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

Wed Aug 19 10:26:40 EST 2009

Hear, hear Mark.

I agree with your comments.  I too, am not advocating the abolition of 
databases.  I agree that there needs to be a balance.  It is much more that 
merely databases.

Geoff Moss
RMIT

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mark Kelly" <kel at mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au>
To: "Year 12 IT Applications Teachers' Mailing List" 
<itapps at edulists.com.au>
Sent: Wednesday, August 19, 2009 8:10 AM
Subject: Re: [Year 12 IT Apps] REVIEW OF VCE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, 
SUMMARYOF PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE STUDY DESIGN

>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
>
> Webmaster - http://www.mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au
> IT Lecture notes: http://vceit.com
> Moderator: IT Applications Mailing List
>
> RealMenDon'tNeedSpacebars.
>
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