Titan eNews
Weekly Campus Update
Mission: To create a community of learners empowered to collaborate and compete in a rapidly changing world.
State Farm Internship Opportunity
Women Leadership in Space! UTD Jonsson School is hosting an amazing panel in March!
The Jonsson School is going to host 4 amazing women engineering leaders on a women in engineering panel on March 29, 2018
“Women Leadership in Space”:
Tracy Drain - NASA – she will give her story for 20 minutes, then joins the panel of leading women in space or supporting space technology
Tamara Crawford - Lockheed – Mechanical Engineer and Leader, will give her story - 10-15 min
Betsy Wilson - Ericsson – Computer Scientist and Leader, her story – 10-15 min
Lisa Atherton – Textron Systems – President and CEO, her story – 10-15 min
The panel will be:
Date: March 29
Time: 6 to 7:30
Place: ATEC Auditorium, UT Dallas
Open for Q&A from the audience – 25 to 40 minutes
The university has reserved 50 complimentary seats for Plano ISD Academy students and their parents. To receive your tickets, please fill out this form. We only have 50 tickets, so please sign up now!
Reservations: https://goo.gl/forms/KJTRtJD5XxZCcRqE2
Counselors' Corner
Plano Mayor’s Summer Internship Program
Apply before March 6 and earn the opportunity to have a meaningful work experience and get paid!
Eight week paid internship funning June 11- August 3
Program Requirements:
Current sophomore or junior
16 years old before June 11
GPA of 3.0
Attend Intern Prep March 24
Participate in Job Fair April 20
For more information and to apply: www.planomayorsinterns.org
Academic Conferences
Beginning late in February and continuing throughout March, sophomores and juniors will be invited to attend their academic conference.
This is time set aside for each learner to have an individual meeting with a parent/guardian and the counselor to review the transcript, PSAT scores, and discuss college and career preparation.
Letters will be mailed home beginning late January concerning conference dates and times.
We look forward to this special time celebrating learner success and planning for future endeavors.
3rd Years: Turning Points Project
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JRifjjrxOFGf2ml4nEMSo96oQkrIQL6mRe3dZywXggI/edit?usp=sharing
Dear Third Year Parent,
Welcome to semester two of the third year. We are very excited about the new project, Turning Points. Learners are tasked with representing an Exhibit Design and Consulting firm hired to implement an exhibit of new interactive experiences for a museum. Their team will develop clearly defined questions to guide sophisticated research in order to populate an exhibit space that will engage a specific audience in an interactive experience that includes animation, models that display relevant research data, and is inclusive for all persons. This experience is designed to help them answer the driving question.
How do we determine or predict the outcomes of choices or actions?
Learners will...
hone research skills in order to explore a historical turning point, synthesize data to identify the key decisions, and reflect upon outcomes.
collaborate in the development of an interactive experience in order to disseminate the knowledge gained through their research to a target audience.
How are we doing this?
The following learning targets will be addressed in this project:
Art:
Learners will explore a variety of media to gain a better understanding of the skill set used in each media in order to make informed decisions on how to select certain media when starting an artwork.
Learners will create artworks about their turning point.
Learners will learn about turning points in art historical time periods.
Learners will reflect on their artworks in order to make decisions in future upcoming artworks.
Learners will create portfolios encompassing their artworks.
Chemistry:
Learners will analyze the use, creation, and impact of many different sources of energy, including but not limited to nuclear, oil, natural gas, coal, solar, and wind.
Learners will learn about the many types of reactions and their discovery, and their uses from the late 19th century up to today.
Digital Media:
Learners will use animation to enhance interactivity.
Learners will generate documents and skills needed for employability.
ELAR:
Learners will construct a research paper that demonstrates skill in all facets of the research and writing processes.
Learners will synthesize information from multiple sources in order to draw conclusions.
Learners will craft personal essays and resumes that define their abilities and character for post secondary audiences.
Engineering:
Learners will ideate and implement the elements of an interactive experience.
Learners will explore careers and ways to obtain job opportunities.
Environmental Systems:
Learners will identify and analyze human impact on the environment, flow of energy in an environmental system, relationships among resources in the environment, and relationships between abiotic and biotic factors.
Precal:
Learners will know some of the limitations of using known data to predict outcomes.
Learners will be able to create models of data using a variety of basic functions (polynomials, rational functions, exponential functions, logarithmic, and logistic, those last three being used as needed on a per learner basis).
Learners will understand implications of models, while considering characteristics of functions.
Stats:
Learners will recognize validity in data sources.
Learners will be able to evaluate significance of found data.
Learners will be able to give a range of likely values of population data.
US History:
Learners will be able to comprehend how ideologies influence domestic and foreign policies in order to weigh society's response to the changing role of the America’s global status.
Economics:
Learners will be able to understand the core concepts of personal finance and construct a personal budget for their post high school life.
How are we going to show this?
As a team: Learners will present an interactive experience designed for a specific “museum” and audience that leads an individual or group through related historical turning points. The focus for the exhibits should be to engage and inform the identified target audience.
As an individual: Learners will craft a thorough research report that includes:
statistical analyses (including statistical tests) and modeling (using functions) of change over time, or in response to an event.
An analysis of environmental impacts
An analysis of consequences and an exploration of other possible choices and outcomes
Are there any restrictions?
Learners will be using Flash or Animate to generate the animation.
Statistics will be restricted to analyzing found data, and thus the scope will be fluid.
What are the phases of the project? What are the deadlines?
Phase I - Research - January 4 – January 23
Polling History (as it relates to decision-making at a high level)
Historical Case Studies - modeled
Historical Case Studies - created (Vietnam and after)
What if?
