Paula referred to:<br>> Information and Communications Technology, as an interdisciplinary domain<br><br>This is an opinion from SA where we have our own recently reactivated curriculum framework to grapple with (SACSA)
<br><br>I've read comments in threads here from Charmaine about the need to be proactive and from Keith about the need to be machiavellian<br><br>Why does computing (I prefer that term to ICT) have to *struggle* for its place in the curriculum sun when it such an important defining part of the present and future - comparable to the printing press in an earlier revolution?
<br><br>Is the problem in the categorisation as "interdisciplinary" <br><br><span style="font-weight: bold;">translation</span>: to be integrated into more important domains (maths, science, english etc.) unless there are very active agents (such as Charmaine, Keith) in schools who will present compelling cases in those *individual* schools for computing to have its own special curriculum time slot.
<br><br>Doesn't the fact that articulate and passionate teachers of computing having to plead a special case underscore a reality that computing is being sidelined through integration.<br><br>ie. the system is against us, not for us.
<br><br>Moores Law is unfolding its own agenda, an emergent agenda - others here have argued convincingly that computing is a subject in its own right - Rod Kendall put a compelling case <br><br>But we are latecomers to the curriculum feast and curriculum ctees are battlegrounds where turf war is the ultimate guiding principle - what self respecting curriculum leader would give up time for their subject to let computing in?
<br><br>In this respect the system has let us down. Rather than leading the battle they leave it to the classroom teacher to do all the heavy lifting. <br><br>That is my understanding (from across the border) of the categorisation, "interdisciplinary domain" == conceptual downgrade.
<br><br>That is what is happening in SA anyway where I have studied the documents more closely<br><br>more here:<br><a href="http://gamelearning.wikispaces.com/Curriculum-Statements+">http://gamelearning.wikispaces.com/Curriculum-Statements+
</a><br><br>-- <br>Bill Kerr<br><a href="http://billkerr.blogspot.com/">http://billkerr.blogspot.com/</a><br><a href="http://beam.to/billkerr">http://beam.to/billkerr</a><br>skype: billkerr2006<br><br><br><div><span class="gmail_quote">
On 6/6/06, <b class="gmail_sendername">Christophersen, Paula P</b> <<a href="mailto:christophersen.paula.p@edumail.vic.gov.au">christophersen.paula.p@edumail.vic.gov.au</a>> wrote:</span><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
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<p><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Dear colleagues</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">As stated in the introduction to the ICT domain of VELS, the
main educational focus of the domain is to equip students with the knowledge
and skills to 'transform their learning and to enrich their learning
environment'. It is the intent that students will use ICT to help make
sense of content, ideas, issues, processes etc in all areas of learning. </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">To maximise the benefits afforded by ICT, students need to
gain fluency with these tools so that they can focus on the tasks at hand,
rather than the technology itself. Schools are free to establish programs that
suit their needs, while still providing students with the opportunities to
demonstrate the ICT standards. However, as students move into the middle years
(years 9 and 10), it is acceptable that they can specialise in areas of
interest to them, so schools could include in their programs, more targeted ICT
offerings such as robotics, gaming/programming. This, of course, does not
preclude the embedding of the knowledge and skills from the ICT domain into
other areas of learning – this should still occur.</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Where appropriate, I urge you to <a href="http://vels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/essential/interdisciplinary/ict/index.html#intro" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">
revisit</a>
the introductory part of the ICT domain.</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Regards</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Paula</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"> </span></font></p>
<p><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Paula Christophersen</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">ICT </span></font><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Curriculum</span></font><font face="Arial" size="2">
<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"> Manager</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">VCAA</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">41 St Andrews Place</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">EAST MELBOURNE</span></font><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"> 3002</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">(03) 9651 4378</span></font></p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></font></p>
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