ICT

"We need IT every day"

Aims of the department

• We seek to give students fluency in the use of ICT for learning leisure and work.
• To constantly seek to improve the quality of teaching and learning using ICT.
• To teach the skills required to use ICT as the most efficient medium for finding, organising and using information as part of the learning process.
• To give students opportunities to use ICT whenever it can make learning more effective.
• We will support the development of highest standards of teaching and learning using ICT.
• To promote pupils ability in using ICT thoughtfully, efficiently and effectively.
• To promote the skills associated with enquiry and using information.
• To give pupils the opportunity to explore their attitudes towards ICT, its value for themselves, others and society, and their awareness of its advantages and limitations.
• To promote independent learning and study skills, helping students to be discerning in their searches and choices of websites.
• Develop good Health and Safety attitudes and practice.

Course details

KS3

We broadly follow the national strategy for ICT more details can be found at
www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/keystage3/subjects/ict/

Year 7

The main focus in year 7 is communicating information and learning about effective research.

Students learn to develop their presentation skills, how to ensure they make work suitable for a particular audience, how to adapt work for different audiences and the problems that can be encountered when making work suitable for a very wide audience. Students are encouraged to evaluate their own and others work in terms of its suitability for the purpose and the content.

They learn how to make best use of the Internet to carry out effective research.

Projects for year 7 include:

1. How to work safely with computers.
A research project with the aim of teaching about using computers safely at school and at home. IT skills include using some advanced featured of Word.

2. All about Me.
Pupils create a PowerPoint presentation about themselves. A PowerPoint presentation with the aim of ensuring pupils can use graphics efficiently and work with specific audiences in mind. IT skills include use of scanner, digital camera, and email.

3. Using data and Information sources.
Students learn about how to carry out effective internet research. They learn which search engine to use for which purpose. And how to check the reliability of the information they find.

4. Astronomy project.
This project is carried out in conjunction with the Physics department and the Library. It provides an opportunity for students to extend their knowledge and put into practice what they have learnt about research and presentation.

5. Making a leaflet.
More about presentation and the use of corporate identity to create impression. IT skills include the use of Publisher to create appropriate documents suitable for a specific purpose.

Year 8

The main focus in year 8 is data handling. Students learn how to make effective use of spreadsheets to handle data, including the use of formulas and functions and how to create graphs. Pupils also use data bases to search and sort data. They learn how to collect and process data using questionnaires.

1. Introduction to modelling and presenting numeric data.
In this unit pupils use spreadsheets to model simple situations. They use basic spreadsheet functions to construct, explore and amend simple models and consider how to manipulate graphs and tables in order to present their findings effectively. This unit uses the example of a school disco.

2. Introduction to data handling.
In this unit pupils have to be able to set a hypothesis, collect appropriate data and put it into a structure to analyse it. They learn about different question types and how to design effective questionnaires. They have to design a suitable structure to handle data and enter data. They have to know how check the plausibility of the data collected, how to limit errors and decide what to do with probable inaccurate data. They then have to process their data and produce a report.

3. Information reliability and validity.
In this unit pupils consider the importance of using reliable and valid data.It reinforces and builds upon work carried out in year 7.

4. Web Technology
This unit is the chance to learn about how the Internet and web sites work and an opportunity to design and build your own webpage.

Year 9

In year 9 the focus is on combining skills and knowledge. Students are encouraged to think for themselves to develop their work, and be able to make judgements about the quality of their work. The main project in year 9 surrounds a charity project to grow plants.

Pupils have to assess the feasibility of the project in financial terms. They have to design an automated greenhouse system, investigate the marketing of the project and report all their findings.

Assessment takes place throughout a project to help students learn and achieve at the highest possible level.

At the end of a unit of work a final assessment is made based upon the national curriculum level descriptors for ICT.

Details can be found on this site:
www.ncaction.org.uk/subjects/ict/levels.htm

KS4

At KS4 pupils have the opportunity to further develop their skills and knowledge. They are not constrained by the necessity to follow an examination course. They are encouraged to use their ICT time to work on broad based projects that challenge and develop independent learning and research.

Projects covered include:

• Communication in business
• Pop festival planning
• Energy Conservation
• The influence of screen based media
• The human impact on the environment
• Genetic engineering
• The criminal justice system

Career opportunities

If you are interested in the ICT itself, ICT offers a huge range of career opportunities from hardware and software design and development to systems analysis and technical management.

Most careers require a high degree of ICT competency with a broad range of applications. You do not have to know and remember how to use every function in every each piece of software….you do need to have a strong conceptual understanding of what the different programs are used for. You need to be able to make reasoned choices of software for a task… you need to know what each piece of software will do, rather than how to do it. So long as you have sufficient knowledge and experience to enable you to know what to use…how to do it is the easy part!

You need to have a basic functional ICT literacy not just for a career, but for your everyday life.

Some useful websites for ICT

www.ictgcse.com
www.teachict.co.uk
www.censusatschool.ntu.ac.uk
www.getsafeonline.org
www.besafeonline.org
www.bbc.co.uk/webwise
www.virtualglobaltaskforce.com