Technology

The Lower School blends 21st century learning skills with its strong core curricular base to create an authentic, engaging, and meaningful learning experience for the students.

This can be seen in Junior Kindergarten through Grade 3 where students have access to technology in their classrooms that are used in a variety of ways, whether they are utilized in small group learning stations or paired up to work on creative projects. Teachers have students practice reading, math and language skills through a variety of software programs and apps. Teachers guide instruction using technology in whole group settings and in individual or small groups.

Students become comfortable using Google apps such as Docs, Slides, etc. and sharing them with their teachers for editing purposes. This exposure is an important step in the transition from Lower School to Middle School.

All grades, Kindergarten through Grade 4, have class once a rotation in the Collaboratory. They spend time honing their higher level and creative thinking skills by interacting with a multitude of technologies. Students also spend time working with robotics, coding, 3D printing and Green Screen technologies.

In the Middle School, all students bring their own iPads to school every day. Teachers are guides and facilitate the use of the iPads, allowing students to grow and experiment using technology in the classroom each day. Computer pods and printers and a dedicated lab allow students to access a broader variety of technologies. Support for the student iPad program is provided by a full time iPad coordinator in the Middle School.

In the Upper School, students bring their own mobile computing device to school each day. iPads, tablets or laptop computers are used as an extension of the academic program. Research, writing, design, collaboration and communication are hallmarks of the Fort Worth Country Day technology programs. Students are encouraged to experiment with different types of technology in order to find out for themselves, what works best for their own learning.

A campus wide makerspace, the TEAM Room, is available to every teacher to lead their classes in hands-on activities. Technology, Engineering, Art and Making are all facilitated in this centrally located space. Laser cutters, 3D printers, shop tools, hand tools and all kinds of consumables are provided for teachers and students to experiment, create and learn together.

Fort Worth Country Day’s technology mission is to promote the qualities of critical thinking, effective communication, collaboration and independent scholarship among our students, and to facilitate within the entire FWCD community, the broad use of authentic educational technologies. Technology adds to the overall experiences of the FWCD community by promoting lifelong learning and supporting intellectual curiosity. We believe that careful implementation of technology is important to ensure its usefulness, and we strive to ensure that our students are taught to use technology in ways that are consistent with the School’s core values and philosophy. We believe that technology resources should be directed toward areas that enhance student learning, enhance teachers’ professional growth and enable communication.