The Role of Technology

As the world of technology continues to change rapidly around our students, it is important that the learning tools students use reflect and keep pace with this change. As the International Baccalaureate states about the Primary Years Program (PYP), “Purposeful technology integration and implementation in authentic contexts can excite, invite, support and extend learning in multiple ways.”

At the Junior School, all grade and specialist teachers find meaningful ways to use technology to enrich learning, deepen student understanding and develop technology-related skills. They are supported by a Technology Integrator and the Learning, Technology and Innovation Department.

This collaborative approach ensures that we are constantly creating experiences that will enhance the curriculum through coding, digital-media creation and both documenting and reflecting on the learning process. It has also allowed us to curate developmentally- appropriate learning resources that enable our teachers and students to work at their best.

Students in JK through Grade 1 are assigned individual iPads to help them explore, inquire, and document learning. In Grades 2-5 students are assigned individual Chromebooks to support and enrich learning.

We use the SeeSaw learning platform to document evidence of learning, reflect on the learning process and share this journey with families. Teachers in Grades 4-5 also make use of the Hapara Learning platform to organize digital resources for students, guide online activities and provide personalized feedback. 

The Primary Years Program (PYP) in the IB curriculum focuses on the development of the whole child as an inquirer, both inside and outside the classroom. Through our Program of Inquiry, students “develop explicit knowledge and skills relating to technology, apply technology to facilitate and extend learning and adapt it in new ways to create solutions to challenges and opportunities.”