MAP program increases difficulty with group projects

In the next few years, many students will begin jobs at companies like Google or Microsoft or Facebook. In those jobs, they will usually work in small teams charged with completing specific projects such as new piece of software or an advertisement or a new product.

With this reality in mind, teachers in the Media Arts Program (MAP) often focus on group work and incorporate technology into the curriculum. But all this emphasis on group work has also brought about the perception by some that the classes are less than rigorous.

“MAP seems to just work on videos and animations all day while the rest of us write papers,” sophomore Anisha Nagarajan said.

That mindset could not be any further from the truth, according to many MAP students. They say the program covers the same material as non-MAP counterparts.

“We do all the writing and stuff regular does,” sophomore Ken Wu said, “but we also do extra media arts projects. I don’t see it as more work because I think it’s fun.”

In addition to all the regular writing and work, MAP students also use technology to make animations and videos.

“MAP is better because instead of making posters, we make animations and videos,” junior Kevin Tran said.

Although English 9 MAP is similar to the non-MAP equivalent, students see a big jump in the use of technology starting from sophomore year when the program consists of three classes: English, social studies and a media class.

Most of these technology projects are also group projects.

“[MAP] teaches you to be a team player, whereas regular doesn’t teach that. It forces you to be very team oriented,” Tran said.

Some students, however, do not like group work.

“I switched from MAP to regular this year because I didn’t have the extra period to take the Media Arts class and sometimes group projects aren’t very fair because some people don’t do any work,” Nagarajan said.

Every year, all the MAP students go on a beginning-of-the-year field trip to a rope course in San Francisco to bond with each other for future group projects.

“Although I already knew most people because all my friends are also in MAP, it felt good to bond with people and be nice to everyone. Also, the rope course was really fun,” Wu said.

Many new, unexpected friendships are formed throughout the course of a year of group projects.

“At the beginning of the year, I didn’t like anybody in my class, but as the year progressed, everyone got chiller,” Tran said.

The numerous group projects help students get to know people they otherwise would not talk to.

“I was too quick to judge them, but two semesters changed that,” Tran said. “Along with everything else regular students learn, I also learned how to be a team player.”