Our Approach to Technology

At Germantown Friends School, we value the power of active and social learning. We use technology with intention and purpose where it deepens learning and supports authentic engagement with one another, while also preparing students to thrive in a technology-infused future.

Rooted in our belief that learning thrives in community, Germantown Friends School approaches technology through the lens of our Quaker values: simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equity, and stewardship.

We carefully evaluate how technology enriches or harms our relationships, teaching, and learning, with a focus on guiding students to become ethical innovators and critical thinkers. Students are taught the importance of digital citizenship as they learn to use technological tools to collaborate, create, invent, and make meaningful contributions to their communities and the world.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Education

We approach AI with careful discernment, keeping student safety, relationship-based learning, and independent critical thinking at the forefront. We believe teacher-student relationships are profoundly important to learning. Those trusting relationships allow students to go deep into their learning, grapple with ideas, and take on appropriate challenges. Through this, students build the durable skills that develop only through doing.

Through updates to our Academic Integrity Policy, we provide clear guidelines and principles for students and teachers to navigate AI:

Developing critical thinking requires practice and hard work. AI should never replace original student work.
Students are encouraged to consult their teachers before using AI tools to supplement their coursework, such as generating practice test questions or assisting with research.
Because AI is prone to errors and biases, students are taught to exercise due caution and verify all AI-supplied information against reputable sources.
In Upper School, students have the opportunity to take technical and non-technical AI courses to deepen their practical and philosophical understandings of AI systems.
When AI is integrated into the classroom, we rely on secure, privacy-protected tools.
For students with learning accommodations, our Student Services department will review requests for AI tools on a case-by-case basis.

Access to Technology for Learning

Devices and tools are rigorously evaluated for effectiveness, safety, age appropriateness, and community impact. GFS ensures equitable access to learning technology while keeping campus environments focused: personal cell phones are prohibited during the school day, network traffic is filtered via GoGuardian, and families receive tools to manage home usage.

Swipe horizontally to view full table

	Early Childhood (Preschool-PreK)	Lower School (K-3)	Lower School (4-5)	Middle School (6-8)	Upper School (9-12)
Classroom Communal Screens for Group Learning	✘	✔	✔	✔	✔
Laptop Use in Classrooms*	✘	✘	✔	✔	✔
Personal Cell Phone Access	✘	✘	✘	✘	✘
Smart Watch Access	✘	✘	✘	✘	✔
Digital & AI Literacy Instruction	✘	✔	✔	✔	✔
YouTube Access**	✘	✘	✘	✘	✔
GoGuardian Filtering***	✘	✔	✔	✔	✔

Computer Science and Digital Media Curriculum

The Computer Science and Digital Media Department helps students build both technical proficiency and critical thinking skills, teaching students to become creators, innovators, and community-minded problem-solvers.

Whether writing their first line of code, designing a prototype to solve a real-world problem, or building a competition robot, students learn how technology works while cultivating collaboration, communication, and creativity. Students also engage in thoughtful discussions about the societal impact of new technologies—including social media and AI—preparing them to become informed, ethical digital citizens.

Early Childhood

In Early Childhood, the foundations of computational and creative thinking are built entirely without screens.

Students’ pre-coding and problem-solving skills—such as pattern recognition, sequencing, spatial reasoning, and cause-and-effect logic—are developed through tactile play (e.g., blocks and Magnatiles), puzzle-solving, storytelling, and collaborative games. By focusing on face-to-face interactions, hands-on explorations, and play, students learn to listen, express ideas, and solve problems together.

Lower School

Students in Lower School build essential math, literacy, and social skills that will enable them to effectively create and collaborate in our high-tech world.

In Kindergarten through Grade 3, students practice algorithmic thinking, pattern-building, and logical reasoning through unplugged activities, physical manipulatives, and collaborative problem-solving. In light of what we know about how students learn best, our students read physical rather than digital books and develop fine motor strength for handwriting before typing on a keyboard.

In Grades 4-5, students enter the tech lab to code interactive games, program robots, design 3D prints, and explore basic AI principles. They learn to be creators of digital content—rather than merely consumers—and to use technological tools safely and responsibly.

Middle School

Middle School students take part in project-based learning experiences with professional-level software, programming languages, and fabrication machinery—allowing them to design, build, and innovate in ways that have a real-world impact

In Grade 6, all students take a yearlong course that focuses on coding with JavaScript, creating with digital media tools, such as photo-editing and 3D design applications, and developing healthy and balanced digital habits. Students in Grades 7 and 8 can choose from a variety of electives, such as Laser Design Lab, 3D Design Challenges, Graphic Design Lab, and Create and Code with Python.

Across the broader Middle School curriculum, students use software to make digital music, analyze mathematical and scientific data, create digital art, use desktop publishing to make publications, conduct research, and design presentations to share their learning.

Upper School

The Upper School curriculum provides numerous opportunities for students to build skills, design creations, and explore how technology can change our world.

As a welcoming entry point for taking risks and experimenting, all students in Grades 9 and 10 take a technology class of their choice. From there, advanced pathways include Python (with dedicated Girls Who Code sections), data science, computer organization, fabrication, and competitive robotics.

Always evolving alongside new advances in the field, the department offers coursework in applied AI as well as the ethical implications of emerging technologies. Technology classes are inclusive spaces for every student to innovate and thrive.

LEARN MORE IN THE UPPER SCHOOL COURSE CATALOG

School and Family Technology Agreements

GFS and the Parents Association developed a Community Compact on Social Media and Technology Use to establish age-appropriate guidance for families on the following. This document is periodically reviewed and updated according to the latest trends and guidance.

Collectively hold off on giving children smartphones and social media access
Prioritizing in-person socializing
Establishing family media plans and screen-time limits
Engaging in ongoing conversations about digital life

With this compact, we commit to one another to prepare students to thrive in a technology-infused future within the framework of our Quaker values.

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