- Part of Microsoft’s wider Skype-in-the-Classroom initiative, aimed at connecting classrooms around the world – showcases how technology can be used to enhance learning experiences
- For 48 hours, educators and students contributed to reach a goal of one million virtual miles using Skype as the main medium of communication
- Malaysia played a role too – reaching some 8,700 virtual miles (over 14,000 virtual kilometers) as students engaged with their counterparts in India and Hungary, with a total of 3.04 million virtual miles recorded globally throughout the entire two days
KUALA LUMPUR, 7 December 2015 — As part of Microsoft’s wider Skype-in-the-Classroom initiative, 19 students from SMK Kempas, Johor Bahru enjoyed an engaging global #Mystery Skype challenge with other schoolchildren in India (Redfields School) and Hungary (Balatonboglár Primary School) during Microsoft’s first ever two-day Skype-a-Thon event. Microsoft Malaysia’s Managing Director, K Raman, also took part in the activities, contributing ‘virtual miles’ by engaging with students at Sekolah Menengah Pertama Islam Al-Azhar 1 Pusat, in Jakarta, Indonesia.
The Skype-a-Thon, which was held for 48 hours, from December 3 through December 4, connected classrooms around the world and showcased how technology was used to enhance learning experiences. Throughout the two days, participants could choose a variety of educational activities, ranging from:
- #MysterySkype – a guessing game that encourages critical thinking, as students from each school takes turns to deduce the location of their peers they were communicating with. In the process, they learn about geography, understand different cultures, while broadening perspectives on world history.
- Talk with a Guest Speaker – students have the opportunity to connect with educators and guest speakers around the world, including zoologists, software engineers and scientists, providing a wide range of real-life learning experiences for students globally.
- Take Virtual Field Trips – gives students the opportunity to ‘travel’ to all seven continents right at the comfort of their classrooms.
According to Ammani Jeya Pirathaba, teacher at SMK Kempas, the experience was an eye opener to how technology tools such as Skype is renewing students’ interest in the learning process, “Playing Mystery Skype made my students think critically, allowing them to collaborate amongst themselves to identify where the guest speaker was from. They also learned about culture and here, technology is being used to enhance the learning experience. We are now communicating, digitally, without barriers, in terms of gender, skin color, or proximity.”
Kong Sing San, another teacher at SMK Kempas also said, “I’m convinced that my students today are experiencing more than I ever did when I was at their age. This is an important milestone as education is evolving towards 21st Century Learning Design. I have learnt much from this event and am going to learn more.”
Inez Farahannan, 15, from SMK Kempas, who participated in the #Mystery Skype game with students from Hungary, felt that the session provided her insights into another’s culture, “I felt very excited to learn about other countries and to talk to other people from around the world. Even though we were separated by a large distance, we got to learn about other cultures. This has been a fun experience and I’d like to do this sometime again.”
K Raman, Managing Director of Microsoft Malaysia who also participated in this two-day event, spoke with students at Sekolah Menengah Pertama Islam Al-Azhar 1 Pusat from Jakarta, Indonesia, and shared his experience in the final round of Malaysia’s #MysterySkype challenge. “I am constantly amazed at the ability and candor of young people. Their curious minds know no boundaries and are ever ready to absorb knowledge, like a sponge. Today’s modern world opens up new possibilities for these children as they use 21st century technology to empower their learning process. Skype is one such tool that enables students to learn without boundaries. Using Skype in classrooms provide not just students, but educators with endless learning and teaching opportunities – something we are deeply committed towards.”
As part of the inaugural Skype-a-Thon event, one million virtual miles was set as a global target to connect as many educators and students throughout the world as possible. The event recorded 1.4 million miles in just one day, and a total of 3.04 million miles by the end of day two – 3 times of the original target set by the company. Malaysia actively contributed, as explained by Raman, “Malaysia contributed over 8,700 virtual miles (over 14,000 virtual kilometers)) to the desired one million virtual miles over two days, joining thousands of classrooms around the world, including Morocco, Hungary and Brazil. To reach one million virtual miles in just two days is no small feat and we are extremely pleased that we hit more than that in just one day. We are proud to see the number of people coming together to support this initiative, to be a part of a movement that empowers both educators and students to achieve more in the area of education, and in the process, break down boarders for inclusive education.”
For more information on this year’s global Skype-a-Thon, visit Skypeathon.com.