Branstad, Reynolds invite schools to again participate in the “Skype Your School!” initiative

Oskaloosa student Candace Allsup talks with Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds. The Lt. Governor and Governor are now inviting schools to Skype with them to provide similar opportunities to student throughout the state.

(DES MOINES) – Gov. Terry E. Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds today announced that they again are inviting schools to Skype with them, following last year’s successful “Skype Your School!” effort.

“We were excited to see the response to our Skype Your School initiative last school year, and are encouraging administrators, teachers and students to join us again this year,” said Branstad. “We had great conversations with dozens of classrooms, and appreciate the opportunity to answer students’ questions. As we work to restore Iowa’s leadership position in education, we believe this level of accessibility is important and a positive experience for everyone involved.”

To request a “Skype Your School!” classroom chat, teachers, administrators and students are encouraged to click on the featured image at http://Governor.Iowa.Gov, request a “Skype Your School” event in the comments section on Facebook.com/TerryBranstad and Facebook.com/KimReynoldsIA, or to use the #SkypeYourSchool hash tag on Twitter.

Last year’s “Skype Your School!” effort garnered national attention for “pushing the frontiers of digital technology” on Skype’s blog.

“Our Skype Your School initiative has enabled students to learn about new technology, and allowed us to stay in touch with classrooms throughout the state,” said Reynolds. “We have had some great questions from students, and appreciate the opportunity to address a variety of topics straight out of Iowa’s classrooms. The governor and I enjoy visiting all of Iowa’s 99 counties every year, but our Skype initiative allows us to cover a lot more ground throughout the entire state.”