Information Technology
Roxbury Latin integrates the use of state-of-the-art technology into the curriculum so that students gain competency in using advanced technology effectively.
The School continually invests in its technology infrastructure and computer resources and is well served by three full-time specialists who devote themselves to assisting masters and boys. Each classroom is equipped with an LCD projector, and the Student Center with 32 workstations joins the Lewis Technology Center and media laboratories to give students ample access to up-to-date hardware and software.
Every academic department and most extracurricular activities incorporate useful technology into their programs. Modern Language students benefit from interactive exercises that hone their listening and speaking skills in our media lab; math classrooms have document cameras for projecting student work and displaying teacher notes; multimedia demonstrations in the history classrooms expose students to a sense of the place and time being studied; physics and chemistry students use technology to gather and analyze laboratory data and for online research; student editors design and layout the newspaper, yearbook, and literary magazine using desktop publishing and graphics software; and electronic message boards in the hallways present timely announcements.
The School continually invests in its technology infrastructure and computer resources and is well served by three full-time specialists.
All students are provided with personal accounts on the School’s server, and through the School’s website, students can access course syllabi and assignments.
Information Technology Courses
- Class VI Trivium Hide
The Class VI Trivium course meets daily and seeks to integrate the disciplines of basic design (art), computer science, and life science. Boys explore design and linear perspective in art, project development and Internet research in computer science, and the scientific method and microscope use in science.
For instance, the topic of Vision and Perception is explored from three perspectives: one group (with their science teacher) exploring eye anatomy, another group (with their art teacher) exploring multi-stability and visual perception, and a third group (with their computer science teacher) exploring computer representation of images. Each group then rotates and studies the same topic with each teacher in turn. At the conclusion of the unit all students gather to discuss the similarities and differences among the three disciplines. Boys learn to research topics, to think critically, and to present information effectively. Then the groups are shuffled and a new topic is explored; boys begin the process again with a new teacher, and this practice is repeated. By approaching a topic from diverse viewpoints, boys’ understanding of that topic is considerably deepened. The course seeks to impart the understanding that knowledge is too large to be contained within one discipline, and that various disciplines offer an enriching variety of related perspectives and perceptions.
- Design Hide
The Class III elective in Design explores three-dimensional modeling using the computer as the primary design tool. Initial discussions examine function and structure as they relate to design. Forms are initially drawn using traditional three-view drafting techniques, and ultimately translated into three-dimensional models through the application of design software. Once sound structural elements have been established, aesthetics are addressed through the application of rendering tools, which allow the designer to control lighting, textures, and materials. By using the computer as the design tool students are able to evaluate ideas quickly and are thereby encouraged to experiment and explore.
- Computer Science Hide
Computer Science, an elective for members of Class I and Class II, is an introductory course. Because the development of computer programs to solve problems is a skill fundamental to the study of computer science, a large part of the course is built around the development of computer programs or parts of programs that correctly solve a given problem. All programs will be implemented using Java as the primary language. The course also emphasizes the design issues that make programs understandable, adaptable, and, when appropriate, reusable. At the same time, the development of useful computer programs and program modules is used as a context for introducing other important concepts, including the development and analysis of algorithms, the development and use of fundamental data structures, and the study of standard algorithms and typical applications. In addition, an understanding of the basic hardware and software components of computer systems and the responsible use of these systems are integral parts of the course. The course prepares students to take the AP Examination in Computer Science in May.
Academic Catalogue
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