Conversation with British author: Video-conferencing opens new learning arenas

A video conferencing session was organised at Beaconhouse School System Gulshan Middle 1, where students engaged themselves in a lively and inspiring conversation with the famous British author, Gillan Cross. Students asked a number of comprehensive questions from the author as they are reading her novel, "The Lost" as a part of their curriculum.
Students wanted to know what triggered Gillian to write a novel about the problems of teenagers as they were able to relate in their lives well. Video conferencing sessions have opened new learning arenas for the students as it gave them an opportunity to interact with the authors directly, sharing their opinions, ideas and excitement. This session highlighted that today's children could use information technology very productively and their quest for knowledge does not get hindered due to the rising security concerns in Karachi.
It manifested that Pakistani students are enthusiastic about contemporary literature and are eager to communicate and learn from the people of different cultures and backgrounds. The session empowered the students to learn the way they want to learn and become active learners instead of becoming obedient followers.
"We organised this video conferencing session because we wanted to communicate with the wider world and become global citizens. Ms Gillian Cross was very happy to discuss her novel, "The Lost" and other books with us and she encouraged us read and write ardently," said Areeba Khan, a seventh grader.
"This session gave us an international experience and exposure, within our classrooms. We chose to learn from the author directly instead of learning from the book only. What we learnt from the author was not mentioned in the book, said Hiba, a participant of the video conference.
This was the second video conference held in Beaconhouse Gulshan Middle 1. Last year, the students had a session with Gillian Cross too, which proved equally effective and successful. Gillian was very impressed with the students and said they had all the qualities to become confident, ardent and zealous leaders of the country.
Gillian Cross has won many awards for writing a number of motivational novels for youngsters which have been adopted by schools around the world as a part of their syllabus. "The Lost" has been a part of Beaconhouse School System's curriculum since the last three years, said Mariam Khan.