Ensights Magazine
Creative Technology Center: Inspiring the Next Generation of Creators
Ensworth is committed to providing our students with access to the latest technology and an expert faculty. The new Creative Technology Center at the High School, featuring an engineering-oriented instructional space, a full-service broadcast suite and control center, a dedicated home for the Robotics team and arena, a podcast studio, and a well-equipped digital media and computer science classroom, opened in the fall of this year.
These purposefully designed spaces allow our students to leverage digital resources, advanced equipment, and the technical knowledge of our faculty to acquire coding and computational thinking skills, create new media and digital content, and design novel applications and machines.
Computer Science
Our new digital media and computer science classroom features 16 M2 Mac computers with studio displays that provide our students with larger screens for detailed design work and advanced processing power for running specialized design, rendering, and editing software. In our 3D Design & Technology course, students are learning to create 3D models in the computer lab which they then send to our high-speed 3D printers for prototyping. Students are using this space to gain an edge in developing their computational thinking skills, which in recent years, have become more critical in preparing our students for college and beyond.
In addition to 3D Design, all Grade 9 students will learn coding and computational thinking principles beginning next year with the introduction of a new required technology course. The lab is also equipped for music, photography, and video production.
Robotics
The robotics program is a centerpiece of the new technology center. With a central location and new visibility, more students are showing an interest in robotics which is now offered as an elective on the academic schedule. Students in this elective work in teams using the engineering design process to build and code a robot for competition, all while leveraging their individual strengths to achieve a common goal.
The robotics space boasts an arena, VEX competition robotics kits, and an array of tools and parts for creating bots to compete in the arena. With a full-time home and the availability of a class, Ensworth students can now compete in local and regional competitions.
Broadcast
Since the early days of the High School, Ensworth has offered students an opportunity to be involved in broadcasting, and many alumni have continued with media and broadcasting as a career. When first envisioning a new broadcasting space, we wanted to provide a centralized location that our students could easily access during and after the school day. The new technology center houses a professional studio room and multi-monitor 4K-ready broadcast control room that can accommodate live broadcasts of all sporting and arts events. Students are gaining experience operating advanced broadcast technology and developing the skills needed to continue their passion at the next level.
“Students who participate in the Broadcast Club are learning more than just technical skills. Students are working in groups where communication, collaboration, and creative problem-solving are critical to the success of the broadcast,” said Jason Robinson, Director of Broadcasting and Associate Director of Technology at Frist Campus. “Since the production is happening live, students are utilizing these skills in a fast-paced environment, and have to learn how to adapt quickly.”
Podcast
The podcast studio serves a variety of purposes in the new technology center. Students use the studio for seminar and capstone courses as well as an opportunity to explore topics they are passionate about, share stories, and engage in meaningful conversation and debate. The studio is an acoustically treated space with a four-person podcasting desk, Tascam Mixcast Podcast Recorder, and video technology to host remote guests.
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Creative Technology Center: Inspiring the Next Generation of Creators
Read MoreEnsworth is committed to providing our students with access to the latest technology and an expert faculty. The new Creative Technology Center at the High School, featuring an engineering-oriented instructional space, a full-service broadcast suite and control center, a dedicated home for the Robotics team and arena, a podcast studio, and a well-equipped digital media and computer science classroom, opened in the fall of this year.
Red Gables Campus (K–8)
Frist Campus (9–12)
Ensworth is a coeducational, kindergarten through twelfth grade, independent day school.