From the Assistant Principal

Something Technology Related

I’ve had a document called ‘Something Technology Related’ sitting in my Newsletter Article folder for a while now. Something technology related. Right. Anything technology related is a big, hot topic - screen time, AI, social media, child safety. But right now, I don’t feel like tackling any of those big ones. I’ll leave that for some Channel 9 parenting show.

Instead, let’s reflect on our own journey. Where have we been, where are we now… and what’s next?

My first day as an actual teacher at NLPS was, as every year starts, a curriculum day. Every school in the state had the same focus that day - all teachers sat down together for training on… the Ultranet. And wow, what a disaster that was. My first experience of technology at NLPS was a bit of a joke (ask anyone who was teaching back in 2012 about the Ultranet and you’ll get the same rolled eyes and scoffed response).

Anyway, because I’d majored in IT at university, I was given ICT as my first major role and responsibility at Newport Lakes. It was exciting to start with what was essentially a clean slate (and 25 desktop iMacs in the library that was once the IT Lab). My first year in charge of the budget, I overspent by $150,000. Nice work!

But the truth was, our school didn’t have the infrastructure to support what we now take for granted - the wifi that invisibly hums through every classroom. From there, my role moved from IT to eLearning - from the technical side to how we use technology to enhance student learning. That meant working closely with teachers to develop both their pedagogical and technological practices.

Then came our 1:1 BYOD program - years before most other schools. It was a little controversial at the time, but it served us well. When we decided to move away from BYOD at the end of 2023, opinions were… divided. Most parents supported the change (though the Year 4 students at the time were very unimpressed). But seeing the Department make the same move two years later - as announced just a few weeks ago - shows we were again ahead of the curve. It wasn’t luck. It was deliberate. It was about keeping an eye on the future. Which we must always do.

So, what’s next?

Robots. Probably robot teachers that shoot laser beams from their eyes when kids aren’t focusing. It came to me in a dream.

No, but seriously, there have been changes to the way we teach. Trying to capture the attention of students is increasingly difficult because their attention is hard to capture. (What a terribly written sentence that is.) But it’s true - attention spans are shorter. The constant buzz of notifications, messages, and entertainment at their fingertips means we’re competing with more distractions than ever before. What we’re trying to teach them can’t be condensed into a six-second video or a trending clip. Learning takes time. It takes focus. And it takes a (non-robotic) teacher guiding them through it.

Technology has changed how we access information, but not how we learn. Kids still need to wrestle with ideas, make mistakes, think hard, and reflect. The challenge for us as educators is to make sure technology supports this - to make learning deeper and more meaningful.

And that’s where Newport Lakes is in such a strong position. Over the years, we’ve learned what works, what doesn’t, and when to lock the iPad or close the laptop and just talk, write, draw, read, think. Our approach to technology has always been thoughtful, not reactionary. The future won’t be about racing to keep up - it’ll be about staying grounded in real learning, real relationships, and real thinking.

So, what’s next? We don’t know for sure, but whatever it is, we’ll meet it the same way we always have - with curiosity. I might also keep my eyes peeled for a few laser-eyed robot teachers, just in case.

Mat Williamson

Assistant Principal (and 01101110 01100101 01110010 01100100)