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

[Robert Hind]

We have a SD to work with and it is now our job to make as interesting a course as possible for our students within the broad constraints of the SD. It is not highly prescriptive, if it was then, as Adrian says, there would be many more complaints.

So folks: "Put your money where your mouth is" and come up with varied and stimulating courses that will attract your students and still stay within the bounds of the SD.

Robert Hind (Semi-retired)
Ex Traralgon and Ashwood


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Adrian Janson" <jansona at bigpond.net.au>
To: "'Year 12 Information Technology Processing and ManagementTeachers'Mailing List'" <ipm at edulists.com.au>
Sent: Sunday, March 05, 2006 4:42 PM
Subject: RE: [Year 12 IPM] ITA ("IPM 2007") summary


> Hi all,
> 
> (and BTW - thank you Nick for you retraction)
> 
> The VCE IT study design must be viewed as a two year course - and as such,
> please do not be too hasty to condemn IT Applications.  I am sure that most
> of us would agree that the current IT 1/2 study has had some difficulties,
> and across the state, numbers doing 1/2 have been in steady decline.  Let's
> look at the 1/2 course:
> 
> Unit 1: IT in action
> 
> Outcome 1: Students use web authoring or multimedia authoring software to
> transform an existing printed information product into an on-screen one.
> This could involve a simple web page, could involve flash or a vast number
> of different packages....
> Outcome 2: An introductory database task.
> Outcome 3: Examines some contempory issues in IT.  Students (in teams)
> create a multimedia presentation to present those issues.  Again, software
> is wide open - students could make a simple presentation or could easily use
> a video editing package.....
> 
> Unit 2: IT pathways
> 
> Outcome 1: Students develop a programming folio showing a progression of
> skills.  
> Outcome 2: Students represent a networked information system using an
> appropriate software package, from web authoring to animation packages.
> Outcome 3: Team task in which students solve a real information problem.
> The task can be completed in a programming language or multimedia or web
> authoring....
> 
> There is the scope to include a wide variety of different packages in the
> 1/2 course and tailor it specifically for what your students want.  The 1/2
> course has been written so that it links equally well into both IT
> Applications and Software Development, and a school where one is favoured
> can easily bias their 1/2 course in that direction.  Likewise, the course
> gives all students skills across both 'pathways'.  
> 
> One of the problems with writing a 3/4 course is academic rigour.  Firstly,
> one of our initial concerns was that we wanted to raise the profile of the
> IT 3/4 courses, as their overall standing had 'slipped' (hence the scaling
> down of both IS and IPM).  There are things that are fundamentals to both
> IPM and IS - that must be addressed.  These core skills have been included.
> Another factor that must be considered is the ability of schools to
> implement the course.  Despite the ire of some of you that the course does
> not contain video editing or flash action scripting or "..", if the course
> specifically mandated something as specialised as any of these, there would
> be 100's of angry messages instead of a few.  Many would be saying ... but
> what of spreadsheets and databases???  Like it or not, spreadsheets and
> databases are core IT skills and are used in a widespread fashion 'out
> there'.  Although the course is not driven by the exam, the exam does play a
> part and as such, any 3/4 study needs to be explicitly defined and
> examinable.  
> 
> The 1/2 course now has the potential to attract students to the study - if
> you write an exciting course at your school level that caters to the needs
> of your students (which should be easy to do).  Create whatever courses you
> like at Junior / Middle school - in fact, we should all be doing our level
> best at these levels to attract as many students as we can to the study.
> However, at 3/4 level comes a balance between core requirements and creating
> a course that looks 'fun' to do.  We can find ways to make the 'boring
> stuff' fun, but we should NOT take out the 'boring stuff' because it is seen
> as boring....  WE ARE THE ONES THAT KNOW BEST... We've been out there and we
> know what skills students need - they DON'T. 
> 
> Adrian Janson
>  
> 
> 
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