Guide by GRADE

Grade 6

Our Technology Vision Overview

Children in sixth grade are making a big leap into Middle School. They are starting to see and define themselves outside of their family, and they are starting to care more about friendships and how they fit in socially. As some students are starting puberty, new emotions start to surface. Social pressures may increase as they start navigating technology and social platforms more independently. Growing maturity means growing interests, and they still need adult supervision and help to make healthy choices, especially online. Seven Hills provides purposeful technology experiences in grade 6. Our approach emphasizes responsible use, community learning, and utilizing technology as one of many tools to support foundational skills. Faculty and staff model positive technology behaviors. Every family is unique, and we recognize that you know your child best. These guidelines are offered as research-based recommendations to help you make informed decisions that work for your family.

View our research resources.

AT SCHOOL

What Students Do:

Create collaborative documents and multimedia projects with tools such as Canva, Procreate, iStopMotion, and Book Creator.
Connect with experts outside the classroom.
Research with curated lists and virtual field trips.
Interact with online simulations.
Engage in media and digital literacy lessons on privacy and safety, relationships and communication, cyberbullying and online harms, healthy habits, and digital footprint and identity.
Organize files in Google Drive.
Practice coding and typing skills.
Take MAP Assessments on iPads.

School Policies:

iPads goes home nightly — for school use only.
Personal devices (iPads, phones, smartwatches, etc.) are not to be brought to school.
All technology use is supervised and purposeful.

AT HOME

Best Practices:

Technology should not replace active play, reading, or creative exploration.
Viewing is led, previewed, and reviewed by adults.
Choose long-form content (longer shows, documentaries) over short-form content (YouTube shorts, Instagram reels, etc.).
Use family devices (your phone, a shared family iPad, or television); no personal devices for children.
Discuss what they are doing online and show interest.
Limit to one to one and a half hours daily.