b'Welcome.from the HEADMASTERAs we mark another successful and eventful year at King Edward VI Handsworth Grammar School for Boys, it is a pleasure to welcome you to this years edition of our school magazine. With a focus on technological anniversaries, Ive found myself reflecting on just how far weve comeand how the pace of change continues to shape our roles as educators and parents alike.I grew up during the 1980s and 90s, a timetaking a roll to be developedsometimesdo we prepare our children for a world that is when technology was exciting, but far morewaiting days or even weeks to see how theevolving faster than we can regulate? How do limited than it is today. The first computer inphotos had turned out. There was somethingwe equip them with the judgment to navigate our house was a ZX Spectrum 48Ka smallmagical about finally picking up the envelopea digital landscape filled with both opportunity rubber-keyed machine that loaded games viaof prints and flipping through them, hopingand risk?cassette tapes, often after several minutesat least one had everyone looking in the rightThere is no single answerbut what is clear of screeching sounds and brightly coloureddirection. Ill never forget how exciting it wasis that this responsibility must be shared. loading bars. I remember playing Jet Set Willywhen we got a Polaroid camerasuddenly,Schools and families must work together to for hours on end, alongside titles like Daleyyou could take a photo and watch it develophelp young people develop the resilience, Thompsons Decathlon and Paperboy. Thein your hands within minutes. It felt likedigital literacy, and self-awareness they graphics were basic, the sound effects weresomething from the future. need to thrive in the modern world. Open simple beeps, and there was no such thing asMy first mobile phone came when I wasconversations, consistent boundaries, and saving your progressbut we were hooked.around sixteen. It was a chunky Motorolamutual support are key. Together, we can help In Paperboy, the aim of the game was to hitbrick, and it operated on a pay-as-you-gostudents understand that what they post, the button on your keyboard at just the rightsystemyou had to top up your minuteshow they behave, and how they consume time so that the little graphic of a boy on aat a shop, and texts were limited to just acontent online mattersjust as much as it bicycle threw his newspaper and it landedfew characters. There was no camera, nodoes offline.perfectly on the doormat of a house. Getinternet, and certainly no apps. But it did have your timing slightly wrong, though, and theSnake, and at the time, that alone made it feelBut let us not forget the positive side of paper would go crashing through a windowlike the pinnacle of technological progress. this revolution. Technology, when usedruining your score and your chances ofwith care and purpose, is transformative. completing your round! It may have been aAround the same time, we got our firstIn our classrooms, it fuels creativity and far cry from todays immersive games, but itcomputer that could access the internet.collaboration. It opens up new ways of captured our imaginations like nothing else. It required a dial-up modem and a phonelearning, empowers students to explore I still vividly remember one magical Christmasline, and you couldnt use the phone andtheir interests, and connects them to a when my parents bought us the ZX Spectrumthe internet at the same time. Most ofglobal community of ideas. At HGS, we are 128K. It felt like a giant leap forwardfastermy memories of early internet use involveembracing this potentialblending tradition loading times, better sound (thanks to thepatiently watching pages buffer or fail to loadwith innovation to ensure that our students built-in speaker), and a whopping 128entirely. Even getting connected felt like anare not only well-educated but well-prepared.kilobytes of memory! It was a huge upgrade,event, and once you were online, you madeWe cannot protect our children from every and I remember feeling incredibly lucky tothe most of those precious few minutes. Itschallenge the future may hold, but we can have the latest model. Of course, a Spectrumastonishing to think that todays studentsguide them, support them, and give them the was nothing like a computer todaynohave the world at their fingertips 24/7,tools to make wise choices.internet, no mouse, and certainly no sleekwith speeds and access we couldnt have graphicsbut it was our window into a newimagined back then. Thank you, as always, for being part of our world, and it lit a spark that still lives on in myRecently, I watched the Netflix seriesschool communityand for sharing in the appreciation for how technology can inspireAdolescence, which offers a thought- journey of helping our young people grow into and empower. provoking glimpse into the digital lives ofcapable, thoughtful, and responsible citizens young people today. Its a powerful reminderof both the real and digital worlds.We also had cameras that used actual film,that technology has not only given studentsId also like to take this opportunity to thank and I can still remember the anticipation ofaccess to the internetit has also givenMr Kevin Organ for his time and effort in the internet access to them. The pressuresputting together this years edition of The of social media, the constant connectivity,Bridgeits always a pleasure to see the and the blurred lines between public andschool year captured and celebrated in this private spaces can all take a toll on wellbeing,way.identity, and attention. I hope you enjoy reading it.As both a head teacher and a parent, IMr Tim Johnson, understand the deep concern many feel. HowHeadmaster2'