Brescia House School, an all-girls’ school in Bryanston, participated in the Global Skype-a-thon hosted by Microsoft Corp to celebrate learning without borders on 3 and 4 December.
A Grade 2 class had the privilege of speaking and engaging with Anthony Salcito, vice president of Worldwide Education at Microsoft, in Seattle, Washington.
The Skype-a-thon aimed to encourage educators to schedule Skype calls in their classrooms or schools with one of hundreds of guest speakers, virtual field trip partners or other classrooms around the world to play Mystery Skype. Everyone who participated in the Skype-a-thon shared their “travels” in a fun and creative way via social media and contributing to the goal of reaching one million virtual miles travelled.
The Brescia House pupils were extremely excited by the thought of chatting, via Skype, to someone on the other side of the world. Through this initiative, the pupils were able to host an international visitor and teach him a thing or two about South Africa without leaving the safety of their classroom. They also learned some interesting facts about Anthony’s homeland, reinforcing the fact that the 30 minutes spent together was just as effective as a traditional face-to-face conversation.
This in itself opens the possibilities of education and connecting with experts from around the world is so much more accessible. Boundaries no longer exist – really making the old adage “anything is possible” even more powerful and attainable.
“In today’s world, we benefit from technology connecting students to limitless amounts of content and knowledge. We are creating citizens of the world from early years and a channel to share ideas, innovation and expertise across borders. This Skype-a-thon is an amazing example of the power of learning without borders,” said Salcito.
Having grown up with technology, these eight-year-old pupils don’t see the ‘boundaries’ from even five years ago. They are far more equipped to embrace this dynamic tech environment with the continuous development of products and services from service providers such as Microsoft.
As a Microsoft Showcase School, Brescia House is excited by the possibilities of technology in education whose future is still very much in its infancy.
Mrs Lyneth Crighton, head of innovation and staff development at Brescia House School said, “The pupils and teacher, Mrs Catherine Mullen, were very excited to be part of this global event and had a great time chatting to Anthony and Leigh about South Africa.”
