[Year 12 IPM] ITA ("IPM 2007") summary

Fri Mar 3 16:01:16 EST 2006

Had to reset the emergency pressure release valve on my computer today !

The new course is not exactly what I would really like for year 12 but I am 
only one of many whose views and needs have to be accommodated (or would 
have to have been accommodated if I had not decided to retire at the end of 
last year). Also, for personal reasons, I was not able to even offer to be 
involved in the development of the new study design, so I cannot complain if 
the result does not suit me 100%.

That said - you can still provide your students with very different 
experiences and activities even at year 12 and still stay within the study 
design. I know that under the existing sd some of the assessment tasks set 
for students for SAC marks have been almost trivial in terms of ability to 
actually use software while others have been quite rigorous.

So let us move on

Robert Hind (Semi-retired)
Ex Traralgon and Ashwood

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Andrew Shortell" <a.shortell at braemar.vic.edu.au>
To: "Year 12 Information Technology Processing and Management 
Teachers'MailingList" <ipm at edulists.com.au>
Sent: Friday, March 03, 2006 2:23 PM
Subject: RE: [Year 12 IPM] ITA ("IPM 2007") summary

> Hi
> Having been one of the people involved in writing the previous study
> design (the one brought in for 2000) I believe that the task is
> incredibly large. There are so many conflicting "wants" and so much care
> is needed to make it rigorous, do-able and respected by Uni and industry
> representatives.
> The final product is meant to please as many as w e can while still
> making the subject reasonable for teachers without the need for
> significant upskilling. Remember that there are many teachers of IT who
> are not perhaps as skilled as say Mark or Keith or Kevork; who have
> never been network administrators; never run a CISCO course; not
> lectured at uni to 3rd or 4th year programming; not worked in the
> business world (or even done the TRIP from yrs ago in the state system);
> or lots of other things. For example I have never done a CISCO course. I
> came into teaching later in life and so have some appreciation of
> working in the business environment, working in a collaborative
> environment (and also in a non-team workplace) etc.
>
> Specific criticisms of the study design and suggestions of how to
> address these 'problems' and how to cope as teachers are always very
> helpful. The study design is now published. If you feel that badly about
> it then perhaps you could prewrite parts of the next one and send it to
> Paula and the rest of the panel. Perhaps put it up on the edulist site.
> Become a text book author and add your ideas to the book to excite the
> students and so demonstrate the value of what you want.
>
> And if none of these work - then take a tree / sea change and relax a
> little.  After all, what we are teaching in IT will be utterly old in
> five to ten years. This subject is not like maths - when I teach maths I
> teach much the same stuff that I learnt when I was at school. (When I
> got a calculator I was not allowed to use it at school because the
> teachers did not understand how it worked - computers - make me laugh- I
> met mainframes at uni)
>
> Seriously :  Be constructive  HELP your fellow teachers to cope. This
> list is really great at helping teachers, let us keep it that way.
>
>
> Andrew Shortell
> Braemar College
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: ipm-bounces at edulists.com.au [mailto:ipm-bounces at edulists.com.au]
> On Behalf Of Adrian Janson
> Sent: Friday, 3 March 2006 1:36 PM
> To: 'Year 12 Information Technology Processing and Management
> Teachers'Mailing List'
> Subject: RE: [Year 12 IPM] ITA ("IPM 2007") summary
>
> Hi all,
>
> As one of the "eggheads" I feel that I need to respond to this thread.
> I do
> not live in the "dark ages".  Personally, I take offense at some of the
> terms that have been used.  We all have the right to express our
> opinions as
> professionals, however I feel that those making derogatory remarks need
> to
> temper them into constructive criticisms rather than "sledges" or
> referring
> to the study design as "crud".  It would certainly be possible for
> someone
> to take the study design and create tasks for the students to complete
> that
> would be "crud".  It is a STUDY DESIGN - and it is now our brief to
> create
> tasks and material for our students to inspire and excite them, which we
> should all be aiming to do.
>
> Firstly, the process of writing the new study design was a long and
> exhaustive one.  I, for one, felt privileged to have been selected to be
> on
> the advisory panel.  Those of us on the panel debated long about how to
> make
> the study design appealing and relevant - and I for one, feel that we
> have
> succeeded in that aim.  Databases are a CORE element of IT and their use
> in
> industry is widespread.  I don't think any one of us could dispute that.
>
>
> When writing a course from the ground up - and this IS what we did, it
> is
> important to consider those elements that are core elements of our
> discipline.  We have included these - and more.  The VET courses provide
> a
> very different experience for students, and we did not want to replicate
> that.  The study design affords a wide range of applications and tasks
> to be
> completed - and it is up to us to write coursework to fit into our
> schools
> and tailored for our particular students.  I for one, will gladly post
> my
> tasks to the list and as I often do, I would encourage others to do the
> same.
>
> During the writing process, a large number of industry experts,
> organisations and focus groups were consulted - and their feedback was
> addressed to a point.
>
> ........  Think I might stop now and take a walk outside.
>
> Any more personal sledges - perhaps respond to my email off the list.
>
> Adrian Janson
> Melbourne High School
>
>
>
>
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