Empowering the Next Generation of Digital Creators

Written by Matt Hollowell, Middle School Technology Teacher

For our Ensworth Middle School students, technology is more than just a class on their schedule; it is a mindset. Every Middle School student engages with our technology program through either a focus class, which meets four times a rotation, or a foundations class, which meets two times a rotation. This approach ensures that every student gains digital literacy and experience with technology tools while offering those with a passion for tech the chance to take a deeper dive.

Foundational Skills
Literacy, Design, and AI Foundations

Across both pathways, students learn essential Google Education tools, explore both 2D and 3D design concepts, participate in two core artificial intelligence units called AI Foundations and AI Literacy, and take part in the annual Hour of Code.

Whether a student chooses to take a focus or foundations class in technology, they experience meaningful work with artificial intelligence — What is it? How does it work? How should I use it? — and engage in various coding and problem-solving challenges throughout the year.

Technology Focus 
Robotics, Media, and Creative Tech

For students enrolled in the technology focus pathway, the experience grows even richer. In addition to the core curriculum, students explore two additional artificial intelligence units called AI Ethics/Bias and AI Real-World Applications, undertake more challenging 3D printing projects, develop deeper technology and media skills, build and code in VEX Robotics, and learn the fundamentals of podcasting. This expanded curriculum encourages students to stretch creatively, think critically, and engage with emerging technologies as makers, not just consumers.

In robotics, students complete three VEX challenges in the fall semester: Driver’s License, ForceField, and Warehouse Wars. These experiences push students to think like engineers as they design, build, test, and refine different robot configurations to meet increasingly complex goals. 

The Engineering Design Process is at the heart of every challenge, and students quickly learn that success comes through iteration, problem-solving, and collaboration.

Watching our Middle School students navigate mechanical setbacks with curiosity, excitement, and an admirable dose of grit has become one of the highlights of the course. It is rewarding to watch and experience meaningful learning emerging from organized chaos.

Just as robotics develops technical and spatial reasoning skills, the focus of the podcasting program stretches students in an entirely different direction. 

Each year, technology-focused students produce four grade-level podcast episodes, which are entirely student-run. Small groups develop segment ideas, ranging from school news to interviews to sports commentary, before writing scripts, selecting intro/outro music, and recording and editing their audio. A rotating student producer takes on the additional responsibility of assembling the full show and polishing the final cut for the Ensworth community. The process blends creativity with technical skill, teamwork with independence, and storytelling with problem-solving. These episodes are shared on our school’s podcast site and serve as a powerful demonstration of student voice in action.

Innovation in Action
Coding, Creativity, and Real-World Problem Solving

During this year’s Computer Science Education Week, our students will complete two Hour of Code activities: one from Code.org and one designed right here at Ensworth. After completing a national, pre-programmed activity, students transition into an AI-based brainstorming and coding environment built specifically for our Ensworth curriculum.

Students begin by identifying a real-world problem or personal interest and then collaborate with an AI coding tool to create an original digital product. Some students design apps, and others build games. Many experiment with hybrids that combine creativity, problem-solving, fitness, storytelling, or academic support. Once their initial prototype is working, students move smoothly into refining, debugging, and adding features. The pride they take in developing a functioning piece of software is palpable, and the pace at which they learn when supported by both AI and their peers is remarkable.

“Exploring AI in technology class has helped me learn how to use it for study strategies,” said Delaney Vallejo ’30. “It’s important to build those skills now because AI is becoming more prominent in our everyday lives.”
Ensworth’s technology focus class is a space where students learn to think boldly, take risks, collaborate meaningfully, and bring bold ideas to life. Whether they are engineering a robot, producing a podcast, or building their first AI-powered application, our students learn that technology is a tool for creativity, problem-solving, and connection. Most importantly, they discover that they are capable of shaping the digital world around them — and they are having a lot of fun along the way.

The Middle School elective program was intentionally designed to offer students a rich experience, while supporting our strategic goal of expanding offerings in applied sciences, including engineering, robotics, design, and computer science.

"I want to be an engineer, and robotics allows me to do that. I get to figure out challenges and learn design skills. technology class has helped me learn problem-solving skills I can use in any subject.” - Jack Dorr ’30, Middle School Technology Focus Student