Fourteen-year-old
Taryn Wieser looked into the future and didn't like everything
she saw.
Working 21/2 hours a day for two weeks, Taryn scoured the
Internet for information on how scientists had mapped the human
genome, which contains the basic operating instructions for
life. She found there were benefits -- such as the promise of
curing deadly diseases -- but also risks, such as the temptation
to engineer perfect human beings.
Then she put it together in a Power Point presentation
complete with a video clip from the science fiction thriller
"Gattaca" and an illustration of moving strands of
DNA.
The ninth-grader at Foothill Technology High School had
plenty of company in her exploration of the information age.
Every ninth-grader at the new magnet school in Ventura was
assigned the task of researching online the risks and benefits
of some aspect of advances in genetic and digital technology.
The 270 students prepared presentations that will be evaluated
by business people and educators beginning tonight at the
school. The presentations will extend over the next couple
weeks.
Foothill teacher Rich Geib said the project is an example of
the type of education the new school was designed to offer.
The curriculum combines modern technology with
"authentic assessment" in which professionals in
various fields give students feedback on their work.
Geib said the freshmen researched topics in health care,
economics and the mass media, determining how technological
trends will change life in Ventura. In all, they worked for
seven weeks on the projects that were graded by their teachers,
he said.
As his students made their presentations to fellow students
last week, Geib critiqued them. Michael Hipskind won high marks
for theatrics as he smashed a soda can against his forehead to
show what some students may do when they're taken off Ritalin.
Jake Smith, representing the opposite side of the Ritalin
debate, got points for his calm delivery.
"Don't assume that people know what you're talking
about," Geib told another student. "Take it from the
big story down to the small story."
The project mimics what students could expect to find in a
business environment, from the suits they wear for their
presentations to the high-tech graphics. But Michael Hipskind
said drama goes a long way, too.
"I thought I had to make my point," he said.
-- Kathleen Wilson's e-mail address is
wilson@insidevc.com.
HOME
