[Yr7-10it] Year 7-10 IT structures

Sun Oct 14 11:53:51 EST 2007

Hi

What do you all think about kids being highly skilled IT users as the media
and research tells us i.e. Prenskys "Digital Natives" and Oblinger's
"net-generation" is it a myth that kids are skilled users of technology?  If
Prensky's research in America holds true for Australia surely kids don't
need ICT lessons?

Downes research in primary schools in NSW also shows kids to be highly
skilled.  Kennedy's research of first year uni students at Melbourne Uni
again shows students to be highly skilled users.

I'd be really interested in your opinions on this?

Cheers

Anne-Marie

Anne-Marie Chase
Graduate School of Education 
The University of Western Australia
web http://digital-kids.wikispaces.com <http://digital-kids.wikispaces.com/>

P please don't print this e-mail unless you really need to.

Leanne Wright barbarloot at yahoo.com
<mailto:yr7-10it%40edulists.com.au?Subject=%5BYr7-10it%5D%20Year%207-10%20IT
%20structures&In-Reply-To=341ac4150710110358j3d7d99fk67c890bee59439b4%40mail
.gmail.com> 

Sun Oct 14 08:00:33 EST 2007 

I'm feeling fortunate to be at a school where IT is still a core subject at
Year 7, 9 & 10 where It runs for 3 periods a week for one semester. Year 8s
do a workshop subject and are timetabled in a computer room for 1 period
where they use drawing programs to produce working drawings for their
workshop projects (our technology teachers are all IT qualified). Next year
these arrangements will remain substantially unchanged except for Year 10
which will lose about of quarter of its present time allowance in the
transition to 72 minute periods. 

  When the status of IT was originally being discussed, I presented a list
of all the ICT skills that VELS required students to have, at which point
the committee involved realised very few non IT teachers would have all
these skills.decided to keep IT as a separate subject. 

  I too am puzzled at the idea that 'integrating'  IT into other subjects
will allow anything approaching an adequeate skills base for the
'information age' and current employer expectations. Why not 'integrate' the
teaching of English into other subjects - after all we can all read and
write, and unlike IT, most if not all of us have done Year 12 English!

  Leanne Wright - Epping SC

Colin SUTTON <oz.sutton at gmail.com
<http://www.edulists.com.au/mailman/listinfo/yr7-10it> > wrote:
  Hi all

My school, Montmorency SC, has NO compulsory ICT!

A student can go through 6 years of schooling here and do NO formal IT.

No other school I have ever taught in (2 in Vic, 3 in QLD and 4 in the UK)
have ever had this! 

It seems unbelievable that in the Information Age students are not formally
taught ANY ICT.

They have to learn another language, do wood, metal, cooking and sewing -
useful and even essential - but the ONE thing none of them can avoid is ICT!

Sure, many can play games and surf to sites, but they are not formally
taught a wide range of other useful or essentail skills.

Schools I have taught in elsewhere had at least one semester of ICT at Year
7 (Yr 8 in QLD as secondary starts in Yr8). 

Most had an elective system that required them to do at least ONE or more
units at 8/9 or even again in Yr 10.

Comments anyone?

Regards

COLIN _______________________________________________ 
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From: yr7-10it-bounces at edulists.com.au
[mailto:yr7-10it-bounces at edulists.com.au] On Behalf Of Robert Minato
Sent: 12 October 2007 13:30
To: Year 7 - 10 Information Technology Teachers' Mailing List
Subject: Re: [Yr7-10it] Year 7-10 IT structures

Prior to 2007, all our yr7 classes did 2-3 periods a week for a semester.
This year, it is expected that IT is integrated into other subjects. We have
found that students arrive here with a good grasp of applications. The yr7
do one or two periods intro to IT mainly to familiarise non-apple students
with the mac system. IT is available as electives at yr9.

Rob

-- 
Robert Minato
Technology Leader
Catholic College Wodonga
1 Bowman Crt
Wodonga 3690
02 6043 5546

On 11/10/07 8:58 PM, "Colin SUTTON" <oz.sutton at gmail.com> wrote:

Hi all