Technology at Sacred Heart is integrated throughout the curriculum in grades two through twelve.
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Each year, students become increasingly more independent, more creative and more productive in how they work and apply technology to their assignments. Students have access to a variety of computer peripherals such as scanners, digital cameras, camcorders, printers, as well as a networked computer lab. Wireless laptops and iPads are also available in all divisions to provide a seamless integration of technology into the classroom.
The technology curriculum includes instruction in Web design, Internet research, information literacy, spreadsheets, multimedia presentations, computer graphics, word processing, video editing and keyboarding.
Lower School
Students in Lower School attend regularly scheduled computer classes. In Grade 2, children are exposed to and instructed in the use of the computer to supplement and enrich their work. Mini-courses in basic Internet research, elementary word processing, creating graphics, building graphs and other computer skills may be included to facilitate and enhance students’ work. In Grade 3 proper keyboarding skills are introduced through an intensive web-based program called Typing Pal. Students also learn how to write programs in MicroWorlds using Logo as a programming language. Students continue formal instruction in using the computer as a tool integrated with their classroom curriculum. They further develop their use of the computer for writing and graphic design in conjunction with class multimedia presentations. In the computer lab, students continue to navigate the network, create graphics, graph mathematical concepts, design multimedia projects, publish a newsletter and use the Internet for research. Computers, printers, scanners, digital cameras and a variety of software are available for classroom use. By grade 4 students have progressed to creating written documents, graphic files, individual multimedia presentations and web pages relating to the classroom curriculum. To foster greater independence in the use of the computer lab, emphasis is placed on the proper use of computers, the Sacred Heart network and file server, printers and other equipment. The software programs used are Excel, Word and Keynote, in conjunction with other curriculum-related software. Students are also introduced to Web 2.0 tools such as blogs, wikis and Glogster.
Middle School
Technology is integrated into core academic classes instead of specific computer classes. Each week, students in 5th and 6th grade have a technology class designed to support the academic course work. Of considerable importance to the technology program is the implementation of Web 2.0 tools and web-based applications such as GoogleEarth, Wiki, Voice Thread, Delicious, a social-bookmarking site, and iMovie, as well as other course appropriate applications. The objective of this approach is for students to develop a facility with and understanding of technology as they use it in the context of other subjects.
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- Smart board use at CSH.
Upper School
The Technology Department works closely with all Upper School academic departments, supporting them in integrating technology into their curricula. Interested students are encouraged to take additional elective technology courses in grades 10 through 12. Elective courses are “hands-on” experiences in which students use their creativity, imagination and understanding of the software to produce personal projects that fully utilize the capabilities of the software they are using. As they work, students learn technical aspects of computers, peripherals, programs, operating system software, networks and the Internet. Students work with a range of applications to write, collect, analyze and synthesize information and data in all media forms, to create with and express themselves, to communicate and to present.
"We live in a technological world that is changing everyday. These children have no choice but to embrace it. That being said, we can still teach the use of technology through the lens of a Sacred Heart education. At 91st Street, the mission is inherent in all subjects and it is what makes the teaching of technology flow into all areas of the students' studies."
Talia Nochumson
Lower School Technology Coordinator