VermonTic - 19 - Perceptiveness

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EXCLUSIVE ARTICLES REGARDING, ART, SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, COMMUNICATIONS AND ENTERTAINMENT

New Lab Equipment, a Whole New World of Possibilities

Mariana Mesa (Feature article) Expression Without Words?

03 05 07

Luciana Consuegra (Review)

Pandemic and Social Media María José Palacio (Interview)

Gimnasio Vermont New Observatory ( Advertisement)

“Intercursos” Activities Truly Influence Personal and Academic Development for Students?

Camilo Quintero (Editorial)

The New Language, Technology

Juan Pablo Daza (Opinion Column)

A sneak peak to the science labs and their future

Since the pandemic, our school, Gimnasio Vermont, has been improving its installations and technology to continue evolving and adapting, Gimnasio Vermont, to the fast-developing world The most visible changes are the new buildings, software, apps, and ways of teaching, but some of the most amazing ones are hidden in plain sight if you are not looking for them. This article is focused on the new equipment and technology in the science labs and how IB students coursing science subjects have been given a golden ticket to creating a complex and elaborate extended essay or internal assessment using this new university-level technology

First of all, teachers in the science department have not overlooked the evolution and high quality of laboratories in GV. This year new Physics teacher Luis Fernando Rincon revealed in a recent interview his thoughts and feelings about the topics: “I have only been working here for less than a year and the lab aspect has been one of the most remarkable things I have found about this school. In the Physics labs, I'm amazed about the quality of the equipment and how a student can find every tool necessary for high school-level research. Personally, If I had to choose one of them, the force sensors that help to get results more precise, easy, and fast are my favorite ones because of how useful they are.” Teacher Luis Fernando gave us a really valuable opinion and information about the physics laboratory, but what about the biology and chemistry ones?

Statistically, the biology and chemistry lab are the most frequented labs because students began using them in first grade until eleven grade, where the usual experiments go from burning sugar to seeing cells in a microscope. But the lab's potential with this type of research is not fully exploited, as Joseph, the lab chief said in an interview. Joseph has been working with the school for more than a year and has noticed the potential for more complex research He said that it is evident that the school has been implementing new types of equipment to be at the forefront of local, regional, and national research on a high school level. Joseph mentioned that the equipment that has him more impressed is the biological cabin type one and the new spectrophotometer that helps with more efficient practices in both biology and chemistry. He commented “Having this type of equipment has opened up a range of new possibilities and topics for IB projects, also allowing the students to have a superior understanding of more types of equipment teaching them how to use. All this has broadened Gimnasio Vermont’s line of research.” Finally, he gave a sneak peek at the lab's future and mentioned how the school is waiting for exp will help to speed up many gathering data processes.

In conclusion, the school has been investing a great effort in this beneficial improvement of one of the most important places in Vermont. Helping students to expand their horizons of normal research and encouraging them to try new challenges and things never done before. As a student in tenth grade said: “ I think the news about the new qPCR machine was what inspired me to try an extended essay not only in Biology but also about pathogens” Showing great proof of the importance and impact the school scientific innovations are making on the IB students. And who knows, maybe with the years, each improvement the lab gets will also give birth to new ideas for extended essays and internal assessments that right now are unimaginable. Each year continues encouraging the next generations to discover scientific wonders with the help of our school's fantastic laboratories.

E X P R E S S I O N

W I T H O U T W O R D S ?

Imagine going to an art exhibit, finding a space designated specifically for your art, and having people go just to see your works of art. Well, what would you do if I told you that at the Gimnasio Vermont, we have that? It is part of the school’s arts IB program, and it is done at the end of eleventh grade in the cultural center. Despite being the internal assessment of the program and worth 40% of the final grade; it is a great opportunity not only to show off your art skills but also to open other people's minds.

You as an artist are letting others enter your mind, and know what you feel and think about the world. I believe that this is something amazing because not everyone thinks the same, this is what makes us different, and being able to transmit what is going on inside your head is meaningful. I’m not the only one who thinks like this; Guadalupe Franco, an eleventh grader who is about to set up her exhibition, states: “The fact that I have to present almost my whole feelings and thoughts to the juniors, seniors, and parents makes me feel anxious. Nevertheless, I consider it a very important and necessary project for me because it helped me to know myself in ways I’ve never felt so deep and powerful to let many of my fears and sadness free”

(These art works are from Sofía Rodríguez,)

(These art works are from Santiago Ramírez )

The art exhibit is a challenge for us all because it takes a lot of time and effort Right now I am in tenth grade and still have time until it's my turn to set up the exhibition, but I know that it is going to be tough regarding an interview that I did with Maria Camila Morales, a former student who says: “My main issue was that I wanted to materialize these abstract ideas that I had in my head, but did not exactly know how.” In the 6 months that I have been in the program, I have faced this problem several times; this is an issue that can be frustrating sometimes but I believe that this is where the best work ends up coming from.

