MAC Middle Students Participate In The Great Technology Debate

The Middle School students completed their third ACT (Aspire-Create-Transform) on March 1st by participating in “The Great Technology Debate.” Students were divided into three teams and went for five rounds of intense and engaging debate defending their ideas on which piece of technology they believe has made the largest impact in history - vaccines, the Internet or the internal combustion engine. It was a strong demonstration of core competencies that included presentation and debate skills, research capabilities, and assessment of evidence in supporting a central theme. They were rated on presentation of factual information, comprehension of topics,  logical and convincing introductions & conclusions, cross examination of the other teams, and rebuttal in addressing opponent questions & arguments with evidence. Students were poised, articulate and confident in their presentations, collaborating effectively with one another in front of an audience that included parents, staff and community members. Four categories were designated to assess the winning teams. Winners in these categories were (drum roll, please…):

• Judges’ Choice:  The Internet
• Audience Choice (post debate):  Internal Combustion Engine
• Speaker Points:  Internal Combustion Engine
• Teamwork:  Vaccines

A big congratulations to each team of MAC Middle students for a very impressive evening of stimulating debate!