We did it!

Wow! What an exciting night we had!  The exhibition evening was a complete success!  We had many, many parents come during exhibition evening as well as many teachers, principals, mentors and friends of the community in Santiago.  We had a great time sharing all of our learning with everyone!

The students were very well prepared as we spent the Tuesday and Wednesday during the day presenting to all of the students of the school.  We had the grade 3 and 4 students come and visit the grade five classes and give great feedback to each of the presentation groups.  We also took our boards to the grade 1 and 2 classes and gave a short version of the presentations to practice using our English with different types of audiences.  On Wednesday afternoon each of the grade five classes had been able to see the other grade five presentation as well.  By the time it was the evening on Wednesday the students had practiced their presentations at least 4 different times.  They were ready and it showed! :)

Some of the highlights of the evening were the following:

• Listening and watching the student created exhibition song (with voice change effects from Garage Band and recorded on an iPad) via an animoto short 

• Listening and watching two grade five students explain the overall process of our exhibition to the parents and visitors

Opening presentationevening.2011

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• Seeing the various specialist integrations that the students collaborated on especially the recycled artworks and mobiles with discarded technology and the virtual wailing wall from the religion classes

• Watching the students present to their parents in the classrooms with amazing confidence, knowledge and understanding

• Seeing the parents and visitors participating in asking questions, giving feedback via google forms and QR codes and leaving "love notes" on the grafitti wall

It was an amazing end to a great unit! Thank you to all of the students, teachers, mentors, parents and visitors for helping us achieve such an amazing amount of learning and understanding in just 9 short weeks!

When we return from our holiday break, we will finish with the final stage of our inquiry process which is reflection.  We will post a few reflections when we return.

In the meantime, if you visited our exhibition, what was your favorite part of the evening?  Is there any additional feedback you would like to give?

Miss Jessica :)

It's all coming together now!

After 6 long weeks we are at the final stages of the exhibition!  We now have a title for the exhibition which was voted on by the students through this blog...

Technology... upload it to your mind!

We now have two mascots which we will use to identify the two different groups of visitors to the exhibition next week.  Both mascots were drawn by students in grade five and I think they show the theme of the exhibition as well as the personality of the students very well!

Technology Gorilla: Group A

Beach Phone: Group B

And we just sent out our invitations on Wednesday inviting everyone to the presentation.  I am really excited to add an extra presentation this year which is a visit to the first and second grade classes.  I think the younger students are really going to enjoy seeing the "older students" showing what they have been doing.  All of the different people, parents, community members, teachers, mentors, and grade level teachers and students received a version of our invitation.  It was made by one of our 5th graders and I think it is an EXCELLENT example of balance in showing all students from each class as well as a little bit of our process.

Sc invitación exposición.2011

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Now, as the students finish their final reflections and evaluations and complete their presentation boards, we are in a FRENZY of creativity!  The halls are covered each day with students working in the halls designing, discussing and developing their presentations!  It's great to see such hands on learning!

And now as we near the end of the cycle of our inquiry, I'm interested in knowing what has been your favorite part of the exhibition inquiry cycle?  Wandering and Wondering, Planning and Preparing, Finding Information, Using Information, Synthesis, Evaluation, Presentation, or Action?  Why did you like that part the best?

Miss Jessica :)

We need your help!

Wow! Exhibition evening is about a week and a half away and all of the students are working hard on using their information and synthesizing what they have learned!  As part of that process, we asked the students to create mascots and titles that we can use on the invitations and posters for the exhibition evening.  Now, we need your help in deciding which pictures and slogans best represent what we have been during the exhibition process.

Take a look at the slide show below and feel free to click on any of the pictures if you would like to see the photo in more detail.  Pay attention to the mascot number that you like and then vote for the TWO photos that you like the best on the right hand side of the blog.

Also, please take a look at the second poll on the right side of the blog and vote for the title that you think sounds the best for the exhibition.

I look forward to seeing what you choose!

Miss Jessica

We are really moving along now! Most students have moved right into our Using Information phase and they are starting to Synthesize everything that they've been learning.  It is AMAZING to watch the students put all of their information together and discuss in their groups what they have been learning.  They are looking back on their questions and their concepts and checking to make sure that they answered their questions the best that they could.

As we move into this final phase, we are encouraging all of the students to take a moment to sit down and reflect on what new information they have learned and what they are going to DO with that new learning.  It's a hard task but we are all positive that the results of their thinking are going to be GREAT!

What do you think, students?  What has been the best NEW piece of information that you have learned in the exhibition?  Was there something that really surprised you?

