João Brogueira tipped me to Canada's Nuvvo's LMS integrating Skype into their free elearning service using web 2.0 style AJAX programming methods. I love conversation triggered by context. In this case, inquiring minds with subject matter experts. So many learning management systems do nothing but administer bureaucracy. Savvica's Nuvvo takes its points of contact with students and faculty as opportunities to connect.

Extraordinary edublogger Barbara Sawhill at Oberlin University's language lab in Ohio brings students of Arabic to talk with native speakers in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia using Skype. This triumph over distance only works because Skype's sound quality keeps the high and low tones of sound; telephones and other VoIP software/hardware clip out those parts of speech.

Outside of school, offer yourself as a native speaker or look for language practice partners at Veli Hazar's Language Exchange Partner Service. (Earlier in Skype Journal).

How else can Skype help lifelong learning?