St Joseph’s Marist College’s Technology Centre
St Joseph’s Marist College’s Technology Centre is a state-of-the-art facility which caters for all its pupils technological and media-related needs. The purpose of the Centre is to develop skills relating to Technology, Science and Media from grassroots to advanced levels.
In designing the Technology Centre, the objective was to ensure that the individual spaces were:
• Flexible – to accommodate both current and evolving pedagogies
• Future-proofed – to enable space to be re-allocated and reconfigured
• Bold – to look beyond tried and tested technologies and pedagogies
• Creative – to energise and inspire pupils and teachers
• Supportive – to develop the potential of all pupils
• Enterprising – to make each space capable of supporting different purposes
Similarly, the objective was to create an environment that supports St Joseph’s Marist College’s commitment to developing critical, creative thinking in each of our pupils. The foundation of this approach is found in Art Costa’s ‘Habits of Mind,’ a collection of 16 thinking dispositions that inclines one to adopt thinking tools and strategies in dealing with problems and challenges. St Joseph’s Marist College will implement this programme over a 5 year period, and through staff training, best practice workshops and seminars to educate teaches, pupils and parents, we aim to engrain these dispositions in everything we do.
The Centre comprises
1. A Science Laboratory and classroom, which is partitioned using inter-leading doors, allows for a multi-functional, larger venue which is able to accommodate team teaching activities and large meetings. Movable lab benches on castors allow for an interchangeable classroom set-up, thereby enabling small and large group activities through varied configurations.
This facility also includes an active corridor, in line with the College’s move towards making corridors not so much an in-between space as a central spine of the flow through the building. Here, the corridors are activated throughout the day, as learning spills out into the corridor for individual reflection and consolidation or pairing pupils together to assist one another with learning, sharing thoughts and ideas, and finding a comfortable space to enjoy the learning experience outside the walls of a classroom.
2. A fixed Computer Laboratory. Though, internationally, there is a movement away from stand-alone computer labs, this facility allows for the teaching of core I.T. skills in the Junior School, as well as Computer Application Technology in the Senior School. Furthermore, it offers a modern resource for pupils to conduct research, type assignments and interact reponsibly with others on social networks.
3. A Media Centre replaces the traditional library, as the world of books comes together with the world of technology. For the pupils, bright colours, comfortable furniture and light, open spaces support creative and critical thinking and create an environment that is contemporary, relaxed and fun. Here, reading and learning are truly fun experiences!
4. 3 classrooms complete the Centre. Partitioning allows for flexibility of use for this area, and supports the creative teaching that is integral to St Joseph’s Middle School concept. The classroom is no longer a static space, but something that is flexible, quickly re-configured and provides scope for varied approaches to teaching.
The facility has a distributed, robust, and flexible IT infrastructure, which allows technological access in virtually all the spaces. This is certainly necessary considering that the pupils have access to a wide compliment of modern technology, including:
31 desktop computers
30 iPads
25 Netbooks
7 projectors
1 Smartboard
1 server
1 HD video camera
2 speaker systems
Through this infrastructure, a number of different learning experiences are accommodated, including mobile, connected, visual and interactive methods of learning.
The Tubby Teubes Technology Centre is so named in recognition of the immense efforts, dedication and loyalty of Hubert ‘Tubby’ Teubes to St Joseph’s Marist College. Tubby enrolled at St Joseph’s in 1954, and quickly made a name for himself, as both an accomplished cricketer and rugby player, and a hard-working pupil. In 1958, the year in which he matriculated, he played fly-half for the 1st XV, and captained the 1st XI Cricket Team, as well as serving as a College prefect. On matriculating, Tubby maintained a close association with the school, and coached the 1st XV for a number of years, whilst still pursuing his own rugby career. He later served on the College Board for over 10 years, as well as being Chairperson of our Special Needs Unit. In recognition of his service to St Joseph’s, Tubby was made an Affiliated Member of the Institute of the Marist Brothers in 2011; an honour bestowed on him by Marist Brother Provincial of Southern Africa, and former St Joseph’s Junior School Principal, Brother Joseph Walton.
The St Owen’s Media Centre, which forms part of the Technology Centre, is so named in recognition of all the past pupils, teachers and Marist Brothers of St Owen’s High School.
In 1961, the Marist Brothers opened St Owen’s High School in Retreat, with Brother Benjamin as Principal. The property adjoined St Mary’s Catholic Church. The Apartheid government’s Bantu Education Act of 1953 classified it as a “Coloured” school. The school was intended as a gift to past pupil of St Joseph’s, Archbishop (later Cardinal) Owen McCann. Due to dwindling pupil numbers, St Owen’s High School was forced to close its doors in 1994.
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