Technology

Technology Home

FA Technology Standards

Frederica Academy is committed to developing technology skills across our academic program that will prepare our students to succeed in college and adult life. We have developed three FA Student Technology Standards, modeled after the “ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) Standards for Students.”

Creative Thinker

A Knight is able to think outside the box when problem solving. They are ready to apply digital resources to draw connections across different contexts to produce the best solution.

Digital Citizen

A Knight understands the responsibilities of being part of an online world. They act ethically and in a positive manner when using technology.

Empowered Learner

A Knight takes control of achievements in the classroom. They are able to use digital tools to produce his own unique learning outcomes.

Our goal with these standards is to support and enhance the curriculum. We want our students to become conscientious and agile users of technology who will thrive in a 21st century global community.

To support our technology mission, Frederica Academy provides a robust infrastructure and a variety of resources for student and faculty use of technology, including: 1:1 Chromebook program for grades 5-12, G Suite for Education, iMacs, iPads, TI-Nspire Handheld Calculators, and Media Production tools.

Suddath Innovation Lab

Located in Jones Hall, the Suddath Innovation Lab opened in January 2024. The space was designed to empower Frederica Academy students to see themselves as inventors, builders, and creators as they prepare for a rapidly changing world. The Lab is equipped with a Polysmoother, Bantam CNC machine, Laser Printer, three Dremel 3D printers, three soldering stations, a Meta Quest 3 Virtual Reality Headset, and Autocad Design Software. Upper School students currently use the Lab to take Engineering, Digital Design, JavaScript, AP Computer Science A, and AP Computer Science Principles classes. Students who meet prerequisites may also enroll in Python, Web Design, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Game Design, and Cybersecurity as Independent Study courses.

Middle School Design Lab

The Middle School Design Lab is the homebase of our STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics) program for students in grades 5-8. In the lab, students will engage in design thinking to solve real world problems. The design thinking process asks students to conduct research on an issue, to synthesize the research to define the problem, to brainstorm possible solutions, to build a prototype solution, to test the prototype, and then to reflect on the test. Throughout this process, students are thinking critically, collaborating with peers, listening to feedback, engaging in active, hands-on learning, and putting their personal stamp on a project, a high priority for Middle School students. These essential skills can then be transferred across disciplines to enhance student learning.

Students in grades 5 & 6 take STEAM as part of their enrichment rotation offerings for 9 weeks (grade 5) or 12 weeks (grade 6). In grades 7 & 8, students can elect to take STEAM for an entire semester.

Technology Forms

AI Policy

Artificial Intelligence at Frederica Academy

Mission Statement

The educational values of Frederica Academy are to develop critical thinking, foster adaptability in an evolving world, cultivate honorable decision making, and instill curiosity in all of our students, faculty, and staff. As Artificial Intelligence tools continue to emerge and mature, the school is fully committed to protecting our foundational educational mission, while also helping all FA community members learn how to responsibly and ethically leverage this new technology.

Definition and Explanation of Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the ability of a machine or program to perform tasks normally associated with human intelligence. Over the past few years, this ability has improved greatly with the introduction of Generative AI (GenAI). GenAI is AI that is trained on data input by humans that, when prompted, can seemingly generate new content (text, video, audio, images, code) from the trained data.

It is important to note that GenAI is not thinking or learning the way that humans do. When it is prompted, it is pulling information from its training data and using that to generate an answer.

GenAI can make mistakes. It is limited both by the data that has been input into the system by a person and the skill of the person assigning it tasks to complete. It cannot verify the accuracy of its data or the quality of its own answers. Some AI answers may be misleading, false, biased, or outdated.

AI Principles at FA

As a school, Frederica Academy is committed to protecting its foundational educational mission. In order to do so, we have identified key principles for all community members to follow when engaging in the use of AI. It is important to note that AI in schools is a new phenomenon. As such, the school reserves the right to revisit and amend this policy as needed.

Privacy
- Students, families, faculty, and staff have a right to privacy. When students or faculty are using AI, names, phone numbers, financial information, addresses, and other confidential personal, institutional, or proprietary data should never be entered into the AI. Once it is entered, that information becomes part of the AI training data.
- At this point in time, Frederica Academy does not endorse one particular GenAI system over another. AI usage should be limited to free, web-based AI tools. If paid tool is needed, faculty and staff should reach out to their direct supervisor.

Ethics
- Students are expected to follow both the Honor Code and the terms of the Acceptable Use Policy for any AI usage. These documents lay out expectations for academic integrity and safe, kind online behavior.
- Faculty are expected to lay out clear expectations for AI use so students understand what the ethical choice is in any given class or scenario.

Communication
- It is vital to create open lines of communication within the school and within each classroom about AI, its limits, and its benefits.
- Teachers should use the Red, Yellow, Green system to identify appropriate and inappropriate activities with AI in the classroom.
Transparency
- To protect the educational mission of the school, it is imperative that AI does not replace the hard and necessary work of critical thinking and learning.
- Whenever AI is being used, students should be transparent about their usage, documenting how and why they used AI to support their learning. This documentation may include copies of chat(s) and/or correct citations of all AI created content.
Curiosity
- AI is a new phenomenon in education. As such, it is important that space be reserved for safe play to learn more about GenAI.
- Teachers are encouraged to take time to play, either individually or in a guided lesson with students, with AI to better understand how this technology both detracts from and enhances the educational mission of the school.

AI Context at FA

Frederica Academy is a PK-12 coeducational day school. It encompasses three unified, but separate divisions: the Lower, Middle, and Upper Schools. The Lower School grades range from PK - 4. The Middle School grades range from 5 - 8. The Upper School grades range from 9 - 12. The spectrum of developmental differences among all three divisions mean that AI usage and interactions will vary at the school.

In the Lower School, there will not be much AI usage. While the specter of AI outside the classroom looms, inside the walls of the classroom, the Lower School will focus on traditional instructional methods.

In the Middle School and Upper School, AI usage will vary. Each student will be equipped with a personal computer, making access to AI tools readily available. The overwhelming majority of our students will be minors. Some AI tools require users to be at least 18 years old to sign up. Others allow students to be at least 13 years old to sign up with parent/guardian consent.

It is incumbent upon school leadership and the faculty to collaborate to ensure a safe and thoughtful plan is implemented around the particular uses of AI tools for classroom activities and assessments. Then it is the responsibility of students to follow those rules honorably.

Lastly, in the Upper School, many students enroll in Advanced Placement courses. These courses and the curriculum within them are created by an outside group, the College Board. As such, students enrolled in these classes and the teachers leading them will adhere to the rules and regulations around AI usage set by the College Board.