He’s been asking for over a year, and finally I was able to say, “YES!” Well, actually, I told Jerry Blumengarten, AKA “Cybraryman” yes when he first asked if my class would like to Skype with him, but the process to make that happen was a little long and slightly complicated.
My district, at first was a little hesitant to allow for Skyping, but with the help of our tech support technician, Kathy and school tech teacher and integrator, Leslie, we did it. Some of the equipment used was given to us by a grant form our local education supporter AEFI. We projected the mixbook that Jerry put together illustrating the writing process he went through to create a comic book about Energy. Then we hooked up another laptop to a TV so that we could see Jerry’s smiling face! We also had a camera, microphone and speakers set up from there. Kathy worked hard on getting it all set up and it was worth it.
On the morning of our Skype session, Leslie and I gathered the kids into our “Little Theater” and soon Cybraryman was calling. The kids were excited! Jerry did a great job of involving the kids in his presentation: asking questions and getting their feedback. When Jerry was done, he stuck around for quite some time to take questions. My students came up with some great impromptu questions about Jerry’s writing process. And Jerry, in his undying enthusiasm, always answered honestly and positively. “It takes a lot of work, but you can do this!”
As soon as we got back to the room, it was snack time. I immediately grabbed my camera to get my students reactions from our experience. Many students were happy to share what they learned and what they thought about the experience Skyping with Cybraryman! Maybe you would like Cybraryman to visit your school too…
Enjoy this Animoto.
P.S. Jerry, I think you need your own character made with a cape! 
~EMP
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Elizabeth Peterson has devoted her life to education and to reaching out to other teachers who want to remain inspired. Mrs. Peterson teaches fourth grade in Amesbury, Massachusetts and is the host of www.theinspiredclassroom.com. She holds an M.Ed. in Education, “Arts and Learning” and is currently enrolled in a C.A.G.S. program through Plymouth State University with a focus in “Arts Leadership and Learning.” Elizabeth is author of Inspired by Listening, a teacher resource book that includes a method of music integration she has developed and implemented into her own teaching. She teaches workshops and courses on the integration of the arts into the curriculum, leads an arts integration PLC (PLaiC) and is adjunct faculty for PSU. Mrs. Peterson believes there is a love of active, integrated learning in all children and from their enthusiasm, teachers can shape great opportunities to learn. 
