Technology Education at McGinnis Woods
Technology That Helps Students Create, Build & Solve
More Than Learning How to Use Technology
At McGinnis Woods, technology education gives students opportunities to use technology as a tool for learning, creating and problem solving. From coding and robotics to digital projects and hands-on work in the Innovation Lab, students explore how technology works and use it to bring their own ideas to life.
Technology With a Purpose
Technology is most valuable when students learn how to use it with purpose. At McGinnis Woods, technology is integrated into the learning experience to help students research, create, communicate, collaborate and solve problems.
Students use digital tools across the curriculum while also developing technology-specific skills through coding, programming, robotics and creative projects. As they progress through the grades, they move from using technology to support their learning toward using it to design, build and develop their own solutions.
The goal is not simply for students to become comfortable with today's devices and applications. It is to help them become capable, adaptable learners who can approach new technologies with curiosity, confidence and an understanding of how to use them effectively.
Technology That Grows With Students
Technology use at McGinnis Woods evolves as students grow.
Younger students begin by using age-appropriate digital tools to reinforce classroom learning, practice skills and explore new concepts. As they progress, technology becomes an increasingly active part of how they research, create, communicate and solve problems.
McGinnis Woods provides a 1:1 iPad environment for students in PreK4 through 8th grade, giving teachers the flexibility to incorporate technology where it adds value to a lesson. Students use educational apps and digital resources across subject areas, while older students have increasing opportunities to use technology for programming, coding, robotics and project-based learning.
This progression helps students move beyond simply knowing how to operate a device. They learn to choose and use technology as a tool for accomplishing a goal, whether they are researching a question, creating a project, programming a solution or communicating what they have learned.
Robotics & Coding: Learning How Technology Works
Robotics and coding give students the opportunity to move from simply using technology to understanding how they can control, program and create with it. At McGinnis Woods, students use age-appropriate programming and robotics experiences to develop logical thinking, creativity and problem-solving skills.
Learning Through Robotics
Through LEGO Robotics and other robotics activities, students combine technology with engineering and design as they build, program, test and troubleshoot. When a robot doesn't behave as expected, students have to examine what happened, identify possible problems and adjust their approach.
That process makes robotics particularly valuable for hands-on learning. Students see an immediate connection between the instructions they create and the physical result, while learning that testing and revision are part of solving a problem.
Coding & Programming
Coding activities introduce students to computational thinking and the logic behind the technology they use. As students progress, they use programming to create, experiment and solve increasingly complex challenges.
These experiences reinforce skills that extend beyond technology, including sequencing, planning, attention to detail and breaking a larger problem into manageable steps.
Wildbots: FIRST LEGO League Robotics Team
Students who want to take their robotics skills further have the opportunity to participate on the Wildbots, McGinnis Woods' competitive FIRST LEGO League robotics team. Team members work together to design, build and program a LEGO robot as they prepare for FIRST LEGO League competitions.
The experience challenges students to apply engineering, coding and problem-solving skills while also developing teamwork, communication and perseverance. Preparing for competition requires students to test their ideas, troubleshoot problems and continually refine their robot and strategy based on what they learn.
Creating & Building in the Innovation Lab and Makerspace
The McGinnis Woods Innovation Lab provides a dedicated environment for students to explore technology, work on STEM projects and turn their ideas into something they can create, build and test.
A Makerspace for Hands-On Projects
Located within the Innovation Lab, the Makerspace gives students access to a variety of STEM supplies and materials they can use for building, designing and experimenting. Having materials readily available allows students to move from an idea or plan to hands-on problem solving as they work through projects and challenges.
The Innovation Lab also includes tools such as a 3D printer and laser printer, providing additional opportunities for students to explore digital design and see how technology can be used to transform an idea into a physical creation.
Together, the Innovation Lab and Makerspace support an important part of the McGinnis Woods approach to technology: students aren't limited to learning how technology works. They have opportunities to use technology and materials to make, test and improve things of their own.
Taking Ideas Further at the Technology Fair
Each year, McGinnis Woods students have the opportunity to participate in the school’s Technology Fair, where they can develop and present projects that put their technology skills, creativity and problem solving into practice.
The experience gives students a goal beyond completing a classroom assignment. They must develop an idea, work through the creation process and communicate their work to others. Students whose projects advance have the opportunity to continue to county- and state-level competition.
For students, the Technology Fair is another way to move from using technology to creating with it, explaining their thinking and sharing what they have accomplished.
Technology Across the Curriculum
Technology at McGinnis Woods isn't limited to a technology class or the Innovation Lab. Teachers incorporate digital tools across subject areas when they can enhance instruction, give students new ways to practice skills or provide opportunities to research, create and communicate.
Using Technology to Support Learning
With access to 1:1 iPads, students can use educational apps and digital resources as part of their everyday learning. Depending on the grade level and subject, technology may be used for research, skill practice, collaborative work, presentations, creative projects and other activities that support classroom instruction.
The emphasis remains on the learning objective. Sometimes technology provides the right tool for the task, while other lessons are best experienced through discussion, writing, reading, building, experimenting or working with physical materials.
This balance allows students to develop practical digital skills while experiencing the many different ways children learn best.
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Where Technology and STEM Come Together
Technology is an important part of the broader STEM program at McGinnis Woods. Coding, robotics, digital design and tools in the Innovation Lab give students opportunities to combine technology with science, engineering and mathematics as they investigate questions and solve problems.
A robotics challenge, for example, may require students to design and build, write or adjust code, test how their solution performs and troubleshoot when something doesn't work as planned. Projects like these show students how different STEM disciplines work together rather than existing as separate subjects.
Through these experiences, technology becomes more than a subject to study. It becomes one of the tools students can use to experiment, create and turn ideas into solutions.
Frequently Asked Questions About Technology at McGinnis Woods
See Learning in Action at McGinnis Woods
Technology is just one part of how students at McGinnis Woods learn to explore ideas, solve problems and create. Visit our Alpharetta / South Forsyth County campus to see our learning environment, meet our educators and discover how technology, STEM and hands-on learning come together throughout the curriculum. Also feel free to call us at (770)-664-7764.
