Google Voice vs Skype Reviews

Last spring I attended a conference session on using Skype as a tool for tutoring online/distance classes. This fall I attended a conference session that discussed using Google tools, specifically GoogleVoice, as an additional contact point with students. This semester, I am going to experiment with a combination of the two.

Skype is great for video calls (or audio only if you’re camera shy), but to use other features like SMS offline and calls to landlines or mobile phones, there is a fee. Another thing I like about Skype is that you are able to share your computer screen. This works great for tutoring or troubleshooting in computer applications courses, because you can show someone how to complete steps as if you were in the same room. There is a mobile app for Skype, but it does not accommodate video and is much more limited than the Web app.

Google Voice, on the other hand, gives you the ability to set up a specific phone number and use it for calls and texts without the need to give out your own personal number. You could also set up a number (custom, if you prefer) so that no matter where you move or which phone/cell provider you use, you always have the same number. Google Voice gives you the ability to screen calls, organize contacts into groups, send texts to email (they are automatically transcribed), and return texts from your email. There are other features that are perks, but I’m not sure I would use them. Features like being able to transfer a call from one phone to another (i.e. from land line to cell phone on your way out), add up to four people to a conference call, set up custom rings and greetings for groups, do not disturb, and merge phone with browser. Somethings that I WILL use, though, are the ability to send and receive texts with students and send texts to multiple recipients at the same time. Another advantage of using Google Voice for texts is that they are free – they do not count against any limits with your particular cell phone plan. Believe it or not, not everyone has an unlimited text plan. I don’t have a teenager on my plan, so 200 texts per month is more than enough. Free fits my budget really well.

I searched for comparisons and for Google Voice vs Skype. Though Skype scored high, Google Voice came out on top because of the additional features, flexibility, and free – the most important “f” word. To meet my objectives, at least as I see them now, I see Google Voice as a primary contact point with Skype as a supplement as needed. This is my first experiment with either, so I’m sure that I’ll find that the use of either or both will be tweaked as I go.

The point of this is to try to improve communication with students, online students in particular. This continues to be a challenge. A couple of years ago, I set up closed Facebook groups for my Microcomputer Applications classes for an additional contact point with both me and the class as a whole. That experiment has been a success. The students are on Facebook more often than they are in the college’s LMS. They also tend to answer each other’s questions more quickly than I can because of this. I’ve had many students voice their appreciation for incorporating Facebook discussions in the course, and I have even had students who have taken additional classes with me request a Facebook group for the class. It might seem like, if that’s working, just stick with it. The problem is that I know I am still missing some students, and one thing they do more often than check Facebook is text. 

Here are a couple of other links to articles for Google Voice for education and clever tricks.

iPhone 5 Reviews

On September 14, I did what I haven't done before. I went to the computer bright and early to pre-order my iPhone 5. Unbeknownst to me (and many other disappointed customers), even the pre-orders would sell out in just a few, short hours. My order made it under the deadline by a whopping 12 minutes in order for it to be delivered on September 21. Low and behold, about 1 p.m., the FedEx truck showed up, rang the bell, and there it was. I even got an email with the tracking information so I could see where it was from the time it was on its way. I didn't wait in line, and I didn't camp out at any store. This isn't something I would normally do, but my current phone, the iPhone 3GS, was on its last leg and I had been really testing my patience by waiting as long as I did for the new iPhone 5. In April, I heard a rumor that the new phone may be coming in early fall. As time went on, the rumor was coming from more places and more often, so I decided to tough it out and wait.

Here's what I like about the iPhone 5 -

It is VERY fast. I read the previews that the new processor and iOS would be much faster and was hoping it would be the case. One of the first things I did was held both phones and launched the same applications at the same time. Hands down, the iPhone 5 was faster. I was in the applications and looking around before it had even launched on my 3GS. This made me really happy. Among other very important things, I can now play Scramble with Friends without my phone being incredibly sluggish and stuttering to the point of stalling.

The battery life is much better. My 3GS was dying so quickly, that I was beginning to carry some kind of charger with me all of the time. Even with regularly closing all open applications and restarting the phone, it had become incredibly slow and was eating through the battery. With the 5, I can plug it into the radio in the car and listen to music all of the way to school and the battery isn't below 98%. The 3GS would have been lucky to still be at 75% once I arrived.

Call quality is improved. Interestingly enough, one of the things I try to avoid most on my phone is talking on it. Part of that is me, but a large part is that the quality of the connection was always poor before and calls were dropped too often. I remember hearing, when I bought my 3GS, that the iPhone was great for everything but making calls...didn't make much sense. I don't think that is the case any longer. The quality on the 5 is as clear as my landline and I've only had one dropped call so far. Frankly, I'm not sure if that was AT&T or me, so I'm not worried about it. The 5 seems to be a phone you can also use as a phone.

The camera and options are much better. I always hated using my 3GS for photos because they were always grainy. And if I tried to use the zoom feature, they were pitiful. The 5 has a much better camera with an added panoramic option. I've been playing with it a lot lately.

Earbuds and headphone jack. A friend reminded me about this one. It is really nice that the headphone jack is now on the bottom of the phone. It may sound silly, but I always carry my phone upside down in my pocket because the speaker is on the bottom and easier to hear alerts/rings. Now that the jack is on the bottom, it is even better. The new shape of the earbuds is also really nice. I would still like to see a softer end, like other earbuds, but the new shape is really great and fits the ear much better.