The Technology Department at CNG strives to support the school’s mission by providing technology resources and tools meant to enable students to develop the necessary skills to become independent learners in an ever-evolving technological world. The technology department aides teachers in the effective use and integration of technologies in teaching, supports students in their learning process, and helps create an engaging and motivating classroom environment.
Our goal is to get CNG to a point where technology seamlessly integrates into daily activities, providing efficiency, improving communications and engaging students in learning in a true 21st century environment.
We created a technology curriculum oriented towards the integration of technology into CNGs subject classes. We believe teachers should have the means to use technology in their lesson plans and integrate it into their daily classroom routine. Close support from an integration specialist with knowledge and expertise in both technology and education is necessary (and provided) to guarantee the success of this process.
The technology department at CNG decided to implement the current technologically advanced curriculum, because we believe our students and teachers need to be able to understand technology and use it as a tool to support their academic processes and daily life activities.
We believe it is important to support our teachers in the process of preparing themselves to naturally integrate the use of technology into their own curriculum. Further along in the process our students require communication, collaboration, research and a lesson on the responsible use of technology. We strive to provide all this support and allow students the space to produce creative solutions using technology.
Primary School
Second Grade Computers
CNG students are first challenged with a class centered completely on technology when they reach second grade level. The second grade computers class is built around the development of basic computers skills. Students learn how they can use computers to reach different objectives and start the process of acquiring typing skills. We encourage students to use the internet appropriately to gather information using specific browsers as we teach them how start properly operating Microsoft Softwares such as Word and Powerpoint. Students will also work on a number of projects related to their core subjects, this allows us to start encouraging the use of technology in the general classroom.
Elementary School
Computer Class in Elementary
Technology/Computers in Elementary School is a project-based class where all projects are related with regular class activities and contents. Our goal is to help our students develop all the basic skills they need to be aware of in order to understand the technology around them.
During 3rd, 4th and 5th grade our students develop basic skills related to hardware, software, information technology, solving basic tech. Problems, and new applications.
Middle School
Music and Technology Class & Radio Station Podcasting
In this exploratory class Students will understand and learn how to use computers and devices as tools to do narrations, audio-edition, and electronic music-creation. They will learn basic musical concepts (music terms and signs) while creating a variety of recorded sounds. Within their creations students will be encouraged to include interviews as well as short narrations and music. All their products will be on the regular broadcast schedule of the CNG Radio station “Blue Waves”. To generate the best content possible our students are encouraged to go through the whole creative process, from creating the scripts to the finished audio products.
High School
Computers and Careers
Computers and Careers is a project-based technology class where ninth grade students will have the opportunity to learn about using technology in our increasingly globalized community. Exposure to a broad range of skills including IT applications, presentation and research skills will allow students to examine personal strengths, weaknesses, interests and potential career choices.
The topics covered will also provide insight into fields of study and guide students towards achieving their academic goals.
Web Mastering
This course introduces students to the processes involved in the design and development of web pages. Students will learn to build web pages using HTML code and Dreamweaver; they will acquire specific skills using web and image-editing software. We also offer the opportunity to learn to use programs such as Photoshop, Illustrator and Flash; students will understand basic graphic design principles specialized for the web and become aware of the communications processes involved. 12th grade students can apply this knowledge towards their SIS (Senior Independent Study) by creating their own website. Each project will give students a new challenging skill to develop, helping to promote their creativity and logical thinking.
Digital Media
The Digital Media course is an introduction to digital media concepts featuring digital media hardware and software tools and techniques. Students work in a multimedia computer lab to capture, create, and edit sounds, videos, images and animation files to be used in multimedia productions. The content generated by students in this class may be used in projects such as podcasts, wikis, blogs, video-sharing sites, playlists, voice threads, EVL books, software, HS events, the HS radio station and the HS public service announcements. In this hands-on course students may use various hardware and software materials to capture, edit and digitize all media. Each project will give students a new challenging skill to develop, helping to promote their creativity and logical thinking.
Electronic Publishing
In this course students will be challenged to produce computerized graphic designs using programs such as InDesign CS6, Photoshop, and Illustrator. By the end of this course we will have created our semester magazine called IDEAS, which includes articles, essays, interviews, letters, plays, poems, short stories, and images by students. Students will also learn to design different kinds of graphic material such as brochures, cards and handbooks. This course has a strong emphasis on all communication processes involved in electronic publishing.
Graphic Design
This is a project-based class in which students will learn concepts of visual communication, visual representations using digital images, and typography. The course will include: general concepts of design, advertising campaigns, and understanding the versatility of digital images. Students will be encouraged to understand the way in which their artwork may change their environment.The course will introduce students to the concepts of bitmaps and vector based images using Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.
Animation
In this course students will work with audiovisual language in animation. Through a series of hands on projects, students will be exposed to a range of traditional and digital techniques for animation, from stop-motion, Claymation and up to computer animation.
Interactive Media
Interactive Media is a project-based course in which students will be introduced into the world of interactive and digital design. Students will work on creating interactive experiences that are both functional and engaging through the creation of projects in which they will control behaviors in physical interfaces by using sensors and graphic representations. Please look at examples at: http://processing.org/exhibition/.
AP Computer Science
The AP Computer Science course provides the students with the material and learning experience of an introductory college level course in computer science. The course emphasizes on object-oriented programming methodology and the development of the problem solving skills as well as algorithm development knowledge needed to satisfactory develop computer programs. The program also includes the study of data structures and data abstraction.
The students work with the Java programming language and learn to use the Java library classes included in the College Board provided Java subset. Through the program, students understand that computer science implies much more than just programming; they are encouraged to learn and use an appropriate program development processes, program design and analysis, etc. The program also covers a general knowledge and awareness of the current situation of technology in our society, stressing in topics like responsible use and ethics as an integral part of the course.
CNG provides access to digital resources that enhance the educational process and online communications to ensure that the student’s ability to live and work in the 21st century is taken advantage of. The main objective of the school is to provide a safe environment for students to learn to find, retrieve, manage, share, publish and create information resources.
Anyone who has access to electronic resources at CNG is expected to use these resources in a responsible, ethical, and polite manner. General good behavior rules apply, just as they apply in other areas of the school.
Since network and internet access is provided as a tool for educational and institutional purposes, the school reserves the right to monitor, inspect, copy, review and store at any time and without prior notice any and all usage of the school’s electronic resources and online communications.
The following BE SMART guidelines are designed to provide a positive framework for the use digital tools to support teaching and learning at CNG:
Be Safe
Use Good Manners
Be Appropriate
Be Responsible
Be True