need for it! (2-3 students)

Data Enterers: Gray out the columns as we complete them in the shared Google Sheet. Bold the questions that we choose to ask. Type in the answer to each bolded question (Yes or No). (2 students)

Closers: Wrap up the Mystery Skype by thanking the other class and asking some questions that show an interest in their school. If we have time, try to see if we have any interests in common and maybe we can connect with them again in the future. (2-3 students)
Signers: Create signs that tell the other class whose turn it is. Hold up those signs at appropriate times during the Mystery Skype. Signs we've used in the past include: "Your Turn," "Our Turn - Please wait while we prepare," and "Great Job!" (2 students)
Task Masters: Walk around and VERY NICELY help people stay on task. You may need to show some kids how to do things online, so be willing to be a teacher! Don't do anything silly in front of the camera! (2-4 students)
Atlas & Map Experts: Since we only have one road atlas, this student would be in charge of using it to answer questions that have to do with interstates and roads. They also mark on our laminated United States map which states have been eliminated. (Optional)
Supplies Supervisor: Help maintain the supplies area by putting things away where they belong and helping students put everything away correctly. (Optional)
Capitals & Question Mark Editor: Help others remember to use capital letters and question marks on the Google Sheet. (Optional)
Question Focuser: Watch the Google Sheet and help those who are asking questions that are not possible or too specific. Walk up to them and work with them to make questions better. (Optional)

Here is a panoramic view of our classroom during a Mystery Skype. Students have assigned seats and are performing their jobs.

5. Schedule your first Mystery Skype for a date in the near future. A couple days prior to the actual Mystery Skype, do a practice one together. Here's how I do that:

I announce and post their roles.
I ask everyone to get their computers, their atlases, any other materials they might need (cameras, etc.) and their spot in the room (see picture below) and I do the same.
I choose a location that I am very familiar with that is outside of Illinois to pretend to be from.
I stand where Skype would normally be projecting for the class to see and pretend that I am the other classroom.
We go through our step-by-step procedure (see picture below), practicing & giving students feedback for improvement.

Click on picture to see larger version.

6. You're ready for your first Mystery Skype! Have your students take their positions. Go through each step, and when you get to the Question and Answer portion, take turns with the other class!

Hints & Suggestions:

Start very generally (e.g. Are you in North America? Are you north of the 40th parallel? etc.).
Some classes like to give you a free follow-up question if they answered, "Yes" to your question, but it's limited to one follow-up per turn.
As questions and answers are being exchanged, make sure that everyone is contributing to the Google Doc and that no one is shouting their questions across the classroom!
Despite all the preparation, there will probably be some hiccups, but don't worry because you are being a risk-taker and that's great to model for your students!
Have students try to stay on their train of thought unless they feel like it was a poor question to begin with! For example, Do you live within a 65 mile radius of Chicago? Do you live within a 40 mile radius of Chicago? Do you live within a 25 mile radius of Chicago?
Creating a Google Doc that everyone has access to is a must! Everyone researching can suggest questions for the "Questioners." The Questioners can choose between everyone's ideas to pick the best one each time. No need for shouting out or competing for the next question!
Have students turn shirts inside-out if they have the school name on them (or sports teams, etc.).
Make sure the Sharers and Greeters never say the name of the school or city or state in their comments.
The teachers should call each other Mr. S instead of Mr. Solarz to prevent students from looking up a teacher's name online.
When Skype is opened, the name of the caller is prominently displayed. It would be best to slide the window to the left so that the name is hidden.
A day or two before the scheduled Mystery Skype, be sure to add the other teacher as a contact in Skype. If possible, have a quick practice call with them.
Make sure that your scheduled time is taking into account time zone differences. I always say, "Central Time Zone" after the time when I schedule, even if they are in our time zone.

For more information, feel free to check out these sites:

Signers: