Innovation & Technology

Middle School Innovation and Technology

Students in Middle School are provided a MacBook Air for use as one of their daily school supplies. Students use their laptop for a variety of productive and creative tasks. These devices allow for students to collaborate and communicate with peers and teachers. All students have access to powerful design and productivity tools including the entire Adobe Creative Suite, Google Drive, and a wealth of other online tools. Students access online content for their classes in the Dawson Portal.

6th Grade Innovation and Technology class:
In 6th grade, students will move beyond the skills and concepts they developed in Lower School and begin to work on more advanced projects. Students will explore some of the graphic design tools in Adobe Creative Suite. We will focus on utilizing Photoshop and Illustrator in the creative process. In addition, students will learn to code microcontrollers and incorporate them to create a wide array of products and projects. Advanced coding concepts will also be a focus utilizing both drag and drop blocks of code as well as text based coding environments. Students will continue working with 3D modeling programs with the introduction of some new challenges and software options to help them bring their creations to life.

7th and 8th Grade Innovation and Technology elective options include:
Foundations of Coding - Students learn to write code in JavaScript to solve problems and create interactive programs. They also build web pages and create visually dynamic graphics.

Maker Workshop - Maker Workshop is a project based class that gives Middle School students an opportunity to explore modern digital fabrication tools including 3D printing, laser cutting, electronics, and coding by using these tools to solve a real world design challenge

All sixth through eighth grade students take part in technology based enrichment courses that focus on developing skills and provide a project based opportunity for students to learn and explore. These courses will teach students about digital communication, data visualization, and 3D modeling.

6th Grade Enrichment: Multimedia- In this class students are introduced to visual tools that can be applied across multiple academic subject areas. They will learn how to use a variety of applications including Adobe Creative Suite and several other web based programs that allow students to bring their ideas to life using sound, video, and graphic design.

7th Grade Enrichment: Working with Data - Students learn to capture, organize and analyze data. They will learn to communicate through collaboration and creation of data visualizations.

8th Grade Enrichment: 3D Modeling - Students learn to create 3D models using Onshape, a web-based CAD tool. The class teaches students the fundamentals of working in 3D space including creating relationship driven sketches and turning them into 3D elements using the extrude, revolve, loft tools.

In addition, there are a variety of co-curricular activities that give Middle School students opportunities to explore creative uses of technology. MS Innovation and Technology Co-curriculars include:
Engineering
Filmmaking
Digital Music

Upper School Innovation and Technology

Upper School students have opportunities to use a variety of technology tools across the curriculum. Members of the Innovation and Technology department work with teachers to identify and apply relevant tools within their courses. In addition, students have many Innovation and Technology elective options that teach students digital fabrication, electronics prototyping, 3d modeling, 2d design, a variety of programming courses, game design, filmmaking, and wearables. Beginning in 2021-22, there will be a new graduation distribution requirement where Upper School students must take a minimum of two semesters of Innovation and Technology courses. This will begin with 9th graders and eventually include all Upper School students.

In addition, there are many Upper School courses that heavily integrate Innovation and Technology into their curriculum. Some of these classes include: Digital Art, Digital Music, Physics and Design, Biotechnology

Upper School students are required to bring their own mobile device (tablet or laptop) to school each day. This gives students access to Dawson’s high-speed network, email accounts, and learning portal. US students will have access to all of the tools and technologies in the Innovation Center to design projects for their classes as well as opportunities to bring their ideas to life. Students can choose to take part in several additional programs including robotics, a paid internship with Anark, and the Distinction in Innovation program.

Current Upper School Innovation and Technology course offerings include:
AP Computer Science A (year-long course)
AP Computer Science Principles (year-long course)
App Development
Digital Fabrication
Film Making for a Purpose
Game Design
Idea Incubator
Inventing with Technology
Programming I (Python)
Wearables

Foundations of Coding

Foundations of Coding gives 6th-8th grade students an opportunity to learn the basic coding structures of programming languages. Students will learn to write and use these structures both as standalone programs and as part of graphic and/or app development environments.

This class will be comprised of two stages. First, we will establish a baseline set of tools that can be used to create logical structures. Next, we will create projects that apply these tools in visually interesting and functionally interactive settings.
Maker Workshop

Maker Workshop is a project based class that gives Middle School students an opportunity to explore modern digital fabrication tools including 3D printing, laser cutting, electronics, and coding by using these tools to solve a real world design challenge. Through this process, students will learn to design 2D and 3D objects using Illustrator and Onshape. Students will also explore concepts in computer programming and prototyping circuits with the micro:bit.

This class is student-centered and focused on iterative prototyping. Student projects will evolve as students investigate the unique requirements to bring their creations to life; including engineering, computer science, electronics, prototyping and product design.
Tech Enrichment 6th

Technology class for 6th grade is the capstone of several years of technology instruction. We will review and further our study of advanced technology concepts such as coding in Python, analyzing spreadsheets using conditional formatting, and working with professional applications such as Adobe Illustrator and 3-D design software such as Fusion 360 and TinkerCad.

They will also apply these skills in collaborative projects that we create along with 6th grade core teachers.
Tech Enrichment 7th

This technology course gives all seventh-grade students an opportunity to explore coding. In this class, students will learn to code in Bitsbox, a text based coding environment based on Javascript. Using Bitsbox materials, the students will practice coding within a designed structure focused on giving them a fundamental understanding of the basic concepts of programming. Then, they will be given opportunities to build on this creatively and take on additional challenges and explore bringing their ideas to life.
Tech Enrichment 8th

Eighth grade students will have the opportunity to learn about CAD (Computer Aided Design) using a cloud-based 3D modeling program called Onshape. Students will explore the fundamental concepts of 2D and 3D design and apply these concepts to projects to help them develop a foundational set of skills. Connections to mathematics and specifically geometry will be investigated as part of the design process.

Curriculum Detail

Innovation & Technology

Foundations of Coding

Maker Workshop

Tech Enrichment 6th

Tech Enrichment 7th

Tech Enrichment 8th

Department Faculty

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