Finding Information

Well, it's been two weeks and we are now finishing up our finding information phase of the exhibition.  During this time the students worked with their teachers and their mentors to create questions, lines of inquiry, and action plans to help focus and guide their investigations and research. The students have been using the Internet and books from the library to find lots of information!  In addition, the students learned the difference between primary and secondary resources, how to write survey questions and how to conduct interviews to find and collect more information on their topic. Whew! We are tired!

One of the best parts of this phase of the exhibition was how excitedly and responsibly the students have been using technology to find out about technology! We started using Edmodo to share information and resources across the classes for students who were investigating similar lines of inquiry.  It's been a great resource and one that the student have really seemed to enjoy.  In addition, the students learned how to create online surveys with Google Docs and collect the information with mobile technology such as iPods, iPads and iPhones.  Lastly, we've even had some students start their own blogs as a way to share what they are learning and create QR codes to encourage students in the school to visit their blog and take their online surveys!  The ways and uses of technology have been amazing!

All of the hard work has paid off as the students are now moving into the next phase of the inquiry cycle which is using information.  Over the course of the next week the students will be reviewing their information, sources and data and organising it all to come up with some general conclusions.  From these conclusions the groups of students will be thinking about what they learned and what they want to take action on as a result of their findings.  It's really going to get exciting now!

So, what has been the best part of this phase of our learning? Edmodo and the other uses of mobile technology? Finding information from interviews, surveys and websites? Balancing primary and secondary resources?

I look forward to hearing what you think!
Miss Jessica

Our Third Guest Speaker!

We were so lucky to have a third guest speaker this week! Yesterday we were visited by Tomás Berkovich and he shared his story of how he has used technology to become a business owner that creates "win-win" situations for everyone.

His talk included information about how he and his classmates first came up with some of their ideas by noticing situations that needed solutions in their daily lives.  After a few discussions around his kitchen table, they soon created their business called ZethaPricing.  Using technology and some creative problem solving, they found a way to encourage people to buy tickets for less money and earlier for movies which brought more business to the cinemas in Santiago.  Bascially a "win-win" for everyone!

Another of his businesses that he shared with us is called Cuponatic.  In this business solution he and his friends created a company that offers various products and goods at discounts when people agree to use the coupons on their site as a group.  The more people that use the coupon, the more discounts you can get.  Companies have been using his business because they can pay less money for advertising since the coupon discounts are spreading by people sharing the coupons with one another in their social networks.  Again, another "win-win" for everyone!

Here are a few of the catchy commercials that he shared with us that all the students liked!

It was a great talk and inspiring to see an alumni from our school be active in making his dreams and goals a reality!  All of the students were inspired to think big and follow their dreams!

What was the most important piece of information that you heard in this talk?  Which of the businesses do you think are the most useful to you as a grade five student?  How do you think we should be responsible while using businesses like these with our social networks?

I look forward to hearing your ideas!
Miss Jessica

Our Second Guest Speaker!

We had our second guest speaker for the exhibition on Monday and WOW did we learn a lot! Mr Claudio Cabrera visited us and give us an informative talk on the ALMA project in San Pedro de Atacama.  He began by giving us a little information about telescopes and we learned that there are two kinds: optical and radio.  We then watched a few slides explaining the number of systems that must work together to make the telescopes all work and function together.  From computer engineers and city planning engineers to transportation engineers all of the systems must work together to make all 66 telescopes work at the same time to produce pictures for studying outer space.  It was an amazing talk full of information that we are still talking about!

What was your favorite part of the presentation?  What was something new that you learned from this talk?  What do you think is our responsibility in thinking about the way technology is used in the ALMA project?

I look forward to hearing your thoughts!
Miss Jessica  :)

Our First Guest Speaker!

Wow! On Friday we had our first guest speaker of the year and what a great way to start! Mr Cristian Mujica came and presented an interactive discussion on Telecommunications and the history of mobile phones.  We learned about the development of 1G, 2G, and 3G networks as well as some important points about telecommunications and how we use them.  He showed examples such as downloading music, playing games, medical information for doctors, and accessing the internet.  He reminded us of some important issues especially our responsibility in using telecommunications and transportation and how we should insist that people use hands-free sets while driving and talking.

Along with the history, he also showed some new developments for telecommunications in the future.  He showed a product called Gorrilla Glass and wowed us when he banged it on the wall and the floor and it didn't crack or scratch the glass!  He also showed us a new type of phone that could be put completely into water and still work!  Our favorite part of the talk was when he showed us a glimpse into our close future using phones with NFC or Near Field Communication abilities.  Take a look at the video he showed us:

Wow! Amazing ideas, no?!  We loved the presentation and are looking forwar to many more discussions to help us think about all the areas we could investigate for our exhibition projects!

