4th grade students Skype live to Antarctica

4th grade students at Temple View Elementary in Idaho Falls may not have personally visited the Adelie Research Center at on Ross Island in Antactica, but they got to do the next best thing — a virtual visit over Skype. They got to talk to a real scientist who lives there for three months each year to study the penguins.

The teacher, Erin Byington, applied through the Skype in the Classroom program and was one of only five school in the entire word accepted for the Skype video call.

“I wanted them to have a first-hand experience of what penguins do to protect themselves and their young and how they live,” Boyington said.

The students were expected to take good notes so they could further discuss what they learned. And they were allowed to ask questions.

After months of preparation and planning, Boyington was pleased with how it went.

“I think it went well,” Boyington said. “We just Skyped Antarctica. I think it was fantastic.”