Saint Andrew’s Episcopal School has a long history of technology innovation. From early adoption of online report cards to regularly scheduled technology classes, Saint Andrew’s students have long benefited from advanced technology.
Our one-to-one laptop program, initiated ten years ago, is still one of the most advanced programs in the Silicon Valley. Saint Andrew’s is a regular stop when Apple’s host visits of educators from around the world, interested in observing technology integration best practices.
We are one of the few schools where all students attend a weekly technology class with a dedicated technology teacher. In this weekly class, students learn technology concepts and skills, using industry-standard applications such as Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Suite (Dreamweaver, Photoshop, etc.), all while creating projects that support what students are learning in the classroom.
In the earlier grades, First and Second grade
students learn their way around a computer using a variety of applications (for example, Kidspiration idea-mapping software, KidPix graphic design software, Apple’s iLife suite, and The Print Shop) while working on projects that coordinate with what they are doing in their classroom. As these young students create projects that reinforce what they are learning in the classroom, they also learn to follow basic directions to log in and out, open applications, find and save projects, and develop their mouse and keyboard skills.
As students move into the upper elementary grades, they continue to advance their technology skills. Projects that integrate with classroom work include solar system projects, California history projects, and U.S. State reports, to name a few. Students in Grades Three through Five expand the pool of applications they use to include the Microsoft Office Suite, Inspiration, Photoshop, along with more sophisticated use of the applications they learned in their earlier years. Students also begin to use the Internet and learn about its capabilities and how to work effectively while staying safe. Students develop Internet research skills, including proper use of electronic references.
At Fifth Grade, each student is assigned his/her own laptop. These laptops allow our tech-savvy students to use online resources for all subject areas, including ALEKS, the individualized-study math tutorial software that allows students to reinforce and expand what they are learning in the classroom.
In Grades 6 through 8, technology skills learned and honed in Lower School come together and develop further with the MacBook program. Students use their MacBook in subject area classes on a day-to-day basis for schoolwork and projects. Students continue to master Office Suite programs and more advanced technology tools are introduced. Using the iLife suite, students use digital media to create curricular projects.
Additionally, the Adobe Creative Suite is explored, using those tools to create animation, web pages, and digital image editing for school projects. The projects completed in Technology Class are integrated cross-curricular projects using content taught in various subject areas. For instance, the Grade 6 Digestion Project takes the viewer through the digestive process of a frog using Adobe Flash to demonstrate the various processes. Grade 7 used Stagecast Creator to create games using an Ancient Roman topic as the theme. In Grade 8, students animated the process of cell division using Adobe Photoshop to illustrate and animate their projects.