Technology

The goal of the Upper School Technology Program is to support and enhance learning in all subject areas while at the same time teaching students proficiency in computer skills and applications. The program is project-based and relies on close collaboration among the Upper School teachers, the librarian and the technology resource teacher. Projects are designed so that the girls are learning new skills while exploring the wide range of hardware and software available at Burke's.

The Upper School Technology Lab offers 25 networked Macintosh computers, as well as a variety of digital cameras and video cameras. Three carts of wireless iBooks are also available for use in the Upper School. These are reserved by the teachers and used to further integrate technology into the classroom curriculum.

Topics such as Internet safety, on-line research and correct citation of sources are essential aspects of the program, and students learn to use Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Firefox, Safari, PhotoShop, InDesign, iPhoto, iMovie, GarageBand and other applications. The curriculum is updated frequently to keep pace with changes in technology.

All seventh graders, as part of their seventh grade Arts Curriculum, take the trimester-long Tech Arts course, which focuses on digital imaging using PhotoShop and desktop publishing using inDesign. This class gives the girls an opportunity to work with state-of-the-art software and prepares them for working on the school's yearbook and newspaper in the eighth grade. Both Works and Days, the school's yearbook, and The Green and Gold, the school's newspaper, are created by students in the Tech Lab.