What was your favorite part of this guest speaker discussion?  What was the most important point that you learned?  What did you learn about your responsibility in using mobile phones and technology?

Looking forward to hearing what you think!

Miss Jessica :)

Is this the future of Education?

Miss Cata found a great video that shows how some teachers and students are looking at technology as a way to enhance their learning at school.  Take a look at the video below about a robot who visited a school for a day:

What do you think?  Is this the future of education?  What are some positive things that could happen if robots started helping teachers in class?  What are some negative things that could happen?  Would you like it?

I look forward to hearing what you think!
Miss Jessica :)

We Got it Started!

Yeah! Yesterday we had our Opening Ceremony for the official start of the Exhibition! The highlight of the assembly was a visit from three sixth grade students who came to share their knowledge and advice of the exhibition from their experience last year.  Here is a summary of some of what they said:

• Be sure to stay organised and use your binder
• Assign your group members jobs that are in areas that they do well
• Be open minded and listen to your group members
• Be balanced in the work in your group
• Don't be nervous
• Practice speaking clearly and slowly for the presentation night
• Have fun!

Was there any other advice that you heard?  What was the most important part of their advice for you?  Was there anything they said that helped you?

I can't wait to hear from you and get the exhibition officially started!

Miss Jessica :)

We have a Central Idea!

Student volunteers for Central Idea Writing Committee

Whew, after three hard days of work, we did it!  With input from the student writing committee, the grade five teachers, the PYP coordinator, and other PYP trainers in the school, we created the following central idea for our exhibition this year:

Ongoing changes in technology impact our society and environment requiring us to use it appropriately and with responsibility while maintaining balance in our lives.

Los continuos cambios tecnológicos impactan nuestra sociedad y el medio ambiente,requiriendo que usemos la tecnología en forma apropiada y con responsabilidad manteniendo al mismo tiempo el equilibrio en nuestras vidas. 

We also picked the Transdisciplinary Theme of How the World Works to frame our exhibition inquiries this year.  The definition for this Theme is the following:

An inquiry into the natural world and its laws; the interaction between the natural world (physical and biological) and human societies; how humans use their understanding of scientific principles; the impact of scientific and technological advances on society and on the environment

I am really looking forward to all the wonderful inquiries that are going to come out of this central idea and this theme.  This is the first time we are working in this theme for one of our exhibitions so I am even more excited!


What do you think of the central idea? What types of inquiries do you think we could do under this theme and this central idea?


I look forward to reading your ideas!
Miss Jessica

We have a topic! The grade five students voted on Friday and they agreed that the topic for this year's exhibition should be centered around technology! Great job working together and voting on what you are interested in inquiring about!

Now, we are going to start looking into exactly what that means. Watch the video above to see how technology is changing our world. Then, I would love to hear what your thoughts are on our new topic!

What types of technology might be interesting for an inquiry? What issues about technology are concerning students around the world today? In what ways does technology impact your life and your future?

I've posted a poll for you to take and some new sites on the left for you to explore and I look forward to your comments as well!

Miss Jessica

Wow, Great Graffiti!

From Movies

(Click on the picture to view the video in Picasaweb)

As you can see from the video, it's day two of the Graffiti Wall and we now have some comments on the wall!  A few of the classes have started walking by and writing their thoughts about the three exhibition topics.

The questions for the graffiti wall are: 
1. What is the exhibition?
2. What local or global topic should we investigate for exhibition?
3. How do you feel about doing the exhibition this year?

Although it's still too early to tell yet, some of the repeated suggestions for the exhibition topic this year are impact of technology, bullying, and contamination.  Wow!  What a diverse group of topics we are starting with!  I'm really looking forward to seeing what gets chosen!

As a student in the exhibition, why do you like/not like writing your ideas on the graffiti wall? How does seeing the ideas of the other students help you think more deeply about exhibition?

As always, I look forward to reading your comments!  Keep up the great graffiti-ing!
Miss Jessica :)

References: Photos by J Allen, Music by http://www.danosongs.com 

We're getting ready....

We're getting ready to start Exhibition 2011!  The teachers are already working hard to organize and prepare the beginning of the exhibition for this year.  One of the first important starting points is getting teachers organised to be mentors for the different exhibition groups in the classes.  To get teachers from around the school interested, we sent them this video to inform them and get them excited to help out.



It's only been one day and we've already received 5 requests to be mentors!  You can help us by talking to some of the teachers in the school and asking them to be mentors for exhibition.  The more mentors we have, the more support and help you will get during your inquiries!

What do you think of the video?  Do you think it encourages teachers to help us out with the exhibition?  What is something you could say to encourage teachers to help us?

Leave a comment below.  I look forward to hearing your ideas!
Miss Jessica