Nothing stays the same. Time marches on whether we like it or not. Remember the dinosaurs that dominated the earth millions of years ago? These gigantic creatures reigned supreme for millions of years – 200 million to be precise, from the Triassic period 240 million years ago until their cataclysmic demise in the late Cretaceous period, 65 million years ago. Many theories abound on the fall of the dinosaurs, but as a species they survived for so long, and yet it is a stunning reality, that within a very short period of time, they all disappeared. Why?
During a similar time period, and even older, are the ancient ancestors of the common cockroach – the Archimylacris eggintoni , which has survived and evolved over 300 million years. This insect scuttled around forest floors during the Carboniferous period 359 - 299 million years ago, which is sometimes referred to as the age of the cockroach because fossils of Archimylacris eggintoni and its relatives are amongst the most common insects from this time period. They are found all over the world.
Yes I realise that this is not everyone’s favourite topic, but it’s amazing that this pesky creature has survived for so long – many scientists would argue (and some people joke) that if there was a nuclear explosion, the cockroach would be one of the rare survivors. Why?
The history pages are full of the rise and fall of great cultures and great cities and even great countries and empires. Think about the classic rise and fall of the Roman Empire from 201BC until AD476. Ancient history is a lesson in life – never ending phases of growth, successful adaptation, cultural or anthropological peaks, population explosion, excess, decline and extinction. It begs the question:”Why?”
What we know is that nothing stays the same and those things that do stay the same, simply don’t survive. Anything that fails to adapt and change to new circumstances is doomed to oblivion. As famous politician and statesmen, Harold Wilson once said:
"He who rejects change is the architect of decay. The only human institution which rejects progress is the cemetery."
I could be facetious and say that education is one of the few industrial age survivors; some schools never seem to change – they’re like islands where the drawbridge comes down at the start of the day, students enter and the drawbridge goes down again at the end of the day and the students go home to the ‘real world’. Any semblance to preparation for the real world is purely coincidental and accidental.
Caloundra City Private School is not one of these schools. Technologically, the School has led and will continue to lead the way in educational innovation on the Sunshine Coast and in Queensland. The introduction of the Apple iPad is in keeping with the latest developments in digital evolution and points to the future direction of digital education with internet based applications on mobile devices. While the introduction of the Apple iPad coincides with the launch of the new School name, it is in itself, a trial of the new technology.
Unlike the dinosaurs that failed to adapt to the new conditions, the School is embracing the new and evolving direction in technology. The one area that has grown astronomically in recent years has been in the area of internet based applications on mobile devices. Apple leads the way in educational applications (Apps) and the introduction of iPads to Years 10, 11 and 12 as well as in the Junior School, will allow the school to more fully explore the best way forward for students and teachers. In life, it is those who change most successfully with the changing times that are the real winners. As was once said of the rise and fall of the Roman Empire :
“The winds and waves are always on the side of the ablest navigators.”
The new School name has been one of evolution rather than revolution and the Board has taken into account a number of factors in deciding on the new name. Because the School’s name is already well known on the Sunshine Coast and has developed its own distinctive ‘branding’, it was obvious that this would be lost if there was a wholesale change to the name. Coupled with the fact that the real issue with the previous name was that no one was really sure about the School’s status, the Board decided that the best course of action was a simple but effective change to the name of the School by adding the word ‘private’. No one is any doubt now, that the School is an independent, private school. Yes a good outcome, because the change will not require any immediate changes to be made from a parents’ perspective and the transition to new badge and logo will be gradual, as uniform items need to be replaced.
Technology, on the other hand, leaps forward at a breakneck pace without any sight of relenting. If anything, technology seems to be growing and re-inventing itself at an exponential pace. The bottom line is that technology, like most things in life, is evolving and it is because of this rapid evolution, that Caloundra City Private School will not be relegated to the history pages, like the dinosaurs or the litany of old world schools and cultures, but will continually seek to be at the forefront of technological innovation. We are preparing our students for a world very different from ours. As Yogi Berra said: “The future ain’t what it used to be.”
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