New Skype Feature
Skype is a great way to connect classrooms together for global collaborative projects or Mystery Skype sessions. When using Skype with students it is important to ensure that all students have parental permission to be on camera and that you adhere to the campus/district Acceptable User Policy (AUP). Additionally, make sure all students have a job to do during the Skype session whenever possible.
If you have students that cannot be shown on camera or you are concerned about distractions in the background, Skype has a new feature that is great to use to reduce distractions or blur the faces of certain students. The new background blur feature is available and is a fantastic way to protect students’ identities or reduce any visual clues when participating in a Mystery Skype session.
The following excerpt is from the “Skype in the Classroom” webpage.
Background blur in Skype is similar to background blur in Microsoft Teams. It takes the stress out of turning on your video and puts the focus where it belongs—on you! With a simple toggle, right-click, or even through your Skype settings, your background will be instantly and subtly blurred, leaving just you as the only focal point.*
Background blur in Skype and Teams uses artificial intelligence (AI)—trained in human form detection—to keep you in focus during your call. This technology is also trained to detect your hair, hands, and arms, making a call with background blur just as relaxed and easy as a regular video call.
Background blur is available on most desktops and laptops with the latest version of Skype. For more questions about background blur in Skype, read our support article. We also love to hear from you on the Skype Community, where millions of Skype users have registered to share their expertise, feedback, and Skype stories.
As you can see in the picture above, the right side shows the background blurred. Any students that should not be on camera can be blurred out and their identity protected. This is a great feature that recently introduced and can be a lifesaver and still allow students to participate in Skype sessions anonymously due to parental requests to not show their child on campus or in a Skype session. Check it out next time you are hosting or participating in a Skype session and let me know by leaving a comment below!
