Technology

At MCS it is important for our youngest children to focus on learning through social interaction and making connections in their environment, so formal computer classes do not start until 8-9s. Throughout the Lower School, however, technology is used as a tool to aid teaching and learning.

At all levels, our technology program is driven by our curriculum. Students gain their technology skills as a means to an end, rather than in isolation. Classes do this in the process of completing meaningful projects developed jointly by classroom teachers and the educational technologist.

8-9s students experiment with coding using Turtle Art and SNAP (similar to Scratch). MCS has its own MinecraftEDU server which serves as a sandbox for many different building projects all the way through the 8th grade. Our 8-9s begin with community-building challenges and then move on to larger projects such as the replication of authentic Lenape longhouse villages. This aligns with the 8-9s’ classroom social studies curriculum as they work together to apply their classroom research to ensure the houses have accurate dimensions, materials, and content.

9-10s classes begin keyboarding with TypingPal online. They are introduced to assignments and projects in Google Classroom and Google Apps for Education, creating slides, drawings, and documents. Students hone their research skills during their work on a Lower East Side Museum. They build interactive multimedia presentations to go along with diorama projects. On our MinecraftEDU server, 9-10s students tackle community-building challenges as a group and individually. They recreate city blocks of Lower East Side tenements from the early 1900’s, authentically replicating the living and working spaces occupied by immigrants during that time period. 9-10s students continue coding using Turtle Art and SNAP. Throughout the year students engage in discussions about using technology tools responsibly. At every step, students learn to be creative problem solvers, risk takers, and collaborators, while learning important technical and academic skills.

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Manhattan Country School

150 West 85th Street, New York, NY 10024 | (212) 348-0952
3536 New Kingston Mountain Road, Roxbury, NY 12474 | (607) 326-7049