I have been working hard but time is always an issue; turning in the works of art and the texts that we have to write are very time-consuming, so I will be taking into consideration the advice provided by the teacher María José Chica: “If you know how to handle your time to make your goals happen, there is no suffering in the process, what we as teachers and students suffer the most is that we won't have time to finish things And this is a very demanding school because you have so many things to do apart from the art class.”

As you can see, the art exhibition is not as easy as you might think; there is a lot of preparation needed to set up the gallery The exhibit is full of feelings that are impossible to explain through words, so the fact that our school provides this space is awesome. This encourages creativity and artistic creation that allows the development of personal identity. I think that the best thing about art is that it does not have a specific meaning, it is open to free interpretation and you can relate to an art piece since it is a way of expressing what you feel is genuine This is how we can communicate and understand each other without using words.

(This art work is from Isabella Montero )

P A N D E M I C A N D S O C I A L M E D I A

After the pandemic social media have been a very popular way to spend time, Taking this into account, we decided to interview people who work or study in one of the best schools in Bogota which is the Gimnasio Vermont where we got the surprise that these schools have been very active since the pandemic, posting very important events that happened in this place. They published interesting things that nobody knows or had the idea of, like the post about how popcorn is made and many things like that so this was a great example for our investigation. But we decided not to just talk about social media and how it has impacted the world. We wanted also to include how this wonderful school has managed the interaction with it since obviously, they are also with kids and teenagers

She is Alejandra Melo manager of the social media in Gimnasio Vermont for many years now and the first thing we asked her was if she thinks that social media is where information can be manipulated he stated the following: “Throughout history, it has been seen that the media when handling information, the media have some control over it, which allows them to make people think certain kinds of things ”

From what age do you think teenagers should have social networks?

“I think that when they are citizens of the world, it is understood from school because you need to have a lot of critical sense in order not to absorb all the information that the media and social networks have ”

Why do you think it is important for the school to have social networks?

“Because it is a way to communicate with our community and strengthen ties between all of us I think it is important because it is a way of showing ourselves to the world and strengthening our community.”

Do you think there are filters to do this from school?

“Of course, from the educational system and from seeing the social networks to educate the community.”

How do you think social networks influence us?

“By being part of a community, we adapt certain types of things and what we consume also makes us what we are, for example, if we only consume things that have no educational background, then that is what we are going to end up doing, not only as a community but also as a community own life.”

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From what age do you think teenagers should have social networks?

“I think that when they are citizens of the world that it is understood from school. because you need to have a lot of critical sense in order not to absorb all the information that the media and social networks have.”

Why do you think it is important for the school to have social networks?

“Because it is a way to communicate with our community and strengthen ties between all of us and I think it is important because it is a way of showing ourselves to the world and strengthening our community.”

Do you think there are filters to do this from school?

“Of course, from the educational system and from seeing the social networks to educate the community ”

In conclusion, social networks are ways to communicate between people in a very efficient way. This has very strong advantages such as: communicating to the world who are or where are you from and finally learning new things

NEW OBSERVATORY NEW OBSERVATORY

Oneofthemost powerfultelescopes inColombia

Promoting astronomy from our brilliant little minds

ONLY AT GIMNASIO VERMONT...

“INTERCURSOS” ACTIVITIES TRULY INFLUENCE PERSONAL AND ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT FOR STUDENTS?

“Intercursos” is the name that the Vermont school has given to the event that brings together a series of sports activities in which all the levels participate. These Intercursos games are held every school year and are made up of sports such as soccer, volleyball, basketball, and track and field, among other Olympic sports. The Gimnasio Vermont school has always reflected its unconditional support and collaboration for the realization of this event, this is how the start of these sports games is accompanied by an extravagant inauguration which is capable of bringing together all the members of the school, allowing them to students express that joy and passion to encourage the country they represent

One of the objectives that the school has through carrying out these activities is to encourage a different and recreational space so that students get out of everyday life and carry out a dynamic activity in which they can demonstrate their sports skills. However, the educational institution also seeks sports activities to highlight various values such as solidarity, teamwork and collaborative work, healthy competition, and fair play But, how attached are the objectives of the school to reality? Does the performance of "intercursos" games influence the personal and academic development of the student?

The teacher Omar Ramirez Ovalle, who is the technical director of the senior soccer team at the Gimnasio Vermont and is one of the sports trainers who is in charge of the logistics, format, and development of the Intercursos games, states that this sporting event does influence the personal development of students and has had a very positive impact on the school since the teacher expresses that he has witnessed how students through these sports test their leadership and teamwork in each break that the competitions are held, he also tells how the students during the school day look for him to ask him about the activities, reflecting how this event is a symbol of motivation and encouragement for the students. Additionally, he tells us how the participation rate for each sporting activity is very significant, reflecting how important and exciting this sporting event is for the life of each student.

