In schools these days, we often talk about preparing students for the future. That the future is now, was reconfirmed for me once again, as I walked around our school, the International School of Prague, today.
Walking through the school, I stopped into our Physics lab, where ISP upper school students were presenting their 3D design projects. These were original design ideas that students not only drafted using programs like SketchUp, but then realized their concepts by printing an actual 3D product. There were ear-bud containers, pencil sharpeners, cable holders, dongle clamps and many other interesting tools. In order to determine what product they would design and print, students talked to their peers and teachers to find out what was actually needed in the school and then proceeded to design prototypes to meet their needs.
In another part of the school, grade six students’ highlighted their work in a unique way using a program called, Aurasma. After downloading this app to your iphone or ipad, you can view not only the static presentation on a poster, but an embedded video! This really brought the presentations to life. Take a look!
Standing outside of the grade six class, there’s also a great iPad presentation of one of their science units involving pig eyes!
Walking over to the Elementary School, I came across a grade two class working on their own presentations using their iPads. I was impressed with how seamlessly they were able to manipulate the program and customize it to meet their needs with pictures, color and text.
Grade 2 iPad Presentations
Finally on this Valentines Day at ISP, Jamming Over Boarders (JOB) was created by two ISP students. This unique project brought together student musicians from around the world performing an ISP student arrangement of Fly Me To The Moon. Each student from a different part of the globe sent in their performance, which was then combined with all of the other individual performances with wonderful results. Here’s how they described their project:
After long hours of toiling at the strands of clips of audio and video JOB has finally released its first production. We present to you “Fly Me To The Moon.” Connecting international students through the timeless Sinatra melody, we hope to take advantage of the small world reality is becoming and create something beautiful no matter how many hundreds of miles may stand in our way. We would like to send out a large thank you to all the musicians, artists and editors involved with the project, it would not have been possible without each and every one of you. Ladies and gentlemen, recorded from around the globe, Jamming Over Borders presents: Bart Howard’s “Fly Me To The Moon”. Happy Valentine’s day.
Take a look and a listen!
Wherever I look, I see the future unfolding through the eyes of our students at the International School of Prague!