Technology for learning at ISS Lugano
Smart TVs in every classroom and a Microsoft device for every student — technology that supports how students learn, collaborate and explore ideas.
Technology that serves the learning
Technology plays an important role in how students learn, collaborate and explore new ideas at the International School of Switzerland — used thoughtfully, to support teaching and learning rather than to replace it.
All classrooms are equipped with large Smart TVs that support interactive lessons, presentations and digital collaboration. Each student is provided with a Microsoft device, giving them access to the tools they need for research, communication and creative work.
Where you find it
In every classroom
Large Smart TVs for interactive lessons, presentations and digital collaboration.
On every student’s device
A Microsoft device per student — for research, communication and creative work.
Screens with a purpose
Parents ask, rightly, whether a laptop for every child means more screen time. The school's position is that technology is used to support teaching and learning, not to replace it: for research, communication and creative work, and for the collaboration that a shared screen in the classroom makes possible. A lesson is still led by a teacher, and a primary unit of inquiry still ends in a project shared with the school community, not in a file.
How much a child uses the device, and for what, differs by age. Ask on your visit how it works in the grade your child would join; that is a better answer than any general statement.
See the classrooms for yourself
How technology fits into a lesson is best seen in person — on a school visit, or in our STEAM and innovation programmes.
Details and questions
Technology at a glance
| Devices | The school provides each student's laptop, a Microsoft device, from Grade 1 to Grade 12. |
| Classrooms | Large Smart TVs in every classroom for interactive lessons, presentations and digital collaboration. |
| Cost to families | The device is provided by the school. What is charged separately is on the fees page. |
| Beyond lessons | Robotics and technology in the Discovery Programme; STEAM across the curriculum; Masterclasses with technology practitioners in Grades 6 to 12. |
Rules on device use by age, and what happens if a device is damaged, are explained at enrolment.
Questions families ask about technology
Do we have to buy a laptop?
No. The school provides each student's laptop.
Which device is it?
A Microsoft device. The exact model for each grade is confirmed at enrolment.
Do primary school children get a laptop too?
Yes, from Grade 1. How much it is used in the primary years, and for what, is explained on your visit.
What happens if the device is lost or damaged?
The school explains the rules for loss and damage at enrolment. Ask for them in writing before the first day.
What is the policy on mobile phones?
The school has not published its phone rules on this website. Ask on your visit; the answer differs by age group.
Does the school teach coding and robotics?
Robotics and technology are part of the Discovery Programme, and STEAM connects science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics in the curriculum.
Is technology used to replace teachers?
No. The school describes technology as a support for teaching and learning, not a substitute. Lessons are led by teachers; the device is a tool for research, communication and creative work.