Technology Day at The Gooden School
Students will experience the wonders of technology firsthand when The Gooden School hosts its first Technology Day from 8:15 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Friday, October 24 on the campus in Sierra Madre. The daylong event will feature experts from JPL and a variety of digital and a variety of interactive activities designed to engage students at each grade level on campus. Activities and areas of technology to include:
• Robotics featuring JPL’s Sojourner Rover and the 8 wheeled Mars Rover chasse. Students will be rolled over by the Rover wheel casing! In another area, students turn toothbrushes into mini robots, BrushBots that can spin in circles or race each other. They will also experience LEGO robotics which fuels creativity.
• Art and Technology: Using Drawdio, students will draw musical instruments on normal paper with any pencil and then play music on them with their fingers.
• Cyber Citizenship – Students learn how to become safer online through cybersecurity tecnniques, ensuring a secure environment from email to social media to everyday purchases.
• Technology Wonderland: Exploring real-life applications of innovative technology with a 3D printer, Google Glasses, Oculus Rift, Makey Makey and more.
Working in close collaboration with Gooden faculty and administration, Technology Day was organized by industry experts who are also parents of children at Gooden, Sharon Elia of JPL, and Kristin Windell, film editor for “Arrow” airing on the CW network.
“Technology Day provides students with exciting opportunities to explore technological advances, as we prepare our children for a future that will require effective problem-solving skills, innovative thinking, teamwork and grit,” said Windell.
“Adding to the excitement of Technology Day, Gooden’s curriculum integrates current technology – including iPads, laptops and Smart Boards – with learning every day in the classroom,” said Patty Patano, Head of School. “The Gooden advantage is clearly seen by weaving technology through literature, art, science, math, social studies, and more.”
At Gooden, teachers collaborate to ensure their curriculum complements areas of study across disciplines: the eighth grade study of tolerance includes reading Night by Elie Wiesel, visiting the Museum of Tolerance and creating public service announcements using iPads; and sixth-grade students spoke via SKYPE with renowned British author Lynne Reid Banks, author of The Indian in the Cupboard, about her book Tiger, Tiger. Insights gained through this conversation were used in digital presentations on ancient Rome in social studies.
Founded in 1975, The Gooden School is an independent Episcopal School, K-8, where academics and the arts come together. Reflecting Gooden’s high academic standards, reputation for the arts and community service-learning, graduates are accepted by many of the finest high schools in the area including Campbell Hall, Flintridge Prep, Flintridge Sacred Heart, La Salle, Loyola, Mayfield, St. Francis, and Westridge. The campus is located at 192 N. Baldwin Avenue, Sierra Madre. For more information, call (626) 355-2410 or visit www.goodenschool.org.
