Computer Science and Engineering
D
alton is extremely proud of its long history in computer science. On December 5th, 1969 four research universities transmitted the first word over the Internet. Eleven months later, Dalton was the first school in New York City to have its own mainframe computer. The following year the school received a grant from IBM to further continue its exploration in the field of computer science. That spirit of risk and innovation continues. The Computer Science and Robotics programs at Dalton today provide an opportunity for students to learn how to break down and tackle large challenges. By emphasizing how to embrace experimentation and failure, the program gives students a system for meeting future challenges. While it is not the goal of the program to have every student become a professional engineer or computer scientist, the program does provide the technological literacy necessary to understand and interact with the modern world. K-12 programs are linked
together by the belief that Dalton students should have experience applying critical thinking and computational analysis to realworld problems. Each grade has an engineering experience. In the First Program, educational technologists from the New Lab work closely with faculty to introduce technology tools for learning in purposeful, responsible, and developmentally appropriate ways that support the core curriculum. Within this context, New Lab collaborates with First
Program teachers and computer science department colleagues to introduce all K-3 youngsters to the field of computer science. In addition, technologists work with teachers to introduce students to engineering activities. Often these explorations begin as an individual class project that is then shared with the rest of the grade and division for potential expansion in subsequent years. Critical to both pursuits is a value on the iterative process. Computer science and engineering experiences are seen as tools for Assignments in all subjects for problem solving, self-expression, and collaboration. In the Middle School, the robotics/ engineering work takes place in an afterschool program as well as in engineering projects in the core science curriculum. This program is an effort to engage students with real-world and competition-based challenges to spark their interest in STEAM and develop problemsolving skills. In recent years, the
Students design toys for children with special needs.
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