Digital Literacy & Design

The Digital Literacy & Design curriculum empowers students to ideate, design and produce in and for the digital age to make a positive impact on their world. The evolving study and implementation of technology ensures that students learn to use digital tools to support academic excellence and personal growth; the use of computers, tablets, robots, multimedia and 3D printers appropriately and effectively supports student learning across the curriculum. Acquiring fluency in the language of computer programming, coding and scripting, students communicate with and manipulate digital technology. Embracing a human-centered design approach, students use their fluency in digital literacy to develop the essential skills of problem-solving, personal productivity, and aspirational creativity.

In service of Digital Literacy & Design, the school’s ePack 1:1 initiative provides daily access to a wide range of digital tools. K-2 students have shared classroom equipment, all students in grades 3-8 are provided their own dedicated digital device, and high school students bring their own self-chosen devices to naturally and seamlessly integrate DLD practices throughout the curriculum. The school’s Educational Innovation Coordinators work directly with the K-12 faculty to infuse digital skills and computational thinking throughout the curriculum. Developmentally appropriate units of instruction center on: engineering, simple machines, programming and coding, electronics, robotics and design thinking. Part makerspace, part innovation lab, and part collaboration zone, the Unkefer Spark Studio serves as the physical center of these initiatives. In addition, Middle and Upper Form elective classes, as well as the After School Program, provide further opportunities for students to continue to grow their interest in coding and robotics. In the high school, computer science coursework is offered through the academic program, with progression leading to AP Computer Science.