We recognize that our job as educators is to begin preparing students for their future careers. In today’s ever-changing, quickly expanding global economy, it is likely that our students will hold future jobs that do not even currently exist. Technology integration, therefore, is not simply a luxury, but an essential component of 21st century education.
Technology
Upper school students utilize technology on a daily basis in purposeful ways that support our curriculum. By November 2020, every Salisbury Christian School student will be matched with a personal device - a Chromebook or an iPad, dependent upon grade level.
Our Upper School Computer Lab is equipped with an interactive whiteboard and 24 desktop computers. 9th through 12th grade students learn through daily elective technology classes in the computer lab, where they are exposed to cutting-edge programs that enable self-expression through creative digital design, photography, and digital publishing projects. Students also engage in learning to code using a variety of computer languages (Java, Scratch, Python, and JavaScript) with which they create and write their own programs that solve everyday problems. SCS 6th and 8th grade technology courses allow our students to develop keyboarding skills and the ability to utilize the Microsoft Office Suite. Our 7th grade is exposed to robotics through curriculum developed by Carnegie Mellon University, incorporating the Lego Mindstorms EV3 robotics kits. Students learn how to develop practical solutions to problems using the incredible and quickly changing tool of robotics.
Through the use of digital design programs, hands-on robotics development, and the creation of our students' own programming solutions, we are preparing our students to meet the global challenges of the 21st century.
Middle School S.T.E.A.M. Initiative
S.T.E.A.M. stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics and represents a forward-thinking, out-of-the-box approach to education. Exposing students to skills that integrate the S.T.E.A.M. principles is another way we seek to maintain student engagement and begin to develop the skill sets needed for future career success!
To fully integrate S.T.E.A.M. principles into our classrooms, we have instituted a number of new courses and furnished our teachers with fresh resources. Our lower school pioneered Mobile Makerspaces, quarterly S.T.E.A.M. challenges, LEGO Club, and much more. Our middle school has embarked upon a journey into S.T.E.A.M. with the addition of Coding, Robotics, and Destination Imagination (DI) classes and the institution of our Robotics Club. These offerings exist to create a foundation for further learning that is explored in our higher level classes like Advanced Placement (AP) Computer and Introduction to Programming.