b'Leading Teachers inTHE WAYthe school IT Department, led by Mr King, explain their reasons for choosing a career in Computer Science, and how they seekFrom courtside to codeto enthuse students with the same interest. How basketball and technological curiosity shaped my journey.There is notime, I discovered how much they have in reason anyonecommon. The focus, strategy, and quick would want athinking I developed on the basketball court computer inhelped me thrive in computing. Whether its their home.solving a complex programming challenge That was theor making a split-second decision during a view of Kengame, both demand resilience, adaptability, Olsen, founderand the ability to think several steps ahead.of Digital EquipmentThese skills have stayed with me and Corporation, in 1977. Today,shaped how I approach my work in it sounds almost unbelievable,computer science, cybersecurity, artificial especially when we consider howintelligence, and educational technology. quickly personal computers like theJust as athletes must respond to changing Sinclair ZX81, BBC Micro, and Commodore THE SKYS64 became part of everyday life by theconditions on the court, todays computer mid-1980s. scientists must navigate a fast-paced, ever-THE LIMIT For me, this exciting period marked theevolving digital landscape with precision beginning of what I call my technologicaland creativity.I remember being around three yearscuriosity, a lifelong fascination withNow, as technology continues to transform old when my family got their firstcomputing and the digital world. At thethe world around us, I am still driven by the computer. There was no one to teachsame time, I was also deeply involved insame curiosity that sparked my journey me how to use it, yet everything alreadyanother passion: basketball. As a teenager,all those years ago. Its proof that learning felt innate to me. I mostly rememberI played at both national and internationalcan begin anywhere, and that passions looking through every single folder andlevels, dedicating countless hours todiscovered on the court, in the classroom, opening every single program it hadtraining, travel, and competition. or behind a computer screen, can lead to to offer. I was in awe of the numberAt first, sport and technology seemedexciting futures.of things you could do and how thelike two very different worlds. But overMr King, Head of Computingmachine in front of me was structured.When we got internet access for the first time, I discovered all of the interests I still hold to this day. I wouldMy journey My passion for technology in education be reading articles back to back aboutdidnt start in a classroom or with a the history of how computers weresmartphoneit started in the late 1980s built, how operating systems wereinto educationwith cartridges, floppy disks and an Atari made, astronomy, science, and so on.400 home computer system. It was a I continued to push the boundaries ofwith Atari very advanced machine for its time which what my computer can do, to the pointboasted a membrane keyboard and where I would need to have Windowsan external cassette drive for storage. reinstalled every few weeks. The Atari wasnt just a computer or In retrospect, it was the seeminglygaming deviceit was my technology limitless capability and accessibilityteacher. It taught me the fundamentals of of computers, the fact that you couldprogramming and problem solving and create, research, socialise, tinker, learn,much patience was required just to create discover, all from the comfort of youra pixelated image that danced across the desk, when you would otherwise havescreen with blips and beeps as sound files.to travel and spend large sums ofI now realise how fortunate I was to discover money doing that by other means, thattechnology early on in my life. It didnt just developed my passion for computing.provide a career path, it become a tool Continuing to pursue it means I get tofor creativity and communication and has share my knowledge of said capabilitieschanged the way we interact with the and create opportunities for newworld. As we fully integrate technology into learners. The rise of digital technologyclassrooms, we are opening doors to lifelong has shown us that the sky is truly thedigital learning and rapid advancements in limit. critical areas such as healthcare, machine Miss Zetu learning and artificial intelligence.Mr Hawkins10'