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1.1: Is your class ready for Digital Technologies?
Digital Technologies is taking a starring role in the latest New Zealand Curriculum to ensure all learners have the digital skills they'll need to thrive in the future, and we're here to help!
Our new Junior courses for Year 1 - 10 students are aligned to meet the progress outcomes of the new Digital Technologies curriculum, while also helping younger students to meet the Maths curriculum.
We're ready to help young learners create, not just consume, our awesome digital world, and make it easy and fun for teachers to plan lessons and meet the new criteria.
From 2020, Digital Technologies programmes will:
- Be compulsory for every student from Year 1 - Year 10. This means it will become a core part of the curriculum for all primary and middle schools, then integrate with NCEA options in Year 11.
- Shift from Achievement Outcomes (AOs) to Progress Outcomes (POs). Instead of 8 AOs to meet at every curriculum level, there are only 13 POs to meet across a student's entire schooling to significantly reduce workload.
- Embed the three strands of Technological Practise, Technological Knowledge and Nature of Technology into the POs, which are focused on two technological areas: Computational Thinking and Designing and Developing Digital Outcomes. See our suggested year plans to easily meet the POs for each area and curriculum level.
- Take a non-linear approach, with POs shared across curriculum levels. Code Avenger's Junior courses are designed to support this with content to meet the PO requirements of each level while also building strong foundational skills for future POs.
Note: If you are teaching a high school technology other than Digital Technologies (DT), your area remains unchanged. Your students will still meet the old Achievement Outcomes (AOs) from the 3 strands.
1.2: Computational Thinking Strand (CT) has 8 progress outcomes:
Find them here on TKI from the MOE.
Our Junior courses; Data Representation, Computational Thinking, and Programming each have 3 levels. These 9 courses meet the first 3 progress outcomes. In our Pro track we support the iteration, programming, digital outcome and data management standards. See NCEA section for more details.
Computational Thinking Progress Outcome 1
In authentic contexts and taking account of end-users, students use their decomposition skills to break down simple non-computerised tasks into precise, unambiguous, step-by-step instructions (algorithmic thinking). They give these instructions, identify any errors in them as they are followed, and correct them (simple debugging).
Computational Thinking Progress Outcome 2
In authentic contexts and taking account of end-users, students give, follow and debug simple algorithms in computerised and non-computerised contexts. They use these algorithms to create simple programs involving outputs and sequencing (putting instructions one after the other) in age-appropriate programming environments.
Computational Thinking Progress Outcome 3
In authentic contexts and taking account of end-users, students decompose problems into step-by-step instructions to create algorithms for computer programs. They use logical thinking to predict the behaviour of the programs, and they understand that there can be more than one algorithm for the same problem. They develop and debug simple programs that use inputs, outputs, sequence and iteration (repeating part of the algorithm with a loop). They understand that digital devices store data using just two states represented by binary digits (bits).
Computational Thinking Progress Outcome 4
In authentic contexts and taking account of end-users, students decompose problems to create simple algorithms using the three building blocks of programing: sequence, selection, and iteration. They implement these algorithms by creating programs that use inputs, outputs, sequence, basic selection using comparative operators, and iteration. They debug simple algorithms and programs by identifying when things go wrong with their instructions and correcting them, and they are able to explain why things went wrong and how they fixed them.
Students understand that digital devices represent data with binary digits and have ways of detecting errors in data storage and transmission. They evaluate the efficiency of algorithms, recognising that computers need to search and sort large amounts of data. They also evaluate user interfaces in relation to their efficiency and usability.
Computational Thinking Progress Outcome 5
In authentic contexts and taking account of end-users, students independently decompose problems into algorithms. They use these algorithms to create programs with inputs, outputs, sequence, selection using comparative and logical operators and variables of different data types, and iteration. They determine when to use different types of control structures.
Students document their programs, using an organised approach for testing and debugging. They understand how computers store more complex types of data using binary digits, and they develop programs considering human-computer interaction (HCI) heuristics.
Computational Thinking Progress Outcome 6
In authentic contexts and taking account of end-users, students determine and compare the cost (computational complexity) of two iterative algorithms for the same problem size. They understand the concept of compression coding for different media types, its typical uses, and how it enables widely used technologies to function.
Students use an iterative process to design, develop, document and test basic computer programs. They apply design principles and usability heuristics to their own designs and evaluate user interfaces in terms of them.
Computational Thinking Progress Outcome 7
In authentic contexts and taking account of end-users, students analyse concepts in digital technologies (for example, information systems, encryption, error control, complexity and tractability, autonomous control) by explaining the relevant mechanisms that underpin them, how they are used in real world applications, and the key problems or issues related to them.
Students discuss the purpose of a selection of data structures and evaluate their use in terms of trade-offs between performance and storage requirements and their suitability for different algorithms. They use an iterative process to design, develop, document and test advanced computer programs.
Computational Thinking Progress Outcome 8
In authentic contexts and taking account of end-users, students evaluate concepts in digital technologies (for example, formal languages, network communication protocols, artificial intelligence, graphics and visual computing, big data, social algorithms) in relation to how key mechanisms underpin them and how they are applied in different scenarios when developing real world applications
Students understand accepted software engineering methodologies and user experience design processes and apply their key concepts to design, develop, document and test complex computer programs.
