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Tirana International School

tIS technology Activities at tIS

Tirana International School seeks to provide Tirana International School offers a great and
an integrated technology program that allows for wide range of after-school activities and athletic
students to learn organizational skills, experience programs for its students, including: music,
programming, and discover how technology performing arts, technology, sports. The program
enhances learning. Starting in the middle school aims to offer physical and emotional benefits to all
years, TIS educators work daily with students students by helping them stay active, learn to work
to establish digital routines with calendars and with others, improve problem-solving abilities, and
organizational programs to create lifelong patterns. strengthen communication skills.
Practically, this means students take time during
class to record important homework reminders, The after-school activity program is divided
or future due dates in their personal calendars, into three seasons: Fall, Winter, Spring. In this
as they learn to use technology as a life skill. way we offer students different opportunities
Another important aspect of technology at TIS is
programming. Throughout the school, all students
have a chance to learn valuable programming
skills—starting with elementary robotics, and
ending with AP Computer Science for secondary
students. Middle school and secondary students

universities in the US, Europe, UK, and Canada as
AP students.

Another benefit to the AP program is the
flexibility, depth, and number of course offerings.
Unlike IB and GCSE Advanced Level courses, the
AP gives students the chance to prove their in-
depth knowledge across a personalized selection
of courses of interest: a student’s application to
university might show perfect AP Exam scores
in Calculus, Psychology, Microeconomics, Art
History, and Computer Science—or practically any
combination.

This 2017–18 academic year, we offer the throughout the academic year to try and experience
following AP courses: Art History, Biology, several activity alternatives like sports, music, art,
Calculus AB, Computer Science, English or technology. Students have a chance to choose
Language and Composition, French Language and which activity suits them best. The activities are
Culture, Human Geography, Macroeconomics, offered in mixed-age groups with a broad selection
compete internationally in robotics competitions Microeconomics, Psychology, Spanish Language of choices. With this approach, we aim to have less
that focus on designing, building, and programming and Culture, and World History. divisive and more constructive behaviors among
machines to complete set tasks. The youngest students.
students in elementary are even learning
block-based programming this year as they TIS is also a member of local and
task simple robots through tablet computers international organizations, such as
as part of their technology class. Finally, the Central Eastern European Schools
TIS focuses on creating opportunities Association (CEESA), and Tirana Association
for educators and students to integrate of International Schools (TAIS). One of
technology into the classroom through the greatest benefits of memberships to
project-based learning. One interesting CEESA and TAIS is that our middle school
example of this is the work done in our video and secondary students can participate in
production lab, where students write scripts, different activities in academics and athletics,
film themselves, and edit the footage to organized by member schools locally or
create reports and academic documentaries. outside the country. In the past, TIS students
have traveled internationally and participated
in CEESA events such as: MS Robotics, HS
Robotics, MS Basketball, MS Knowledge
Advanced Placement Bowl, HS Knowledge Bowl, MS/HS Swim
Meet, MS Boys Soccer, MS/HS Cross Country.
The Advanced Placement (AP) program
gives our secondary students the opportunity TIS strives to offer an inclusive
to engage in rigorous university-level environment by creating spaces and
courses while students here at TIS. At the opportunities for each student and by
end of the year-long course, students take making each experience count. Among our
an externally scored, standardized final many focuses are the arts. Our students
exam to assess their mastery of the content explore their talents in a variety of art classes
of the course. Some universities will award on offer, such as violin, guitar, choir, and even
university credit for entry-level courses, musical theater. TIS believes that all students
allowing students to enter with a semester have special potential and talent, and they
or even a year or two’s worth of university need supporting mentors and creative
credit; others may require a certain amount programs to discover uncharted territories.
of AP exams with qualifying scores to meet
admissions requirements. Just as important, TIS’s programs are crafted to trigger the
it is also a means by which students can interest of each student involved. It is very
prove their motivation, challenge themselves important that they willingly participate in
academically, and engage in advanced work their preferred activities, and they see them
in each subject. At TIS, we regularly have as leisure time, but a productive one in which
students gain offers of admission to excellent they can learn things in a more relaxed way.