The development of computers and information technology has enabled huge changes in our way of life over the last 20 years. Drive your car, go to the shops, download a TV show, design a new building, send a photograph to your auntie in Australia, sequence some DNA, buy new shoes – the list is endless and all involve using computers – often in ways that were undreamt 20 years ago.
We can’t predict the future, but we can be sure that Computer Science will continue to change how we live, work, play and study far into the present century and beyond. It’s become a cliché, but we do now live in the Information Age – an age when the ability to develop and harness the power of information and communication technology will be a major influence on our personal effectiveness and the effectiveness of the societies in which we live.
Here at Stonyhurst we try to base our approach around practical problem solving – carefully selecting tasks so that our pupils gain that experience of not quite knowing exactly what to do and having to puzzle things out. This kind of independent approach is critical in such an ever changing world.