However, to obtain a more partial, subjective, and intimate perspective from the students, an approach was made with one of the students of the Gimnasio Vermont, who was an eighth-grade student She states the following: “I consider that intercursos activities have a great influence on my academic performance since sports have helped me to be more active during classes; which is a way to isolate yourself from other emotions such as stress and anxiety. Thanks to these sports activities I have become a more disciplined and responsible person, this has allowed me to implement it in my academic life and improve my performance at school ” (Translated Spanish to English) Here you can see how from a testimony of one of the students, the different aspects in which intercursos games influence the academic development of a student are evident.

Taking into account the different perspectives compiled above, it can be established that the "intercursos" games, although most people see them as an event that only allows students to stimulate their sports skills, are also a recreational and learning space, which can develop various attributes such as leadership and team play.

This sporting event is a space in which students can develop their identity and at the same time find new mechanisms of concentration, responsibility, and discipline that can be implemented in the academic environment. "Intercursos" is an event that should be promoted in each educational institution since beyond sports, this event contributes to the construction of the individual both as people and students

IS TECHNOLOGY NECESSARY IN OUR SCHOOL?

Is technology important for optimizing and developing students' creativity? Regardless of which area we analyze this question, I would suggest that our school is doing the right

An IB biology teacher, Catalina Romero, shares my point of view. “Technology is necessary because it's very difficult to teach complex subjects with simple technology” Would it be easy to understand difficult topics without a presentation? without a projector? without a board and marker? If we assumed that our school did not have the technology, classes would be only orally, and this would make that most of the information is not learned, but memorized.

This would be terrible and fearful since it would make all of Gimnasio Vermont´s students behind in comparison to other schools or even countries that have better technology designed for teaching. If we talk about a different subject such as I.T., how would we learn to code without a computer?

My I.T. teacher Mauricio Chacón adds that “The school must acquire technological tools that allow its teachers and students to develop academic activities efficiently, with access to the right information resources and the possibility of taking advantage of all available advances to improve teaching and learning.”

Furthermore, the purchase of new technology makes it possible for students to internationalize How are we going to work with people from other countries without understanding new technology? Everyone knows technology is constantly evolving and if we do not catch up to it, we will be less capable. But, why does this happen? it is the reason as Romero said: “Technology shows different perspectives of the subjects that could make the students learn better” By having technology, students have lots of resources for learning, whereas if we do not understand in one way, there are multiple others to do it such as working in a lab, analyzing simulations, using multiple apps, etc.

This is what I normally experience daily in school I remember when it was difficult for me to understand photosynthesis until the teacher shared with me a simulation made by experts from the other side of the world, which made me instantly understand the topic, which was a way to learn that Chacón notices: “Students can also use platforms for self-learning and to validate the knowledge they acquire in school and autonomously.”

By having technology, students have lots of resources for learning, whereas if we do not understand in one way, there are multiple others to do it such as working in a lab, analyzing simulations, using multiple apps, etc. This is what I normally experience daily in school. I remember when it was difficult for me to understand photosynthesis until the teacher shared with me a simulation made by experts from the other side of the world, which made me instantly understand the topic, which was a way to learn that Chacón notices: “Students can also use platforms for self-learning and to validate the knowledge they acquire in school and autonomously.”

Additionally, I advise our school to buy new technology whenever there are great technological advances As I said before, technology is constantly innovating, but there is some new technology that would be more urgent to buy than others With this, I do not mean that the bigger we buy the better, but rather that the most important aspect is the one Chacón says: "the beneficial use that students and teachers make of them”. But how would we know that the school is buying the right resources?

Catalina Romero assures “Science has a process of evaluation of the lab every year where teachers suggest the school buy new technology” This makes me calm about the process of acquiring technology since the school buys what our teachers and experts suggest. Taking this into account, I can confidently assure you that we are in good hands.

Maybe our school could have a few flaws in other areas, but in the technology one, we are practically up to date. This is such a hopeful affirmation, that at least calms me and makes me notice that with what I am learning and how I am learning, my ideas will be able to be developed, and consequently, I will be able to become not only a Colombian student but a

WORLD ONE.

M E E T T H E W R I T E R S

MARÍA JOSÉ PALACIO

JUAN PABLO DAZA

CAMILO QUINTERO

LUCIANA CONSUEGRA

MARIANA MESA

“THERE ARE NO SUCH THINGS AS LIMITS TO GROWTH, BECAUSE THERE ARE NO LIMITS ON THE HUMAN CAPACITY FOR INTELLIGENCE, IMAGINATION AND WONDER.”

RONALD REAGAN