Boys’ Latin provides students, faculty and staff with the right technology to fulfill our overall mission of offering a competitive and technologically current K-12 college preparatory education. Our primary objective is to prepare students for success within the highly competitive academic and career markets they enter upon graduation from Boys’ Latin. With full Internet connectivity, Google Apps for Education integration, extensive subscription services, and projectors in every classroom, lab and library, students and faculty have ready access to today’s rapidly growing technology opportunities. In addition, dedicated professional development opportunities encourage faculty infusion of 21st century technology in the curriculum.
The state-of-the-art Boys' Latin network offers students access to over 350 desktops/laptops and a multitude of printers, digital cameras, scanners, and digital audio and video editing equipment. Workstations are distributed throughout the academic classrooms and libraries. The campus features five full-sized computer labs, seven mobile wireless laptop carts and several specialty labs. In addition, seventy-five teacher tablet computers are integrated into the school-wide curriculum. Wireless access is available throughout the campus for students who have their own laptops. With a keen concern for the safety of Boys’ Latin students, students are offered Internet awareness education at every grade level. In addition, parent information sessions and communications are offered to educate parents on ways to protect children from online dangers.
LOWER SCHOOL
The Lower School computer technology program integrates structured use of networked hardware, software and web 2.0 applications. Technology is utilized in the core curriculum classrooms, as well as in weekly technology classes taught by the Lower School Technology Coordinator. These classes create a foundation for 21st century learning by introducing the boys to a wide variety of technical skills including file management, keyboarding, and equipment care and proper usage. Additional literacy skills are practiced through the creation of electronic presentations, such as slide presentations, movies, or web-based projects, and in word processing, graphing, blogging, digital imagery, and spreadsheet projects. Lower School students learn and practice, often in collaboration with core curriculum class projects, techniques for effectively and safely researching on the Internet and web-based school subscription services. The boys also practice academic skill building using various math, science, language, and logic software programs.
LOWER SCHOOL SAMPLE PROJECTS
5th Grade Explorer Day PowerPoint Presentation
For their Explorer Day presentations, the 5th Graders created and animated a map demonstrating the route of their chosen explorer’s journey.
2nd Grade Healthy Cooking Cookbook
As a holiday present, the 2nd Graders practiced their typing and word processing skills to create a cookbook for which each boy contributed his favorite recipe.
3rd Grade Maryland History Lego Movies
Lights, camera, action! Using lego figures as prominent first Marylanders, the 3rd Graders created four stop motion movies recreating important events in Maryland history. Students took over 1,600 digital photographs, added voiceover narration and produced the movies in Windows MovieMaker.
Music Composition with Music Ace Maestro & Jamstudio.com
We have a bunch of Mozarts and Mendelssohns in our midst! Students have been using a software program called Music Ace Maestro and a web-site called www.jamstudio.com learn musical skills and concepts. These technologies have allowed the boys to arrange and produce their own musical compositions.
MIDDLE SCHOOL
Throughout the academic day, technology literacy is integrated into classes in the Middle School. Word processing, presentation, and spreadsheet software and web 2.0 applications are utilized throughout the curriculum as well as graphic organizers, proprietary math and science software and a multitude of Internet subscription and nonsubscription resources. The Middle School Technology Coordinator and the Middle School librarian use a team approach to supplement the curriculum with research techniques as well as proper bibliographic citation methods and additional foundations for 21st century learning.
Examples of grade-specific technology integration/instruction include: sixth grade—students are introduced to network basics and essential technology applications and develop keyboarding skills to achieve a required speed and accuracy; seventh grade—students regularly integrate tablet netbooks into their mathematics and English classrooms to further enhance their study of geometry and grammar; eighth grade—students learn basic web page design using Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) and use virtual science lab software and Excel to analyze scientific data.
UPPER SCHOOL
Throughout the academic day, networked technology is integrated into classes in the Upper School. Many teachers use web-based animated tutorials and video clips to introduce and reinforce concepts in class. Presentation software, spreadsheets, database management, web authoring, animation, and multimedia are utilized throughout the curriculum as well as graphic organizers, proprietary math and science software, and web 2.0 applications. Students are instructed in 21st century literacy skills and learn to use the subscription databases to research and analyze data for a variety of academic projects, including research papers and science labs.
Examples of grade-specific technology integration/instruction include: ninth grade—students video conference with a country of study in the World Cultures course; tenth and eleventh grade—students learn advanced data management and graphing techniques using Microsoft Excel for science laboratory data analysis and reports; eleventh/twelfth—students design and publish the school’s yearbook using web based desktop publishing software suite.