Technology & Innovation
Charlotte Christian School provides a technology-rich learning environment for every student in all curricular and many co-curricular areas. Faculty and students access and implement state-of-the-art technology to discover, create, evaluate, collaborate and communicate. A readily accessible, robust technology platform heightens stakeholders’ engagement and facilitates the fulfillment of the school’s mission. With dynamic tools and resources supported by a reliable, safe and secure technology infrastructure and through a knowledgeable and committed IT and instructional technology support faculty, Charlotte Christian School prepares students and faculty to be responsible, ethical digital citizens. Furthermore, we strive to build a community that embraces technology and maintains an innovator’s mindset to impact daily work and life-long learning.
Technology devices and electives
Lower school students are taught to navigate technology independently to support their learning in both their classrooms with iPad devices and in the lower school technology lab using iMacs. iPad devices are a daily component of instruction to access ebooks, complete research, and to create new content utilizing platforms such as Raz Kids, PebbleGo, Seesaw, and Apple apps to support student learning and engagement.
Charlotte Christian’s 1-to-1 student device environment, with iPad devices for middle school students and MacBook Air devices in the upper school, allows students access to the tools and programs to support authentic, creative learning opportunities. Middle and upper school production teams participate in real-time learning situations where they support on-campus events utilizing Apple products to adjust the audio and visual needs. Our middle and upper school production teams assist our full-time production staff with Livestream broadcasts and events in the Alkire Auditorium including weekly chapels, student assemblies and theatre productions.
In our broadcasting classes, midKnights Knews in middle school and Knights Knews in upper school, learn the basics of content curation and video production for school news. In these classes, each segment is student pitched, written, filmed, and edited video using iMovie, Adobe Rush and Adobe Premiere to share with the school community. Our digital art students gain experience using ProCreate and digital music students use Garage Band and LogicPro.
STEM classes throughout lower, middle and upper school provide hands-on learning opportunities. Middle school offers technology electives such as 3D Modeling and Design, Creative Media, Digital Music, Engineering, Forensic Science, Genius Hour, MidKnight Innovation and RoboKnights. Upper school technology electives include Computer Science, Digital Media and Engineering.
VEX Robotics Teams
VEX robotics team members have the opportunity to demonstrate hands-on STEM skills in a fun, competitive environment. Team members learn to use the engineering process to problem-solve as they apply STEM principles to build a robot and compete in VEX robotics competitions. All seven of our robotics teams from lower, middle and upper school advanced to the state championship events in 2023. Three of our lower and middle school teams qualified to advance to the 2023 VEX Robotics World Championship Events in Dallas, Texas.
One of the goals of our robotics program from lower school through upper school is to help students acquire real world skills that will benefit them in their academic and professional future. The engineering design process is iterative; students identify and define a problem, brainstorm ideas, test their designs and improve their design until a solution is reached. During the process, students develop grit, perseverance and confidence knowing that they can solve problems and overcome obstacles.
Robotics has taught me a lot over the course of my upper school career - how to be a leader, how to assign jobs, how to mentor the younger generation and how to develop my own coding skills. I learned the power of perseverance and teamwork and how to be confident in the knowledge that you have and that it's always worth it to try something new, no matter how intimidating it may be."
Katie Caldwell ('22) Co-President & Head Coder