by Hileyn | Jul 1, 2022
First of all, it is important to understand the meaning of a database, for this, it is worth highlighting the definition provided by the University of Extremadura, which defines a database as a collection of “publications of scientific content, such as journal articles, books, theses, conferences and others, which aim to bring together all possible bibliographic production on different areas of knowledge” (1). So, once the concept of databases is understood, EBSCO can be defined as a database in which full-text publications related to the area of sciences and humanities can be accessed.
Now, what is EBSCO for? In a school context such as that of Futuro Verde, it is essential to provide students with tools that allow them to access reliable sources of information to strengthen their research skills through academic work. For Futuro Verde, EBSCO represents access to the scientific community.
In this regard, throughout this school year, different workshops have been designed for an effective use of this database. In this sense, teachers and parents have had the opportunity to receive training on the tools offered by EBSCO, and in this way, learn how to perform basic information searches, and advanced searches through the use of Boolean operators and information filters, for example: year, country, type of publication and lexile range or reading level.
Now, EBSCO is a compilation of different databases, therefore, one of the advantages offered by the workshops to parents is the creation of an account that provides access to platforms such as:
- Teacher profile: it is a database that provides articles related to different elements of the educational process. Examples include: evaluation, best practices, continuing education, current pedagogical research and curriculum development.
- Premier Academic Source: is a robust database of full-text academic journals. In this regard, it “covers all major subject areas, including agriculture, economics, history, law, literature, psychology, and sociology” (Ebsco 1).
- Advanced Source Placement: is a database designed for high school students enrolled in various Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses. In addition, it is a tool that offers thousands of journals and full-text documents. It also provides items such as photos, maps and flags.
- Explora: includes full-text articles from magazines, journals and newspapers, along with images, videos and primary sources of information. Explora is now divided by levels, with the intention of compiling a greater number of sources. So, for elementary schools we recommend using “Explora Primary Schools – Grades K-5”. For sixth through eighth grade, it is recommended to use “Explora Grades 6-8 Schools” and for the rest of the levels, it is best to use “Secondary Schools – Grades 9-12”.
- In short, EBSCO offers access to a collection of full-text e-books to support the educational process.
Finally, EBSCO is a tool that improves the educational task, offers teachers the possibility of enriching the learning process, provides students with tools for research and allows parents to support the educational process of their sons and daughters.
by Hileyn | Jul 1, 2022
En primer lugar, es importante entender el significado de una base de datos, para esto, conviene resaltar la definición brindada por la Universidad de Extremadura, en la cual se define una base de datos como una recopilación de “publicaciones de contenido científico, como artículos de revistas, libros, tesis, congresos y otras, que tienen como objetivo reunir toda la producción bibliográfica posible sobre diferentes áreas de conocimiento” (1).
Entonces, una vez entendido el concepto de bases de datos, se puede definir EBSCO como una base de datos en la que se puede acceder a publicaciones de texto completo relacionadas con el área de las ciencias y las humanidades.
Ahora, ¿para qué sirve EBSCO? En un contexto escolar como el de Futuro Verde, resulta fundamental dotar a los estudiantes de herramientas que les permitan acceder a fuentes confiables de información para reforzar sus habilidades de investigación por medio de los trabajos académicos. De ahí que EBSCO representa para Futuro Verde el acceso a la comunidad científica.
A propósito de lo anterior, a lo largo de esté ciclo lectivo, se han diseñado diferentes talleres para un uso efectivo de esta base de datos. En este sentido, docentes y padres de familia han tenido la oportunidad de recibir capacitaciones sobre las herramientas que ofrece EBSCO, y de esta manera, aprender a realizar búsquedas de información básicas, y búsquedas avanzadas mediante el uso de operadores booleanos y filtros de información, por ejemplo: año, país, tipo de publicación y rango lexile o nivel de lectura.
Ahora, EBSCO es una recopilación de diferentes bases de datos, por lo tanto, una de las ventajas que ofrecen los talleres a los padres de familia es la creación de una cuenta que brinda acceso a plataformas como:
- Teacher profile: es una base de datos que proporciona artículos relacionados con diferentes elementos del proceso educativo. A modo de ejemplo: evaluación, mejores prácticas, Educación continua, Investigación pedagógica actual y desarrollo curricular.
- Fuente académica Premier: es una base de datos sólida de revistas académicas de texto completo. En este sentido, “cubre las principales áreas temáticas, incluyendo agricultura, economía, historia, derecho, literatura, psicología y sociología’’ (Ebsco 1).
- Advanced Source Placement: es una base de datos diseñada para estudiantes de secundaria inscritos en varios cursos de Colocación Avanzada (AP) y Bachillerato Internacional (IB). Además, es una herramienta que ofrece miles de revistas y documentos de texto completo. También, brinda elementos como fotos, mapas y banderas.
- Explora: incluye artículos de texto completo de revistas, diarios y periódicos, junto con imágenes, videos y fuentes primarias de información. Ahora, explora está dividida por niveles, esto con la intención de recopilar una mayor cantidad de fuentes. Entonces, para primaria se recomienda utilizar “Explora Primary Schools – Grades K-5”. Por su parte, para los niveles de sexto a octavo año se recomienda utilizar “Explora Grados 6-8 Escuelas” y para el resto de niveles lo más conveniente es hacer uso de “Escuelas Secundarias – Grados 9-12”.
