[Year 12 IPM] New Yr10IT Course - Construct-ion-ivist Approach

[Philip Brown]

I think there is a place for teaching web design using content
management systems. These come in a variety of predesigned formats and
allow the user to edit the code and structure. You need an SQL server to
make them run but this is fairly easy to achieve using EasyPhp.
OpensourceCMS lists many different types that are freely available to
download. Using these can show how changes in ccs style sheets can
immediatly affect the look and feel of a web site. 

These also show how by using PHP and a database opens up new
possibilities for interactive web sites.

Phil Brown
Oxley College
9727 9917

>>> keithcr at fastmail.fm 07/04/05 8:45 AM >>>
An excellent comment Michael. The difference may have been there
'always', but it has taken you to identify and name it for us.
This concept has been so needed, that I think it will dramatically place
itself into our everyday language: "use IT" and "about IT" - polarities
that we can NOW use to describe our views of IT related education.  The
time has come!
Keith.


On Sun, 3 Jul 2005 19:55:59 +1000, "Fitzpatrick, Michael"
<michael.fitzpatrick at carey.com.au> said:
> Thank you to all the valuable contributions to this discussion.
> 
> We are also having a review of our IT courses.
> 
> One distinction that does not seem to have featured in these
discussions
> and has helped in our reviews is this:
> 
> IT courses can be divided into two different types and we have some of
> each in Years 8, 9 and 10. (Hopefully the new IT study design will
help
> more with this in Year 11. Year 12 has one of each type - IPM and
> Systems.) The distinction is not black and white as the two types of
> courses have a large degree of overlap but the
focus/emphasis/philosophy
> of each is quite different.
> 
> 1. Courses that teach how to use IT to produce IT products/solutions
e.g.
> many multimedia courses, video editing, webpage production and design,
IT
> in business, IT in ....
> 2. Courses that teach about IT - how IT works below the surface e.g.
> programming, HTML, PHP, some types of multimedia courses, games
> programming, some types of animations courses.
> 
> Of course some 'about IT' needs to be taught in the 'product'courses
but
> usually only what is needed. And of course 'about IT' courses need to
> produce 'products'.
> 
> This distinction has helped to convince the curriculum people that
more
> technical courses are needed for those students who are interested in
the
> IT itself; and also has helped to convince them that courses are
needed
> for those less interested in the IT itself and more in the product. 
> 
> The latter type of course is often suitable for students who are not
> academic by interest or inclination, and are often into visual
learning
> rather than languages and literature. Most schools would also students
> who are interested in the 'beneath the bonnet' aspects of IT. Teaching
> both types of students in the same class can be challenging, whether
it
> is a 'product' or 'about IT' class.
> 
> This distinction helps to get more courses approved, a greater variety
of
> students satisfied in meaningful courses, more classes to teach and
more
> IT into the curriculum.
> 
> This distinction also helps with the VELS as well which has across
> curriculum implications for IT but seems to downplay IT as a
> discipline/content area.
> 
> Mike Fitzpatrick
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: ipm-bounces at edulists.com.au on behalf of Keith Richardson
> Sent: Wed 6/29/2005 6:25 AM
> To: List Yr7-10it; List IP&M
> Subject: [Year 12 IPM] New Yr10IT Course - Construct-ion-ivist
Approach
>  
> I have been impressed by the various approaches to ITC discussed
> recently on these lists, and so decided to create an experimental
> learning setting for my Year10IT class for Semester 2. I have played
> with various forms of scenario-based integrative units before, as I
> guess we all have, but decided to go all out with this one, utilizing
> full-immersion lasting a full semester. 
> My kids seem to work best in situations where they are involved in the
> content, where there are clearly defined expectations, yet where there
> is also 'room-to-move'. I have built each of these elements into the
> course.
> I would like to eventually move towards a Moodle style of course
> delivery, but at this point in time the learning curve (for me) is
> toweringly steep, so have decided to be more conventional and during
the
> semester in my own time try adapting it across to Moodle. We will
see...
> Please feel free to modify and adapt in any which way (all I ask is
that
> credit be given for original authorship). It should be easy to change
> the cultural setting to suit your kids, and to adjust the various
> software and tasks to suit what you prefer to do.

> My whole thesis is that ICT and associated software programs should be
> there to serve other purposes. There will be times when it is
essential
> to pause from the theme and teach just software but just sufficient to
> put them onto the right track with correct procedures and the
discipline
> of organized logic particularly in the field of file management.
> As an aside I recommend taking a look at the Florida Gulf Coast
> University tutorials for Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Access, as well
as
> Wikipaedia for definitions and extended explanations.
> Attached please find a copy of the course.
> I would be very interested in and appreciative of critical feedback
> please.
> Regards, Keith Richardson
> Keith Richardson
> Leibler Yavneh College
> Elsternwick Ph (03)9528 4911
> keithcr at fastmail.fm
> 
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Keith Richardson
Leibler Yavneh College
Elsternwick Ph (03)9528 4911
keithcr at fastmail.fm

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