At CGPS, we believe that teaching the purposeful and responsible use of technology is vital to promoting a creative, engaged and curious student body. By instilling a literacy in the language of technology, we strive to equip each and every student with the skills and competencies to take on bigger and bolder challenges, make their highest contributions to their communities and become empowered digital citizens in today’s interconnected world.
Mobile apps, web sites and computer code form the foundation upon which modern life is built. From communication, to commerce, to media, to scientific inquiry, proficiency in computer coding and the development of an algorithmic mindset is becoming an increasingly essential skill for students as they go on to explore a wide range of academic pursuits. At CGPS, we start coding in third grade with graphical “block-based” languages designed for young learners and progress to the text-based programming languages used by industry professionals as students move up through our program.
In our ever-changing world, robotics is becoming an essential skill. At CGPS students build and program their own robots to solve engineering puzzles and navigate obstacle courses. In doing so, they learn to map the iterative process from conceiving a solution to building it in the real world to testing its functionality. Students start out in the Grammar School using simple pre-built robots and eventually progress to building and programming their own robots from scratch in the Middle and Prep Schools.
Creativity and computing are prominent forces in innovation. At CGPS, we believe that students should engage in creative computing by designing, developing and editing media such as images, music compositions, animations and videos. The forefront of this is the capacity to identify connections between the virtual and the real word. Students at CGPS design objects in 3D rendering software, apply the concepts of scale, proportion and an understanding of materials and then print the objects out on our fleet of 3D printers. Using our virtual reality headsets, students are also able to explore ancient historical sites, visit museums on the other side of the globe and utilize elements from the designer's toolkit to conceive and traverse virtual worlds of their own creation.