From early grades, as part of the curriculum and extra activities, Technology and its use are incorporated into students’ daily lives. Interactive classes with tablets, robotics, programming, digital ethics, and other dynamic activities and themes allow hands-on immersion. Students create, design, produce and feel motivated to play a leading role in the teaching and learning process. Virtual environments and online learning experiences are created through Google for Education platforms and solutions (such as Google Classroom), Zoom, among others, used by students and teachers.
To provide students with the chance to make the most out of the experiences offered, Vértice has areas dedicated to creation and the “do it yourself” culture. Equipped with modular benches, a 3D printer, a laser cutter, an electric and manual tools workshop, specific software solutions for modeling, and robotics materials, Maker Space (Elementary School) and Lab Maker (Middle School and High School), suitable for each age group, are environments that offer students the necessary resources for multidisciplinary projects, solutions and prototypes.
In 2019, 3rd to 5th-grade students took part, experimentally, in OBR – Brazilian Robotics Competition. The results showed how much they are learning about Technology and Robotics, such as logical reasoning, computational thinking, programming, and spatial organization, and including these subjects in their lives.
Four of our students were awarded a gold medal, 15 were awarded silver medals, 4 were awarded bronze medals, and 12 were awarded state merit.
Students participated in the competition for the first time and the purpose was to further awaken their interest in technological knowledge and how it can be used collaboratively. Other similar initiatives will be part of the program of extra activities in 2020 and the coming years.
In the area of projects, Webquest is one of Vértice’s most consolidated technological experiences. High School students – from Vértice and private schools from all over Brazil invited by us – get together in groups to solve complex issues and challenges on a central theme. They use an online platform and the Internet as their main research tool. In each room, teams solve problems projected on the blackboard and advance in the competition. Logic, general knowledge, organization of information, teamwork, and time management are aspects covered in the activity.