[Yr11 Information Technology] IT Outcomes feedback

[Mark Kelly]

OK.  Some thoughts about IT outcomes (mainly ITA) ...

ITA U3O1 - whatever its topic is - should not be the most difficult 
outcome of the entire sequence!  Databases as the first outcome is cruel 
and unusual punishment.  It's the one tool that most kids have never had 
any deep experience with and need most training for!  Combine that with 
project management (the other tool that most kids will have had little 
or no exposure to) and it's a very demanding outcome.
If the prototype website remains as an outcome, it should become U3O1.

ITA U3O2 - Prototype website.  Quite undemanding in terms of skills or 
theory. While website skills are valuable for kids, creating a prototype 
is perhaps a little esoteric.  Why not a nice, normal website - the sort 
of skill they would be more likely to use frequently in the real world?

ITA U4O1 - Excel.  The last practical outcome of the year; uses a tool 
most kids have had previous experience with.  My kids consider it an 
easy task, even with the 2 extra tasks.
- The onscreen documentation is a valuable experience for them, and 
exercises several useful skills.  They find it challenging but 
rewarding.  I'd keep it.
- Visual representation of thinking (VROT) usually frustrates them 
Perhaps it will be easier in a few years if VROT persists in VELS, but 
my kids had great trouble visualising what on earth it was for and what 
it did. With so little guidance from the study design to ease their 
minds, it is a difficult task for most kids to tackle.

ITA U4O2 - pure data security theory.  Quick to knock over, and a good 
way to segue into heavy theory preparation for the exam.  I'd keep U4O2 
as a pure theory task, and the subject matter is fine with me too.

- Things to keep -

It's good to see programming completely excised from the ITA stream and 
fully in the SD course. Keep it up.

I also agree with keeping the complex aspects of networking in the SD 
camp.


- Changes I'd consider -

- The course is heavy on pretty dull and stodgy software - web page 
editing, spreadsheets, databases.  Something a little more sexy to 
lighten and excite the course might be fun: the previous course had 
graphics editing as an interesting ITA U3O1.  I wouldn't mind seeing 
something like that, or multimedia animation, returning.

- While the overlap between ITA and SD has been cleared up, I don't like 
the repetition of databases in U1O2 and ITA U3O1. (Just look at the 
number of key knowledge dot points that are repeated between U1O1 and 
U3O2 is a giveaway.)

- It's very boring for year 11 kids (and enrolments are bad enough to 
start with). The kids who do unit 1 get a very similar task in ITA 
(which is unexciting) but kids who do not do U1 before ITA have a lot to 
learn about databases.  This leads to a knowledge gulf between ITA kids 
who have and have not done U1: coping with getting the latter kids up to 
speed is difficult.

- Surely a new IT tool could replace databases in U1O2 - perhaps 
animation or audio editing.

- One outcome on "what's in the box" hardware stuff might be good for U1 
or U2.  Currently it's covered in one dot point in one outcome - but the 
field is very large and takes a long to to cover adequately.  It might 
also include computer maintenance (including software updates, 
trouble-shooting etc).

- Why O WHY do we need the SDLC wearing different nametags in different 
subjects?  There is NO functional difference between SDLC and Problem 
Solving Methodology, so why create an artifical one?

- multimedia file formats and codecs are a big issue nowadays.  A unit 
1/2 outcome on managing image/sound/video files would be interesting and 
very hands-on.  It could include differences in format conversion, pros 
and cons of lossy/lossless compression, compression artefacts.  I've 
covered it in passing and kids love it - mainly to support their ripping 
& torrenting.  Perhaps the copyright key knowledge dot points could 
accompany the theory  :-)


--- Other random thoughts ---

- Fix the glossary; define all topics mandated in key knowledge.
- Any chance at all of any group work at all in a U3/4 outcome?
- Official VCAA help on issues such as VROT. Sure, VITTA may do PD but 
only a small fraction of staff can get to it, or pay for it.
- Mandate a test for ITA U4O2.  I've never met any teacher who has 
chosen the written report.
- Having 2 outcomes in each of U3 and U4 makes U3O1 and U4O1 painfully 
large and hard for kids to organise.  Yes, there are fewer outcomes but 
each is just BIGGER.  Is that really beneficial to students?  At least 
strip VROT from ITA U4O1 and glue it onto a smaller outcome, like ITA U3O2.

That's all for now.  I'm sure I'll think of something else soon.


-- 
Mark Kelly
Manager - Information Systems
McKinnon Secondary College
kel AT mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au
McKinnon Rd, McKinnon 3204, Victoria, Australia
Direct line / Voicemail: 8520 9085 Fax +613 9578 9253

Webmaster - http://www.mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au
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