Flash animation practice (all lessons completed by 1/19)
Research Process:
Research Questions 1/5/18
Research Topic/Thesis 1/11/18
Note Taking Evidence 1/11/18
Annotated Bibliography 1/12/18
Outline 1/19/18
First Draft 1/23/18
LOTE Portfolio Checkpoint 4
Phase II - Interactive Exhibit Ideation - January 24 – February 12
Experimental/Exploratory Art 1/24/18
Art History Research 1/29/18
Digital Artwork 2/2/18
Flash Individual Production 1/31/18
Research Process
Historical, Statistical and Scientific facts
Raw Data
Limitation of Application
Modeling/Explaining
Procedure-less Lab - Gas Laws and Energy
Research Paper
Interview Your Draft - 1/24/18
Peer Review - 1/25/18
2nd Draft - 1/26/18
Research Consultant Meetings - 1/29/18 – 2/2/18
Final Draft - 2/8/18
Interactive Exhibition Design (analyzing 4 events)
Supporting Evidence
Four elements of STEAM elements in all exhibitions
Phase III - Interactive Exhibit Implementation - February 13 - March 2
Publish Poem to grade 3/2/18
Flash Production for Interactive 2/16/18
Traditional (2d/3d) artwork 3/2/18
Phase IV - Career Exploration - March 5 - 23
Personal Decision-Making
Resumes 3/9/18
College Essay 1st Draft 3/19/18
Final College Essay and Letters of Recommendation 3/23/18
Personal Finance
Career Investigations
Internship Preparation
Portfolio 3/23/18
All sketches from this project
All experimentation with art mediums
Finished artworks
Animation
LOTE Portfolio Checkpoint 5
Questions for the dinner table:
Phase 1 Questions (January 4 – January 23):
What is Flash animation? Why are you learning Flash?
What have you learned about animation and how will it add value to your interactive?
What are the steps that you take when engaging in decision making processes?
What research topic have you decided on? How has that question evolved since you started your research?
What is a museum that we have visited before? What types of interactive exhibits did they have on display?
What major historical events and decisions have you learned about through your research or seminars?
What are some of the historical events, discoveries, and/or advancements that you have found most interesting?
What is the theme, tone and intent of the graphic novel Trinity?
How was the graphic novel Trinity used across multiple disciplines?
How is our world powered by chemical reactions?
What is the energy profile of the USA and other countries? What nonrenewable sources of energy does the USA use?
Where have you looked for data related to your topic?
What does the data you’ve found indicate about your topic? Does it help prove your views, or conflict with them?
What are some of the different types of media that you have been exploring in art? What techniques have you learned?
What is traditional media in regards to art?
What did you learn from the Interview Your Draft process?
What did you learn from the peer review process?
Phase 2 Questions (January 24 – February 12):
How has creating a storyboard helped you in planning your animation?
What museum has “hired” you and what are the elements of that museum?
What is the idea that you have brainstormed for your interactive exhibit?
What feedback did you receive from your research consultant?
What are some strategies you can use to make a decision based on fact and logic?
What is the storyline for your animation and what is some of the symbology you are using to communicate your story?
What have you learned about the different types of energy and their use, creation and impact? Which types provide the USA with the most energy? The least amount of energy?
What factors contribute to the human impact on the environment?
How is our world powered by chemical reactions?
(Statistics learners) How can analyzing statistical data help in understanding a research topic? How can it affect your views or the views of your readers?
(Precal learners) How can creating or using mathematical models help in understanding a research topic? How can it affect your views or the views of your readers?
What is new media in regards to art? What are you creating with iPads?
How is art history influencing your artwork?
Phase 3 Questions (February 13 – March 2)
What are the final ideas that your team has decided to implement for your interactive exhibit?
How will your interactives engage and inform your visitors?
How will your interactives add value to your museum?
How does your interactives work?
What does agriculture have to do with energy?
How agriculture relate to the energy calculations you talked about in Phase 1 and Phase 2?
(Statistics learners) What statistical information have you created, or found, and what has your analysis shown?
(Precal learners) What mathematical models have you created, or found, and what information do they give you? What are their limitations and implications for your topic?
What traditional art media have you chosen to use for your art project?
How can an artist’s choice of medium impact the message they are seeking to convey?
Phase 4 Questions (March 3 – March 23)
What are some of your personal goals?
What are some of your thoughts about after high school?
What are some of the unique experiences/skills that you have put on your resume?
What are some strengths that you possess that you would want future employer or school to read about in a letter of recommendation about you?
What have you chosen to write about for one of your college essay prompts?
How do you plan to make some decisions regarding your future?
What have you chosen to include in your art portfolio?
How is your career portfolio developing?
What elements of personal finance do you think will help you in the future?
What career types use chemistry or environmental science?
What is stoichiometry? How have you used it in class? How is it used in the real world?
(Statistics learners) What specific qualities are you finding make you unique? What makes Plano unique, or the Academy?
(Precal learners) What are you learning about taking out loans and using credit cards, and how those affect budgets?
Sincerely,
The 3rd Year Facilitator Team
Save the Date
2/1: 2nd Years Williams Natatorium - Submersibles Competition for Beneath the Surface
2/7: Progress Report 3
2/16: PTSA Student and Parent Programs: Jerry Ackerman on the topic of different challenges of social media, with specific attention to building a positive social media presence
2/19: Presidents' Day - Learner Holiday
2/23: Titan Talk: 4th Years Southwest Airlines Internship
2/26: New Titan Night
3/9: Titan Talk 3rd/4th Yrs Prom Fashion Show
3/1-3: FRC First Robotics Dallas Regional
3/10-18: Spring Break
3/22: Internship Job Fair
3/23: Titan Talk: Peter Balyta - Texas Instruments
4/28: Prom (3rd and 4th Years)