News

April 25, 2019

P-TECH Students Create Their TED Talks

Students in the Capital Region BOCES Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) West Campus at Mohonasen are going to soon be hitting the internet with their own TED Talks – short videos designed to educate and inform about a topic of interest.

The students in the first year program are undertaking the TED Talk creation as part of their latest project that examines everything from scientific issues – ocean pollution and plastics – to social justice topics, said Principal Makensie Bullinger.

Beyond creating the TED Talk, the students are also writing letters to elected officials to advocate for an issue of their choice and will hear from a legal expert on how to create the right tone and appearance to sway opinions.

“I am doing a TED talk about Article 13, a new copyright law approved in England,” said Shawn Valcourt, a P-TECH student from Mohonasen.

Article 13 is in fact a controversial new regulation approved by England and the EU that states that if users upload infringing content to a service, a tech firm involved must either make a “best effort” to get permission from the rights holders or quickly remove it.

Valcourt said the regulation is “a bad idea because it will stop the creativity and sharing of information.”

Classmate Anthony Martinez of Schenectady said he was awash with ideas on what to do his TED Talk on, but is likely to choose ocean pollution and plastics.

“We need water to drink and bathe and live. Without it, we can’t survive,” he said.

The project, said Bullinger, is designed to engage students in a number of areas and fan their passions while teaching them valuable scientific and social justice lessons.

“I enjoy the project because if you have a passion for something, it’ good to talk about it and advocate for something,” Valcourt said. “You can make your TED Talk video and educate others about something and it’s always good to make people aware of issues that impact us.”

P-TECH is a four- to six-year program (grades 9-14) offered to students throughout the region through a consortium that includes Capital Region BOCES, the Capital Region Chamber, Hudson Valley Community College and SUNY Schenectady County Community College.

The program’s two campuses – East Campus is at Watervliet High School, West Campus at the Center for Advanced Technology at Mohonasen – provides pathways for students to earn free college degrees in Computer Science, Computer Information Systems and Cybersecurity.

The P-TECH curriculum focuses on engaging students in hands-on, project-based learning – such as coding – to be successful in careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and providing students with workplace skills that will ensure success, no matter the career path they are applied to. Through the program, business partners provide students access to cutting-edge technologies and innovations that allow them to see the real-world application of the knowledge they are gaining at P-TECH.