[Year 12 IPM] OT: Unit 2 IT study design -- LAB [Long and Boring] response

[Mark Kelly]

Robert Timmer-Arends wrote:

> Hello Mike
> 
> '...people free scanners /  e-tag readers ...' are otherwise known as 'data
> capture devices', combining the operation of 'acquisition' and 'input' by
> 'capturing' the data at its source. In terms of the Info Proc steps, the
> step might be called 'data capture', and I suspect that the original post re
> direct screen entry might be put under this heading (???)

 > Regards
 > Robert T-A
 >

I would agree that data acquisition may occur immediately before input 
(though it may appear to be simultaneous), especially with such things 
as web forms where the unwashed masses type data into web forms, and the 
data is then input into some server-side database.   The point is that 
acquisition occurs a millisecond *before* input, but is still a 
different logical process to input.

Alas, there is no such heading as "data capture" in VCAA's gospel of 
info processing cycling.

Is this a problem with the real world, or VCAA?  Heaven forfend!  Surely 
the VCE IT theory *must* concur with the real world of IT...

Why else would we teach it?

[Increasingly Off-Topic hereafter]

Why else would we teach, for example, the theoretical steps of the 
problem solving steps (SDLC), if it were not the canon of real-world IT 
business people?   To teach irrelevant or outdated theory would waste 
our students' time and to elevate ourselves to ridicule from those in 
The Real IT World (TRITW).

TRITW *must* believe in ADDTDIE (analyse, design, develop, test, 
implement, evaluate) because we would not be teaching this otherwise...

Unfortunately, for every VCAA model, there are many different models in 
The Real World (e.g. those that include "Document" as a step in the SDLC.)

I would be entirely delighted to hear more from those in TRITW about 
what theory and skills our IT kids need.  I suspect the panel pondering 
the new study design would be equally delighted.  I know they consult 
TRITW people already.

Frankly, I don't care what the details of the dictated theory is.  I 
just trust that it is industry-relevant, and of practical use to the 
kids we indoctrinate and send off with a packed lunch into the arms of 
TRITW.

I just dread my Previous Year's Top Kid being laughed at on his/her 
first day for  believing in his/her IPM received wisdom.

Phew.  I feel better now!

Mark

> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Mike Brookes" <mikeb at labyrinth.net.au>
> To: "Year 12 Information Technology Processing and Management Teachers'
> Mailing List" <ipm at edulists.com.au>
> Sent: Friday, June 17, 2005 5:02 PM
> Subject: Re: [Year 12 IPM] OT: Unit 2 IT study design
> 
> 
> 
>>Addendum
>>
>>After a few more seconds reflection I think that people free scanners /
>>e-tag readers might be considered as both aquisition and input devices.
>>reading and converting to binary the etag/barcode data would be
>>aquisition and sending the binary data to the computer would be input.
>>
>>Mike Brookes
>>

-- 
Mark Kelly
Manager - Information Systems
McKinnon Secondary College
McKinnon Rd McKinnon 3204, Victoria Australia
Phone +613 95780844  Fax +613 95789253
http://www.mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au
IPM Lecture notes: http://vceit.com
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