[Year 12 IT Apps] Course review musings...

[Mark Kelly]

If nothing else, I hope the new study design and its glossary give more 
of a clue about what on earth the VCAA means by certain terms.

For example, in U3O2 web design tools include 'storyboards' and 'layout 
diagrams'.  Neither is defined in the glossary, and there are umpteen 
interpretations on the web about what each looks like.

The 'visual representation of thinking' expectations in U4O1 are 
particularly muddy, vague and undefined.

Textbooks may have their opinions, but they are not official.

IMO, if the study design mandates knowledge of a term, they must also 
define what they mean by the term.  Otherwise, they should accept any 
reasonable interpretation of the term.  e.g. if an ITA exam asked 
students to sketch 'a storyboard', the markers had better be prepared to 
accept a broad and catholic interpretations of what 'a storyboard' 
should contain.

So, VCAA.  Look at the key knowledge dotpoints. Whenever a key knowledge 
dotpoint contains the word "including", every item following it needs to 
be in the glossary.

There should also be some official explanation (in a separate document, 
perhaps) of what the VCAA considers to be a viable interpretation of 
each term (e.g. "a 'storyboard' might contain X, Y and Z but it should 
at the very least have A and B.")

That would help us teachers mark outcomes! It would also help authors 
produce kosher worksheets, texts, exams and outcomes for students.

But I hope the VCAA leaves the famous 56bps modem in the glossary.  It's 
been there so long I've become fond of it  :-)

-- 
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
IT Lecture notes: http://vceit.com
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