Find Computational Thinking exemplars on Technology Online for most of the POs.
1.3: Designing and Developing Digital Outcomes strand (DO or DDDO) has 6 progress outcomes:
Find them here on TKI from the MOE.
Find DO exemplars on Technology Online for most of the POs.
Currently we have no Junior courses to meet this strand. Our Pro courses are the HTML-CSS and Web Development courses.
Designing and Developing Digital Outcomes Progress Outcome 1
In authentic contexts and taking account of end-users, students participate in teacher-led activities to develop, manipulate, store, retrieve and share digital content in order to meet technological challenges. In doing so, they identify digital devices and their purposes and understand that humans make them. They know how to use some applications, they can identify the inputs and outputs of a system, and they understand that digital devices store content, which can be retrieved later.
Designing and Developing Digital Outcomes Progress Outcome 2
In authentic contexts and taking account of end-users, students make decisions about creating, manipulating, storing, retrieving, sharing and testing digital content for a specific purpose, given particular parameters, tools, and techniques. They understand that digital devices impact on humans and society and that both the devices and their impact change over time. Students identify the specific role of components in a simple input-process-output system and how they work together, and they recognise the "control role" that humans have in the system. They can select from an increasing range of applications and file types to develop outcomes for particular purposes.
Designing and Developing Digital Outcomes Progress Outcome 3
In authentic contexts, students follow a defined process to design, develop, store, test and evaluate digital content to address given contexts or issues, taking into account immediate social, ethical and end-user considerations. They identify the key features of selected software and choose the most appropriate software and file types to develop and combine digital content.
Students understand the role of operating systems in managing digital devices, security, and application software and are able to apply file management conventions using a range of storage devices. They understand that with storing data comes responsibility for ensuring security and privacy.
Look at Impacts of Computing 300 - Security Siege for our Hour of Code project on this topic.
Designing and Developing Digital Outcomes Progress Outcome 4
In authentic contexts, students investigate and consider possible solutions for a given context or issue. With support, they use an iterative process to design, develop, store and test digital outcomes, identifying and evaluating relevant social, ethical and end-user considerations. They use information from testing and apply appropriate tools, techniques, procedures and protocols to improve the quality of the outcomes and to ensure they are fit-for-purpose and meet end-user requirements.
Designing and Developing Digital Outcomes Progress Outcome 5
In authentic contexts and with support, students investigate a specialised digital technologies area (for example, digital media, digital information, electronic environments, user experience design, digital systems) and propose possible solutions to issues they identify. They independently apply an iterative process to design, develop, store and test digital outcomes that enable their solutions, identifying, evaluating, prioritising and responding to relevant social, ethical and end-user considerations. They use information from testing and, with increasing confidence, optimise tools, techniques, procedures and protocols to improve the quality of the outcomes. They apply evaluative processes to ensure the outcomes are fit-for-purpose and meet end-user requirements.
Designing and Developing Digital Outcomes Progress Outcome 6
In authentic contexts, students independently investigate a specialised digital technologies area and propose possible solutions to issues they identify. They work independently or within collaborative, cross-functional teams to apply an iterative development process to plan, design, develop, test and create quality, fit-for-purpose digital outcomes that enable their solutions, synthesising relevant social, ethical and end-user considerations as they develop digital content.
Students integrate in the outcomes they develop specialised knowledge of digital applications and systems from a range of areas, including: network architecture; complex electronics environments and embedded systems; interrelated computing devices, hardware and applications; digital information systems; user experience design; complex management of digital information; and creative digital media.
Digital outcomes are more than e-learning
Many teachers confuse e-learning for Digital outcomes.
Look at this resource from Kia Takatū ā-Matihiko Digital Readiness programme
1.4: Digital technologies curriculum areas
Digital technologies is a foundational field for 21st century learners. Code Avengers helps teachers and learners engage with digital technologies in a project-based, cross-curricular approach. Below are the five main areas of digital technologies. All underpinned by the two areas of computer science and humans & computers.
Data Representation
Store information so that computers can efficiently move and process it.
"Explore the history of numbers and data representation, from the stone age through to the digital age. Then learn how computers store books, music, photos and games by representing data using just zeros and ones."
Algorithms
Set of steps to accomplish a task.
"Algorithms are the step-by-step instructions that you give to computers to make them solve problems. In this track you'll learn how to break down difficult problems and design creative solutions."
Programming
Writing algorithms in a language computers understand.
"Learn how to write programs that make computers do amazing things.
You'll create interactive animations, and develop awesome games, all with code that you'll write yourself!"
Designing and Developing Digital Outcomes Strand:
Digital Infrastructure and Devices
How do computers work? How do devices communicate with each other?
"Explore how computers transfer and share data in a wired, wireless and mobile world.
Then learn how to keep your computer free from viruses, modify databases and protect your precious data from evil hackers."
Digital Media and Applications
Design & build digital applications & systems that meet human needs.
"Explore the magical tools and techniques used to build engaging apps, games and websites. Dive into the world of design and human-computer interaction as you learn to create the perfect user experience."