Digital Technologies

Learning in Digital Technologies focuses on further developing understanding and skills in computational thinking, such as categorising and outlining procedures; and developing an increasing awareness of how digital systems are used and could be used at home, in school and the local community.

By the end of Year 4, students will have had opportunities to create a range of digital solutions, such as interactive adventures that involve user choice, modelling simplified real world systems and simple guessing games.

In Year 3 and 4, students explore digital systems in terms of their components, and peripheral devices such as digital microscopes, cameras and interactive whiteboards. They collect, manipulate and interpret data, developing an understanding of the characteristics of data and their representation.

Using the concept of abstraction, students define simple problems using techniques such as summarising facts to deduce conclusions. They record simple solutions to problems through text and diagrams and develop their designing skills from initially following prepared algorithms to describing their own that support branching (choice of options) and user input.

Their solutions are implemented using appropriate software including visual programming languages that use graphical elements rather than text instructions. They explain, in general terms, how their solutions meet specific needs and consider how society may use digital systems to meet needs in environmentally sustainable ways.

With teacher guidance, students identify and list the major steps needed to complete a task or project. When sharing ideas and communicating in online environments they develop an understanding of why it is important to consider the feelings of their audiences and apply safe practices and social protocols agreed by the class that demonstrate respectful behaviour.

Years 3 and 4 Band Description

Identify and explore a range of digital systems with peripheral devices for different purposes, and transmit different types of data (ACTDIK007).

• using different peripheral devices to display information to others, for example using a mobile device, interactive whiteboard or a data projector to present information

• using specific peripheral devices to capture different types of data, for example using a digital microscope to capture images of living and non-living things

• experimenting with different types of digital system components and peripheral devices to perform input, output and storage functions, for example a keyboard, stylus, touch screen, switch scan device or joystick to input instructions; a monitor, printer or tablet to display information; a USB flash drive and external hard drive as storage peripheral devices

• recognising that images and music can be transferred from a mobile device to a computer, for example using a cable to connect a camera and computer to upload images for a photo story

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

Collect, acces and present different types of data using simple software to create information and solve problems (ACTDIP009).

• selecting appropriate formats or layout styles to present data as information depending on the type of data and the audience, for example lists, tables, graphs, animations, info graphics and presentations

  • Asia and Australia’s Engagement with Asia

• using different techniques to present data as information, for example creating a column chart in a spreadsheet by colouring cells to represent different items

• improving the appearance and usability of data, for example using colour, headings and labelling of images to organise and accurately identify data

• using software to sort and calculate data when solving problems, for example sorting numerical and categorical data in ascending or descending order and automating simple arithmetic calculations using nearby cells and summing cell ranges in spreadsheet or database software

• exploring different online sources to access data, for example using online query interfaces to select and retrieve data from an online database such as a library catalogue or weather records

• recognising that all types of data are stored in digital systems and may be represented in different ways such as files and folders with names and icons