New Technologies
Living in a world of headlong changes, we know very little about what our students may need in 15 or 20 years time. Therefore, our ICTs integration project aims at making the worlds in and out of school converge, focusing on pedagogical objectives.
It is well-known that information flows on the Internet and social networks and that children spend a great number of hours playing video games. But it is also widely spread that ICTs are powerful tools which may serve to create content. In this context we foster cross-curricular work in highly-technological environments in which 21st century skills are our main goal.
These standards, which have been set by UNESCO, are:
1. Creativity and Innovation:
To develop creative thinking, knowledge construction, product development and innovative processes by means of ICTs.
4. Critical thinking, problem solving and decision making:
To apply the abilities of critical thhinking to plan and carry out research, manage projects, solve problems and make judgemente or decisions aided by use of digital tools and appropiate digital resources.
2. Communication and collaboration:
To utilize multiple media and technologies to communicate and work collaboratively, even if not in the same place, to support individual learning and contribute in peer learning.
5. Digital Citizenship:
To understand human, cultural and social affairs that relate to ICTs; to use information and to get engaged in digital environments legal and ethically, bearing in mind a sense of responsibility.
3. Research and handling of information:
To apply digital tools to find, analyse, organise and use information effectively.
6. Technology operations and concepts:
To use software and apps effective and adequately, showing sound understanding of how they work.
Together with the cross-curricular work of ICTs, we propose going deeper in the contents of this field in the context of our laboratory and working mainly on:
Digital Design
learning to use programs which allow children to develop creative graphic design and audiovisual material.
Programming
learning of the logical processes that are needed to reach a goal through different programming languages.
Science
From the perspective of knowledge society, sciences are part of an area of knowledge which allows people to understand and glide along our complex world.
A child that is able to develop a scientific way of thinking is a child who learns to hypothesize, discuss ideas and to collaborate. Additionally, sciences promote curiosity, imagination, discovery and the creation of possible worlds.
Within the school context, science translates everyday questions into problems that will bring about genuine learning. Scientific activities are recreated through events and inquiries that are part of the children’s daily lives, as well as through problem solving strategies and research, which promote knowledge building and understanding of the real world.