Silicon Valley: Competing across borders

Today, students in 8th grade in their Ethics class started to work on a class-project they wish to submit to a competition organized by the Bundeszentrale für Politische Bildung (Federal Agency for Civic Education) in Germany. They will shoot a 3-minute video based on research they’ve done collaboratively using google docs on their laptops. The […]

Silicon Valley: E-learning @GISSV

Students in 7th grade use the in-house developed e-learning platform (eschool21) to learn about programming variables and code a little program with the help of their IT teacher. Their task, incorporated within the e-learning platform (accessible from their laptops and also projected onto the Smartboard) is to write a program that “guesses” the number of […]

Silicon Valley: The global museum

Today the GISSV students have had the chance to see an exhibition on communism organized by the German Historical Museum (Deutschen Historischen Museum) right here on their campus. 25 posters have adorned the classroom walls and doors of the middle- and high-school alley. This transnationally-mobile exhibition has been traveling from Germany to 550 locations around […]

Silicon Valley: ‘tis the season to be jolly!

The German holiday spirit is coming to California! As in every year, the GISSV is organising a Weihnachtsmarkt for the whole Mountain View community. Teachers, parents, and students are all involved!

Silicon Valley: Technology, art, and everyday life

Technology and art blend seamlessly together in these art-works displayed inside and around the GISSV library. Old CD-ROMS are hanging from the roof, carton boxes have been transformed into ‘old media’ (cassettes and Gameboys), and the keys of old keyboards along with buttons and other ‘trash’ are re-purposed into expressionistic art pieces. This brings the […]

Silicon Valley: Eco-school for eco-citizens

The GISSV is taking part in an eco-initiative. In order to go green, several projects are going on at the same time: a recycling competition, a paper-challenge event, and a “walk/bike to school day” each Thursday. I sure hope that they will win the competition and there will be pizza and cake for everyone 🙂

Welcome to Silicon Valley!

My first day at the GISSV. The Mountain View campus is very welcoming and definitely very global!