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Science & Technology
Schools Ahead in Time
2009
• How will schools change according to technological advances?
• Curriculum standards
Writing:
1. Write a variety of expository texts which include a thesis in the introduction, supporting details in the body, and transition words throughout leading to the conclusion. Additionally, writing will include information from primary and secondary sources that has been quoted, paraphrased.
2. Use appropriate conventions for documentation in the text, notes and bibliographies by adhering to those in style manuals.
3. Write a narrative which explores experiences and events, using language in natural, fresh and vivid ways to establish a specific tone.
4. Write responses to literature or texts to demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the significant ideas in words or passages; analyze the imagery language, universal themes, and unique aspects of the text; supporting important ideas and view points through accurate and detailed references to texts.
Reading:
1. Read various types of authentic texts in order to interpret, extract information, identify literary elements and techniques, make judgments, form conclusions, and establish global relationships through analysis and critical thinking.
2. Participate in interdisciplinary projects requiring the integration of language skills with academic areas.
3. Apply reading strategies such as skimming, scanning, and summarizing in order to better understand the text.
• Expected outcomes
Writing:
1. To communicate in different situations producing comprehensible written texts.
2. To solicit, give and exchange information understanding the purpose and message in various situations.
3. To learn writing techniques that can be applied in academic and personal setting.
4. To understand the importance of the written word in self-expression.
Reading:
1. To comprehend authentic literary and expository texts of various lengths.
2. To skim and scan for meaning of authentic texts for various communicative purposes.
3. To draw conclusions and find relationships that aid in the interpretation of the text.
4. To develop a positive attitude towards reading, respect for diverse cultures, and motivation to further promote reading in English.
Self-expression:
1. To respect and value differing beliefs, ideas and opinions; to view dialogue as a platform for conflict-resolution and an approximation to the truth.
2. To promote motivation and a quest for knowledge; to search for, select and use relevant information.
• Required resources:
-Computer
-Internet Web-pages
-Primary source information (survey, interview, or letter)
• This project will help prepare people for future advances and renovations, making them award of the negative and positive repercussions.
Team
CARMENVilla Maria Academy, XIII región Metropolitana de Santiago, Chile
CATALINAVilla Maria Academy, XIII región Metropolitana de Santiago, Chile
FRANCISCAVilla Maria Academy, XIII región Metropolitana de Santiago, Chile
Age Range
19 & under
Coaches
Jacinda ForsterVilla Maria Academy, XIII región Metropolitana de Santiago, Chile
Category
Science & Technology
Audience
All ages
Language
English
Team Collaboration
First of all, the three of us decided to form a group because we have similar ways of working. We started talking about the possible themes that could be chosen; it had to be innovating, interesting and fun to work with. The theme we chose was how school was going to be in the future. After choosing our main theme, we had to select what our thesis was going to be. It was hard, but we decided to write about how school was going to be deeply affected by the quick technological advances.
Each one of us gathered as much information related to the topic as possible. Certainly it was a lot, but not all of it was useful for us. That was why each one of us wrote about an interesting and different subtopic. Independently, the three of us, Catalina, Carmen and Francisca, wrote our own piece of the project, but we shared it with the others to hear their opinions and advice.
In Miss Jessi’s design computer lab, we sat in computers near one another in order to be able to ask each other if the information that we found was correct. To get to the final agreement of how we were going to distribute our information in the web page, we used our mobile phones, our emails and hours at home.
To finally conclude our project, we talked a lot during the weekend discussing each others’ information and what we thought was important to highlight in our final page. We were very cautious to keep in touch and not exclude any member of the group.
Team Diversity
In this project, we all researched different kinds of sources, and no one repeated the source of another team member. With all the information we gathered we thought about our own interests. After this analysis, we concluded that even though we work similarly, we liked to focus on different points of the same topic.
We divided our work in three areas: social, psychological and practical terms. Catalina is a girl who loves working with people and studies how people develop and relate with others in different environments. This is why she was in charge of the social aspect of Schools Ahead in Time. In contrast, Francisca is a very objective girl, so she thought it was very important to specify technology itself, exploring the practical part of schools in the future. She worked on how the technologically advanced tools and devices could help future schools. As the last member of the team, Carmen loves architecture and psychology. While she was investigating, she liked the fact that the physical environment influences directly the mind of students to develop.
