Like millions of us, Prof. Sugata Mitra, a technology education professor at Newcastle University in the UK, saw and was inspired by the Academy Award-winning movie, "Slumdog Millionaire."

What he didn't know was his work on teaching children in Indian slums was what inspired Vikas Swarup, an Indian diplomat, to write the book "Q&A," which became the movie.

Swarup, Indian Deputy High Commissioner in South Africa, told the BBC that Mitra's work had moved him to write his book. And Mitra's students passed the word along.

Mitra said he was thrilled to have played a part.

He is still reaching out to the kids in the slums in India--now using Skype.

"I'm a big Skype fan," he stated.

He currently is working with retirees, primarily teachers, who read fairytales over Skype to poor children in a school in Hyderabad in Southern India.

He said his research has shown that a projected image on the wall via Skype is more conducive to learning than a small window on a computer screen. "Size does matter," he said.

He said the children consider their Indian accents a handicap and want to learn an accent that eventually will help them find work. They asked to hear fairytales from an elderly British lady.

Skype made that possible in a school in the Indian slums.

Mitra said Americans are welcome to join the project, noting that a US accent could help the children eventually find work in an outsourcing center serving the American market.

Interested in volunteering? Contact Prof. Mitra at sugata.mitra@newcastle.ac.uk