Technology and Computer Science

Technology is taught as an academic subject in the Middle Years Program from seventh to tenth grade.  Technology in middle school aims at establishing the foundations for technological literacy and know-how. Students become aware of the practical solutions people have devised to satisfy their basic need for food, clothing and shelter as well as to communicate, to preserve their health, to learn, and to enjoy themselves. Technology is essentially concerned with solving problems in an effort to stimulate students’ ingenuity and to encourage them to combine intellectual talents and practical skills. The BSGE Technology sequence provides a balance among three key areas: systems, information and materials. All technology courses allow students to display ingenuity and creativity and to devise practical solutions to given tasks by following the design cycle of investigation, planning, creation and evaluation.

Technology Teachers

Shantanu Saha
ssaha@bsge.org

The sequence of technology courses is as follows:

Middle School
Technology is offered for one semester in both the seventh and eighth grades. The core concepts that form the foundation of the learning experience are rooted in the System Development Life Cycle (SDLC), an iterative process of informed design that can be broken down into five stages: 1) investigation of a problem, 2) design for a solution, 3) planning the creation, 4) product development and, 5) evaluation through product testing. Hence, the approach is process oriented and demands critical thinking and effective communication through personal reflections at each stage. Students are presented with missions that guide them through the use of this cycle. Each semester is focused on an overarching theme. Some of the past years’ overarching themes have included:

  • How things work–forces, motion and mechanics
  • Communication systems–analogue to digital
  • Gaming–game mechanics
  • Architecture–from T-square to CAD
  • Digital citizenship
  • Aerodynamics–kiting with a global perspective
  • Structures–designing for efficiency and aethetics
  • Future Cities–urban infrastructures and planning
  • Mapping

7th Grade
SPRING | Digital Communication

In the 7th grade, students are introduced to the following content, concepts and skills:

  • definitions of technology and IT
  • impacts of technology and IT on society
  • six basic human needs and wants
  • five stages of the System Development Life Cycle
  • seven resources of technology
  • organization of digital files
  • use of productivity tools such as word-processing, presentations, spreadsheets, image manipulation and multi-media production
  • use of collaborative sharing tools such as Google Docs, Diigo, Voice Thread, Youth Voices

8th Grade
FALL | Architecture

In the 8th grade, students are expected to apply the skills involved in the System Development Life Cycle and are introduced to the following new content, concepts and skills:

  • planning and presenting an orientation event for new students
  • measurement, drawing to scale
  • reading and interpreting blueprints
  • 2-D design-floor plans
  • using a T-square and architect’s scale
  • structural integrity and the art of construction
  • floor plans
  • 3-D design-buildings
  • using a CAD
  • using NYC databases and tax maps
  • using Google Earth
  • using wikis