Crowd Sourcing the newspapr with 10 English via Twitter

1. Mirror on Macintyre
2013
TWICE WINNER OF “NSW SCHOOL NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR”
www.mhsinverell.com.au
Friday December 6, 2013
Academic Achievements
page 2
Creative arts
page 3
Sports
page 8
What makes a 21st Century Student?
Katie Freeman and Jade Strickland
interests you with a passion,” are key ingredients identified by
LEARNING in the 21st century has gone beyond just knowing
Mr Moore. He also believes that a “21st century student is a
how to read and write. Students of today are facing career
teacher, and a 21st century teacher is a student.”
prospects that didn’t exist 20 years ago.
Research suggests that education in the 21st century is a
Our school curriculum needs to give students what they require
melding of both tradition and the innovation to create something
to be future ready. Skills like self management and adaptability to relevant for the ‘now’.
new technologies are vital.
“21st century learners do not wait to be fed information; they
The four walls that once surrounded our classrooms can be
have ownership of their learning and take control of it,” said
expanded indefinitely to incorporate learners and experts from
Edna Sackson, Teacher and Learning Coordinator, Scopus
around the world. That is exactly what Macintyre students found
Primary School in Melbourne.
in researching this article which was crowd sourced from national
Education has become less about projecting information and
and international educators using the power of social media and
expecting students to retain it; it is all about giving learners the
technology connections.
tools they need to access it. This view brings with it the current
Steve Wheeler, Associate Professor of Learning Technology at
debate about standardised testing, such as NAPLAN and
Plymouth University in the UK, foresees the four C’s of
one-size-fits-all education.
Connection, Context, Complexity and Connotation replacing the
“Schools should be about learning, not schooling. Learning isn’t
three R’s of Reading, wRiting and aRithmetic.
a test score. Failure is always an option, but doesn’t have to be
The first C of Connection is about
the option you aim for,” said Brendan
students being able to connect with
Jones, Head Teacher PD/H/PE, Erina
“21st century learners do not wait to be
fellow learners and teachers
High School.
fed information.
through technology which is
It would appear that failure is how we
They have ownership of their learning”
widely available.
learn to succeed. Only in trying can we
The second C of Context refers to
seek improvement.
the students’ ability to contextualise their learning because
In 2013 teachers need to become students and lifelong learners.
learning is truly powerful if students can personalise it and apply
Being willing to learn new teaching methods and being
it to their own situation. Passion and interest projects are being
comfortable learning from students is becoming increasingly
brought into the classroom to allow Macintyre students to make
important as technology advances. Students also need to be
classwork relevent to them.
proactive and work collaboratively with others sharing expertise.
The third C of Complexity involves using tools to harness the
Macintyre students have benefited from sharing their expertise
web and all information in order to simplify it. At Macintyre
with local teachers in Timor Leste. (See inside story page. 5)
there is an increasing use of mobile technology, critical thinking
Teachers are no longer aiming to be imparters of knowledge,
and a developing focus on digital bookmarking as well as Digital
standing at the front of the classroom. They are becoming
Study Skills.
facilitators, providing their students with tools and giving them
Lastly, the fourth C of Connotation sees students being able to
responsibility for their learning. At Macintyre, teachers are
critically use content to create their own meaning. Macintyre
introducing choice and tools for assignments to give students a
students are given opportunities to research and create different
say in the way they can create or demonstrate knowledge.
understandings to demonstrate their personal learning.
“A 21st century teacher doesn’t want to be the smartest person
However, Dapto Deputy Principal, Darcy Moore, reminds us that
in the room. They know that learning isn’t a competition and that
there is an important place for literacy and passion in education.
it’s better to draw on everyone’s strengths to achieve great
“Reading avidly, writing every day and learning about what
things,” stated Kelli McGraw, Lecturer, Faculty of Education,
Queensland University of Technology.
Macintyre students definitely have a foot in the door when it
comes to 21st century learning.
“We need to be flexible in life, so why shouldn’t we be flexible
in schools? At Macintyre we are using tools of the modern day to
explore learning that is relevent to our students, moving away
from teacher centred classes. Success in work and enterprise
today is so much about working together. Our classrooms need to
be more about this than working in isolation,” said Lindsay Paul,
Principal of Macintyre.
The tools and technology are available to renew our education
system. Through teachers and students working together, 21st
century learning is flourishing at Macintyre. Here, tradition and
innovation are meeting to equip young people with the needs of
today, with an eye on tomorrow.
40 years of Macintyre
Kayla McElhinney and Daniel Smith
NEXT year Macintyre High School will be celebrating its
40th Anniversary. From its formative years, Macintyre has
continued to offer opportunities for students in sport, academics,
excursions and exchange programs. Students have similar
opportunities to students in metropolitan schools.
Alan Harvey was the first Principal of Macintyre, holding this
position from 1974 till 1980.
“Alan was grateful that he had the rare opportunity to be the
first Principal of a new high school,” said Marie Harvey, former
teacher at Macintyre and wife of the late Alan Harvey.
“In 1974 there were only years, 7, 8 and 9, with four classes in
each year,” said Richard Hudson, former teacher at Macintyre.
A lot of students moved from Tingha Central School, as did a
lot of teachers. In 1977 the first Year 12 students sat for their
HSC. By the mid 1980’s the school had reached 720 students.
“As one of the first
students at Macintyre in
1974, it was initially very
overwhelming! Having
teachers from Tingha
Central School and my
friends made the
transition easier.
Macintyre under construction, 1973 Macintyre presented me
with many exciting opportunities,” recalls Dawn McElhinney
(nee Luxford), former student at Macintyre.
There were many students from small schools around the
district who attended Macintyre for their high school education.
In a recent survey of the current school population it was
revealed that over one quarter of them they had more than 450
relatives who were past Macintyre students.
“When I came here it was a big school, there were about 650
Jeff Ting, Richard Hudson and Anthony Gaias
kids. I loved it and enjoyed having so many opportunities; this
has continued and improved throughout time. There was and still
is great school spirit,” said
Anthony Gaias, former
“There was great
student and current
school spirit”
science teacher
at Macintyre.
Technology was limited before the 21st century and a lot of
research was done without computers or the internet.
“Research was done in the library using books, as there was no
internet, and the school had approximately six computers; this
has changed a lot. There have been a lot of upgrades in the
woodwork rooms, science labs and kitchens since I was a student
here,” remembers Jeff Ting, former student and current TAS head
teacher at Macintyre.
Macintyre has changed a lot in 40 years and even in recent
years there have been significant changes within the school.
“In the five years that I have attended Macintyre, there has been
a lot of change; such as the beautification of the front of the
school and the improvements in the TAS department. These
changes represent the ability that Macintyre has to change and
grow with the times,” stated James Morris, SRC president at
Macintyre. It is clear that Macintyre has stood the test of time
over the last 40 years and it is hoped that many more students
will walk through the corridors in the decades to come.