- En suma, EBSCO ofrece acceso a una colección de libros electrónicos de texto completo para apoyar el proceso educativo.
Finalmente, EBSCO es una herramienta que mejora el quehacer educativo, brinda a docentes la posibilidad de enriquecer el proceso de aprendizaje, dota al estudiantado de herramientas para la investigación y permite a los padres y madres de familia apoyar el proceso educativo de sus hijos e hijas.
by Angie Briceño | Jun 7, 2022
At the end of the 2017 school year, Futuro Verde received its certification as an International Baccalaureate World School. The International Baccalaureate Organization evaluates schools that acquire this certification every five years. It has been five years since our certification and for some months now we have been working on preparing for the evaluation by the International Baccalaureate Organization.
But, what does the IB Diploma Program evaluation process for schools around the world consist of?
According to the International Baccalaureate Organization, the primary objective of IB program evaluation is to help schools continually develop their capacity to implement IB programs in order to have a greater effect on student outcomes through the development of teaching and leadership practices (2).
The evaluation of the Diploma Program in the school engages the school in a process of reflection that allows us to understand which aspects of the program are being developed effectively and which need further development. This reflection is done in conjunction with students, families, the board of directors, teachers and staff members who are directly involved in the implementation of the program.
The evaluation consists of three distinct parts:
- The preliminary review, where the school reviews and updates the information that was provided at the beginning of the certification process. This section includes a survey of parents with children who are attending, have attended or will attend the Diploma Program the following school year.
- A process of self-evaluation, collaboration and reflection in which different stakeholders participate and where families and students are invited to participate in the process.
- Finally, a visit to the school, which in our case will take place on April 19, 20 and 21, 2023.
Once this evaluation process is completed, the IB Organization provides the school’s leadership team with the findings of the process and recommendations for the school.
For those families and students directly involved in the evaluation process, a form will be sent to them so that they can collaborate with the reflection process.
by Angie Briceño | May 8, 2019
There are only a few days left until Earth Day Charity Challenge ends!
The organizations have been inviting the participants to visit the different workplaces so that they may learn about what they do and how to help. Last week, the ASVO group was able to watch and participate in the release of sea turtles and learn about why some of the baby turtles did not hatch. They found out it can be important to place a roof to avoid further warming of the sand.
In the following days and weeks, the participants will be visiting and volunteering with the organizations they support.
Here are the amounts collected to date:
Refugio Romelia $96
Wild Sun Rescue Center $109
Casa del Árbol de Futuro Verde $26
Gatos de Futuro Verde $70
ASVO $532
CREMA $129
Remember, the groups to claim the top three spots by raising $ 1,000 can donate the following to their organization:
1st place $1000
2nd place $750
3rd place $500
You can help the groups reach their goal of $ 1,000 and thus support the organizations as they protect the environment and different species!
The rest of the money raised will be used to complete the amount for the construction of the Futuro Verde sports court.
Donate now!
by Lural Ramirez | May 7, 2019
Have you heard about Futuro Verde’s annual education conference held on our campus on the last Thursday and Friday of June each year? Attendees from years past can attest to how unifying the conference is with attendance by educators, community members, parents and students from around the peninsula, Costa Rica and the world.
This year’s conference is gearing up to be another great experience! Click on the link below to register and read the flyer below for details on the basics of registering and getting involved in this year’s conference! And, don’t forget! Our Call for Proposals is currently open for submissions. If you are an educator or community member with something to share in the area of bilingual, holistic or sustainable education, submit your proposal today!
Registration Form
Call for Proposal
by Lural Ramirez | Mar 29, 2019
Preface and Context
As a part of my role as Head of School for our International Baccalaureate (IB) authorization at Futuro Verde, I had the pleasure of participating in a Leadership and Governance Webinar Series offered to Heads of School over the long holiday. The learning and inspiration from the series covered four topics: consistency of mission and vision, growth and accreditations, research-informed models of teacher evaluation and school finance. On the basis of the mission and vision webinar, our teachers engaged in a series of reflective activities during their professional development prior to the start of the school year with the goal of articulating our school values. Throughout this school year, we will be sharing the articulation of these values across our social media platforms and our communications channels. When you come and visit us next, please also read our teachers’ Six Word Memoirs which are posted on a bulletin board in the main office. These amazing Six Word Memoirs are a further extension of the articulation of Futuro Verde’s values.
Futuro Verde: Always Connected, Forever Evolving
In 2018, the IB celebrated its 50th anniversary and, that same year, Futuro Verde celebrated its 10th anniversary. Over the course of our 10 years, much like the path taken by the IB in its anniversary book, “The International Baccalaureate: 50 Years of Education for a Better World” which was sent to all IB Heads of School, we have seen an evolution of our school and the benefits to our students of a coherent, connected educational experience. The Futuro Verde community continues to grow in size, but our evolution in numbers, in quality of teaching and learning and in scope and breadth of servicing for students has not led to a disconnection from our original mission as a school and our main goal of connecting our diverse communities.
For our staff and our board of directors, it is essential that our school community know that we will continue to grow and evolve and, as we do so, we will continue to prioritize our connections and support of each other! The heart of our school is the connections we have with one another, the multilingualism, the diversity in national origin, religion and beliefs and the unity we all share as we progress forward and evolve as a school.
Thank you for your connection to our school and for joining us on our journey of ongoing evolution!
