[Year 12 IT Apps] Re: [Yr11 Information Technology] Re: the newsyllabus and some general comments

Thu Jun 21 12:26:03 EST 2007

I wholly agree Maree.

I wrote earlier in the year of the problem facing students who have no prerequisite skills, especially for a school with no Year 7 to 10 and with few students doing Year 11.

Most of our intake is from outside RMIT.  Consequently, our students are severely disadvantaged, and will be even more so in future years, as, generally,  they have had little or no computer skills experience, save from surfing the internet and emails.  Some even have difficulty in saving files and locating files in their own drive, let alone the network.

The course is not fair across the whole state due to varying skills and learning experiences of the students.

To have no pre-requisites and then expect students to learn databases and web software is a big ask in schools where students have had no prior experience.  They are then compared to students where they have years 7-11 and teaching databases and web software from Year 9 or 10 onwards.

Where is the level playing field??

If I was in a school with the normal 7-12 levels I would not have seen, or be cognisant, of this problem.  It is obvious those who devised the course were not either.

Geoff Moss
RMIT

> Maree Duivenvoorden <MareeD at toorakc.vic.edu.au> wrote:
> 
> 
> 
> How fortunate to have the luxury of IT skills and application software
> (Databases, Spreadsheets and Web Pages), not to mention IT theory, being
> taught before Year 12. I do not have that at all (no formal IT classes
> before Year 11 and this year no Unit 1 or 2 due to lack of numbers) and
> my students have found it hard to keep up with learning the software,
> practicing solutions and attending to the theory required all in time
> for the outcomes this semester.
> 
> 
> Maree Duivenvoorden
> Head of Year 9
> Toorak College
> Mount Eliza Vic  3930
> 
> Direct line: 0397887252
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: itapps-bounces at edulists.com.au
> [mailto:itapps-bounces at edulists.com.au] On Behalf Of Mark Kelly
> Sent: Thursday, 21 June 2007 11:17 AM
> To: Year 12 IT Applications Teachers' Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [Year 12 IT Apps] Re: [Yr11 Information Technology] Re: the
> newsyllabus and some general comments
> 
> This year was hard in IT11 and ITA because of the large amount of new 
> skills that needed to be taught for the first time - especially 
> databases in ITA... why that had to be the FIRST outcome I'll never 
> know: a very odd bit of planning, I thought.
> 
> I know I spent a LOT more time than usual on developing practical skills
> 
>   in semester 1 ITA.  I hope to get time back for theory in sem 2 
> because for my kids spreadsheets and web authoring are easy peasy.
> 
> Also, ITA U4O2 is a short and sweet test stemming from normal theory so 
> time need not be spent on learning yet another tool.
> 
> Anyway, we are all (I'm sure) madly rejigging our junior classes so the 
> new VCE IT skill requirements are introduced in the lower levels so 
> there won't be the precipitous learning curve we faced this year.
> 
> For example, the year 11 kids having done databases and programming this
> 
> year will find ITA databasing and SD programming easier next year.
> 
> fiona bain wrote:
> > Not sure who to make this feedback, nor whether it was just me who
> > encountered this problem with Unit 1.  I ran out of time.  I took so
> long
> > with the database and the original web page/publication for outcome 2
> that
> > outcome 3 will need to be finished in the first week of next term.
> > 
> > Perhaps I made the mistake of having a web page for outcome 2 and
> should
> > have used some other form of publication?
> > 
> > Unit 3 worked much better for us because it dropped down to 2
> outcomes,
> > although my students (one of whom is very pedantic) struggled with
> making
> > a proto-type - he wanted the real deal nor could he see the logic of
> > putting the networking part with the web site (dont think he was alone
> > there).
> > 
> > Anyway I just thought this was a good time to find out how others felt
> and
> > perhaps pass the message on up the line (unless it was just me being
> more
> > disorganised than usual!). This will be the last thing I get involved
> > with, I think, as I finish teaching IT next Friday.  I am off to
> Brunei in
> > August to teach Business Studies.
> > 
> > I have used this list daily for the last 7 years and, without it,
> would
> > never have coped.  I just want to say a huge big thanks to everyone
> who
> > posts.  Keep up the great work. In Scotland, where I am originally
> from,
> > they have a saying - lang may yer lum reek - may you always have coal
> in
> > your fireplace - or may you always have good fortune
> > 
> > 
> 
> -- 
> Mark Kelly
> Manager - Information Systems
> McKinnon Secondary College
> McKinnon Rd McKinnon 3204, Victoria, Australia
> Direct line / Voicemail: 8520 9085
> School Phone +613 8520 9000
> School Fax +613 95789253
> kel AT mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au
> 
> Webmaster - http://www.mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au
> IT Lecture notes: http://vceit.com
> Moderator: IT Applications Mailing List
> 
> There are 10 kinds of people in the world: those who understand binary
> and those who don't.
> 
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