Educational Program & Policy

Goal Statement:

To identify and implement appropriate technologies that will enhance children’s learning experiences and continue to help prepare them for an increasingly digital world.

Rationale:

Opportunities for knowledge have increased and will continue to increase because of technology. In order to take advantage of educational uses of technology, we need to develop shared access to the expertise within the SFC and the College, as well as that of others outside the institution. Based on a common understanding of which tools enhance the learning process and how best to use them, we need to identify appropriate ages for technology skill development.

Implementation Strategies:

• Continue to identify and implement technology that can serve to enhance curricula.
• Collaborate with IT and the College to ensure that classrooms are equipped with developmentally appropriate and purposefully implemented technology tools for student and faculty use.
• Increase access to shared and individual technology resources.
• Using the International Society for Technology in Education Standards (ISTE) as a guiding resource, identify age-level, developmentally appropriate benchmarks for technology skill development and competencies, and collaborate with faculty to integrate them alongside content-specific curriculum.
• Ensure discussions and activities about digital citizenship, safety, and privacy are an ongoing part of curriculum and develop a policy for students, faculty, families, and the public which encompasses internal Internet and digital device use, digital citizenship, media privacy, intellectual property privacy, and appropriate social media use.
• Begin to create a comprehensive curriculum map which details technology exposure and skill development across age and content areas.