Kolkata, Nov 12 (UNI) Microsoft India today announced that as part of the 5th edition of the Global Learning Connection, it witnessed participation from over 16,000 students from across 40 schools in India. Concluded last week, Global Learning Connection (formerly called Skype-a-Thon), is the biggest global learning event of the year and is a non-stop 48 hour-long program.
The event saw participation from students and educators from over 110 countries, who travelled over 29 million virtual miles. Students in India travelled a total of 4.9 million virtual miles and the event showed that the topics on top of mind for Indian students are AI, cybersecurity and environment & sustainability.
The annual event was held on November 5 and 6, and the India leg of the program was inaugurated by Anant Maheshwari, President, Microsoft India. It was joined by Microsoft leaders from around the world who interacted with the students, shared their personal experiences and spoke about the use of technology to solve world problems.
The program allowed students to go on virtual field trips, experience new cultures, hear from guest speakers and learn from other students, educators and experts from around the world. The event was held over Microsoft tools such as Flipgrid, Kahoot, Teams, Minecraft and Skype.
Like last year, the theme of the event was “Open Hearts. Open Minds” which was aimed at giving students an experience of diverse cultures from different corners of the globe, helping them develop empathy and compassion for each other. The program encompassed various discussions covering various themes ranging from Artificial Intelligence (AI), use of technology for good and collaboration, Minecraft and sustainable goals.
Speaking on this, Manish Prakash, Country General Manager-PS, Health and Education, Microsoft India, said, “We are immensely proud of another grand success of the Global Learning Connection. Every year through this event, we aim to connect students to make them more engaged and responsible global citizens by making it a fun experience through interactive sessions, experience sharing, storytelling, games and many more projects and activities. This year we extended the experience to more students around the world with new tools and content, and it is a matter of great pride for India to have covered the most virtual miles among all the participating countries across seven continents yet again.”
The Global Learning Connection was started in 2014 with the name Skype-a-Thon, as an initiative to connect thousands of students, experts and educators from all over the world to interact and share their experiences. The event purposes to create connections and experiences to bring a positive impact on students’ lives and help them gain a global perspective and enable them to make an impact.
