[Yr7-10it] ICT Week 2007

[Roland Gesthuizen]

Firstly, please accept my apologies for any duplicate posts.

 <http://www.flickr.com/photos/plakboek/935893876/>
 ICT Expo at Xavier College<http://www.flickr.com/photos/plakboek/935893876/>
VITTA supported ICT Week 2007 <http://ictweek.vitta.org.au/>with an July
Expo organised by Phil at Xavier College to help explore Information
Technology as a career. President Adrian opened the event in the Great Hall.
Later I helped chair a session by Peter from the Australian Bureau of
Meteorology who discussed many of the new and growing career prospects and
opportunities for our students. Imagine backing up a terrabyte of new data
each day.

There was quite a buzz amongst the different tables. I had a good chance to
make some new contacts, organise a guest speaker for my senior IT students.
The bundle of brochures and stories that I took back the next day has
certainly sparked some interest. Thank you everybody!

It is good that VITTA is doing its part to help encourage students to
consider an ICT career, yet .. there is probably more that we can do at
school. A career in ICT can provide an exciting opportunity to work with the
latest technology, be part of a growing industry with good pay. It is
certainly not about sitting in in front of a computer all day.

Multimedia Victoria is studying the attitudes of 14 to 19 year olds towards
ICT study and careers <http://www.mmv.vic.gov.au/AttitudestoICTcareers>.
Their research has been used to help encourage more young people to study
and work in the ICT field. Their recent research concludes that the ICT
sector needs an image make-over and schools can probably do more to help.
Whilst over 40 per cent of students surveyed admitting they have little
understanding about what working in ICT actually entails, 13% of the
students surveyed showed a strong interest. Exposure to ICT in year 9 and 10
was more likely to interest them in further study or a career in ICT. There
is some excellent material in this report for IT teachers!

It is worth downloading the PDF of their latest
report<http://www.mmv.vic.gov.au/uploads/downloads/Skills_careers/ICTSkillsResearchFINALPDF.pdf>for
a read.
http://www.mmv.vic.gov.au/AttitudestoICTcareers (RHS link)

-- 
Roland Gesthuizen - ICT Coordinator - Westall Secondary College
http://www.westallsc.vic.edu.au

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change
the world; indeed it is the only thing that ever has." --Margaret Mead
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