Mission for Academic Technology
The mission of the Academic Technology program is to ensure that best practices in girls' education drives technology decisions to support girls' learning and faculty be innovative, creative and critical thinkers in their application of technology. The goal is for faculty and staff to be informed, confident and engaged users of technology and to take ownership to integrate technology into their program. In support of the Goals and Criteria of the Sacred Heart schools, it is also critical that ethical and respectful behavior are demonstrated in the use of technological resources both in and outside of school.
Program Structure
The learning of technology is integrated across the curriculum to enable new ways of teaching and learning. Students gain hands-on experience in the use of current and emerging technologies. Technical experiences a student will have throughout their K-12 education includes a range of hardware, such as digital probes for collection of scientific data, digital video cameras for documentaries, and software for keyboarding, graphing, and graphics. Web 2.0 Tools for content creation such as blogs, wikis, and forums are embedded components of the program. Empowering each student to make responsible choices to use technology ethically and safely, is a critical component to our program.
Formal technology classes take place in 3rd, 4th and 6th grade. These courses are designed to establish a foundation with computer tools, from word processing and keyboarding to information literacy and computer programing. The goal of these courses is for each student to gain a repertoire of skills to apply to other courses and problem solve with confidence. In support of differentiated learning, teachers use technical tools, such as SmartBoards and our web-based course management system (Moodle), to empower and diversify their mode of instruction. Middle and Upper School Faculty maintain a site on Moodle to post their course outline, homework and assignments. Some of these sites provide interactive media for learning, such as audio books and video clips. This course material is accessed in and outside of school, providing a means to extend learning.
Faculty are supported in their pursuit to integrate technology and stay current with emerging technologies with ongoing professional workshops and a newly created Technology Learning Community (TLC). The spirit and intent of the TLC is to establish a voluntary group of faculty are committed to improve their teaching practice with technology by learning from and with each other in a collegial environment.