Editorial: Unabated pace of change continues

Those of us of a certain age will have distinct memories of our education.
Most probably those will involve dusty and draughty rooms with chalkboards in which teachers held fort, often using a reign-of-terror approach - these were the days of corporal punishment - to maintain control of their charges. Learning was often done by rote, with endless hours of copying information from the board or out of text books, followed by exercises and frequent pop quizzes.
Fast-forward to today's technology-driven environment and it's a vastly different setting, quite apart from the massive change in dynamic between pupil and teacher. Nowadays, classrooms are equipped with technology that wasn't even contemplated just a generation ago.
Interactive screens have replaced the old-style chalk and dusters; the internet and interactive computer programs provide information and practical work in a far more efficient and up-to-date manner than texts and tests.
In education, nothing remains the same for long and the introduction of ultra-fast broadband has the potential to surpass the introduction of new assessments, curriculum amendments or anything else in the way children are taught and parents informed of progress.
A taste of the future was outlined in Saturday's paper by Wanganui Girls' College principal Vivianne Murphy, a member of Wanganui District Council's UFB Business Strategy Group. She paints a picture of an interactive, information-driven system where parents have complete access to data on all aspects of their child's performance. Technology will also enable greater individualised learning, allowing lessons to be tailored to each child's developmental needs.
Forget the duster monitors of the past, nowadays we are more likely to see cache-busters or students assigned to defrag systems. It's a changing world and the pace of change shows no signs of abating. It can be a scary proposition to those of us who feel daunted by the terms and technology.
The education my children are receiving is vastly different from what I experienced, and it's almost impossible to predict how and what my grandchildren will be taught. One thing is certain: Wanganui is well positioned to take advantage of the opportunities UFB offers.