Skype in the classroom is a Tomorrow Awards winner
Yesterday @malbonster and @bobbyc had the honour of accepting a Tomorrow Award for Skype in the classroom, a service and technology mash-up that connects teachers around the world and helps them collaborate on Skype-based teaching projects.
We are thrilled that Skype in the classroom has been recognised, and we’re especially happy for our client, Skype, with whom we enjoy a strong partnership.
Why did I pick Skype in the classroom? It has the potential to change the world.
The Tomorrow Awards is the first international show dedicated to discovering, showcasing and awarding advertising creativity that pushes new technological boundaries. It's about recognising work that has the potential to create change. The quote above is from one of the judges.
There were five winners yesterday and the other four are definitely worth checking out: AKQA’s Halo Reach installation, Google’s Les Paul song-sharing doodle, What Do You Love?, the metasearch tool by Big Spaceship and Google Creative Lab, and HypoSurface, a physically dynamic display medium by dECOi and MIT. Some rather esteemed company!
Better, smarter, more meaningful work
Award shows inspire us, but they also remind us why we do this kind of thing in the first place. It's not about churning out yet more landfill marketing. It's not even about making beautiful things that ultimately are *only* beautiful. It's about making useful products, things that offer real value to real people.
If you're really lucky, as we were with this project, you get to make services that make the world a little bit better. This is only possible when you've got a client who is willing to take those risks and come on the ride with you, and in Skype is certainly that kind of client.
Still early days for Skype in the classroom
Skype in the classroom launched in March and we have watched it grow from a fledgling beta to a global service with some unexpectedly heartwarming use cases. In September, Skype’s President Tony Bates declared it Skype's goal to connect a million classrooms through this service. And here's what our client Jacqui had to say today:
Skype in the classroom is the ultimate manifestation of the Skype brand. I am grateful that we chose Made by Many to create this community and I hope this is just the beginning of the awards that Skype in the classroom will receive over the coming years!
It looks like there are more bright days ahead for Skype in the classroom, and we couldn't be happier to be on board.
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