BFS
Our Strategic Vision
 

Academic Technology

Overview

Technology is an essential element of teaching and learning at Brooklyn Friends School. BFS emboldens its students to think critically about how they use and consume different technologies. Grounded in Quaker philosophy, our students ask why and not just how. This is a school where the most gifted writer or performer can also thrive as a computer programmer. With the success of the Lower School iPad initiative, the Middle School Chromebook program, the new state-of-the-art Upper School building, and the school’s focus on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) through 3D printing and design, BFS students have access to cutting-edge technologies on an everyday basis.

Lower School

Technology is integrated into the curriculum in all grades.  iPads are available at each grade level, and apps are thoughtfully chosen by teachers to ensure they are developmentally appropriate and pedagogically sound for use by our young students. Students use their iPads to create, collaborate, and sharpen their thinking skills.

Third and fourth grade students engage in technology classes on a weekly basis using both iPads and Chromebooks. Topics covered include digital citizenship, cloud computing, design thinking, 3D design and 3D printing, computational thinking, and augmented reality. We work closely with our librarians and classroom teachers to help students develop the research and technical skills necessary to navigate and understand the world of digital information.

Middle School

In the Middle School we are committed to enhancing the educational experience through engaging and age-appropriate technologies. Middle School students use Google Chromebooks in all of their classes and have access to various Makerspaces throughout the school.

Students take technology classes in 5th through 8th grade and classes become more advanced each year. Classes focus on innovative technologies, computer programming, 3D design and printing, Augmented Reality, underrepresented groups in technology, computer history, digital citizenship, digital storytelling and much more. Students use web-based programming tools including Code.org, JavaScript, Tynker, Gamestar Mechanic, HTML and Tinkercad and others.

Students also learn how to navigate the access that technology affords through the 5-8 Advisory curriculum and Technology classes.

Upper School

Technology is an integral part of Upper School life. From collaborating in Google Drive to producing podcasts in English and History to 3D printing in Physics, students engage with technology in multiple meaningful ways.

In technology classes, students practice applications of technology in their everyday lives as scholars, designers, and stewards. They develop fluency in information technology, media production, and algorithmic thinking. They engage with a range of technologies like 3D fabrication, physical computing, and creative software. By making use of the iterative design process, students build a portfolio of context-driven projects that make use of a wide range of technology including, but not limited to: arduino microcontrollers, 3D printing, and data visualizations. Discussions about technology within historical and social justice contexts provide additional considerations for students to be responsible and innovative technologists.