Because we live in such a highly wired technological world, we feel it is our responsibility to ensure all students at Ridgefield Academy have the technological skills essential for them to succeed and excel during their years here and beyond. Students learn a variety of software packages as well as understand the basic operating systems of a computer. As these skills build over the years, students develop the ability to discriminate among computer applications, selecting the most appropriate to help them solve real world problems effectively and with innovation. Every opportunity is taken to integrate classroom topics into the computer lab to enhance the students overall learning experience. In the Lower and Middle School, our computer technology program introduces students to a number of computer applications, beginning in Foundation (kindergarten). As the students progress, their skill level in each application is reviewed and appropriately enhanced. The various applications they will learn and knowledge they will acquire include: Word processing, for creating and printing documents such as letters, reports journals and books Spreadsheets, to help create worksheets and graphs Desktop Publishing, to help students learn how to create quality text and images Graphics, which helps students create, modify and print digital images Multimedia, to create computer generated video, photographs and animation The operating environment, to understand a computer’s hardware, operating system and software applications Programming, to learn how a computer performs a given task Database management, for organizing and archiving data Telecommunications, for understanding the hardware and software that connects computers around the world, like the World Wide Web And for students who have a question or need help out of class, the computer lab has an open door policy to encourage students to stop by.