[Year 12 IT Apps] REVIEW OF VCE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, SUMMARY OF PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE STUDY DESIGN

[Mark Kelly]

I have not said that databases should not be in the ITA course.  I am 
saying that having two out of three software-based outcomes using RDBMS 
is excessive.

Personally, I like databases.  I work on them every day.  But kids are 
relieved when the database outcome is behind them. And even when I train 
many of them up in years 10 and 11, their database outcome is the least 
pleasing of the year's ITA assessments.

Sure databases are important in IT, but so are the other things like 
image editing, animation etc that don't get a look-in, and now seem to 
have even less chance of getting one.

It's a matter of balance.

Margaret Lawson wrote:
> So what you are saying Mark is that we shouldn't offer an IT curriculum 
> that is grounded in something that is fundamentally IT, such as Database 
> concepts, but rather something more exciting such as image manipulation 
> which sounds a lot like the "Graphic Communication" curriculum.
> 
> If what this subject wants, in the long term, is to be a pre-requisite 
> for a university course, then it needs to have curriculum that is 
> fundamentally IT in nature.
> It is up to *us* as the teachers of the subject to interpret the study 
> design and make the curriculum exciting for the kids. If you want to 
> teach photo editing, then teach graphic communication, or certificate 
> III multimedia (does that still exist?). After all a database is only as 
> exciting as the data that is in it ...... just think about the 
> possibilities for depth of learning if the kids are doing two SAC's 
> (prac test and extended) in databases?
> 
> I like the fact that the new study design is concentrating on databases. 
> I know that they can be bland, but it is a key IT concept and an 
> important one at that.
> I would like to see a greater emphasis on Year 11 IT so that the kids 
> that coming into Unit 3/4 have used and abused databases before.
> 
> :-)
> 
> Margaret
> 
> Part time St. Michaels
> Part time Konstant Kaos
> 
> 
> Mark Kelly wrote:
>> Why don't we teach Shakespeare in grade 3 English classes?  Because 
>> the clients don't NEED it; they don't WANT it; it is of NO USE to 
>> them; and it is damned BORING to them.
>>
>> And if we did teach it, would we double the dose when they failed to 
>> understand it?  That's what is being proposed, as far as I can see.
>>
>> It reminds me of a conversation:
>>
>> Mother: Eat your beans*.
>>
>> Child: I HATE BEANS!  They are BORING and TASTELESS and FARTFUL and I 
>> HATE HATE HATE THEM!
>>
>> Mother: Hmm.  Data reveals that child refuses to absorb beans.  Let's 
>> DOUBLE the beans.  That will surely fix the problem.
>>
>> This is really a step in the wrong direction. We had it better in the 
>> previous IPM U3O1 where kids actually ENJOYED doing photo editing.  Is 
>> that so evil?
>>
>> I am seriously feeling that I don't want to teach this proposed new 
>> course.  Seriously, folks: I'd rather take ITA off McKinnon's VCE 
>> offerings and only offer Software Development.  I'd be embarrassed 
>> justifying the proposed ITA as a stimulating VCE option.
>>
>> Our VCE information night is in two days... and I dread telling 
>> current year tens that they will face a course with double-databases 
>> in 2011...
>>
>> "Line up, sign up: there are plenty of databases for everyone.  No 
>> pushing. Well, yes, it IS boring, but it is useful. How is it useful? 
>> Well, no.  It won't be relevant to any of your other VCE subjects, and 
>> it's useless in daily life.  And, yes, serious RDMS normalisation 
>> (e.g. many-to-many relationships) IS really complex... more complex 
>> than much of the stuff in the Software Development course.  So you 
>> have no real interest in IT and would rather do Commerce?  Strange..."
>>
>> Wouldn't it be more honest to call the new course: IT: Data?
>>
>> And if the kids did enter tertiary IT (after surviving the new IT: 
>> Data), would they not be completely retrained anyway?  Do any tertiary 
>> courses assume prerequisite knowledge of VCE key knowledge. Don't they 
>> start from scratch?
>>
>> I appreciate the new course's desire to deepen students' understanding 
>> of topics by reducing the breadth of study. This proposed course would 
>> deepen the misery of IT study, not its fascination.
>>
>> I can understand and appreciate dropping project management.  Dull, 
>> irrelevant, and employed really artificially in outcomes.  But 
>> databases not only persist, but they are doubled??  Badly, seriously 
>> wrong, IMHO.
>>
>>
>> *Hint: Beans == Databases.
>>
>> Mark Kelly wrote:
>>> http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/vce/vceconsult/itsumofchanges.doc
>>>
>>> *TWO* ITA outcomes using databases?  O! no no no...
>>>
>>> ITA enrolments have been bad enough recently.
>>>
>>> This will surely kill them stone dead.
>>>
>>
> 
> 


-- 
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 9578 9253
kel at mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au

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