Digital Technologies

Digital Technologies provide students with opportunities to gain knowledge and skills that will support effective use of ICTs (Information and Communication Technologies) throughout their education.

In junior digital technologies courses students will learn specific digital technology skills. Working on projects and using the supporting teaching, students will have an opportunity to gain the following knowledge, skills and digital literacy:

• Efficient and effective use of a computer and other digital devices.
• Making presentations/digital storytelling
• Introduction to a range of software applications
• Introduction to file management skills
• Develop their research and presentation skills

Students can then apply their skills and knowledge in the technological process.

There are three interrelated strands in the Technology Curriculum:

Technological Practice – Students examine the practice of others and undertake their own;

Technological Knowledge – students develop knowledge particular to technological enterprises and environments and understandings of how and why things work; and

Nature of Technology – Students develop an understanding of technology as a discipline and of how it differs from other disciplines.[1]

Integration of these three strands will provide students with opportunities to increase their level of technological literacy by understanding their own technological practice. At all levels this will encompass development of students’ competence and confidence in both understanding and using existing technologies. They will also learn to make informed choices in creating solutions to technological problems.

Senior Digital Technologies courses will focus on developing a more in-depth knowledge of a range of applications and processes, as well as preparing students for further study or the workplace. Senior courses will offer a range of content, aligned with the Digital Technologies Guidelines (under development). Both Unit Standards and Achievement Standards will be offered, as well as the opportunity to gain the National Certificate in Computing (Level 3) by the end of Year 13. Therefore students wishing to pursue this option should be prepared to take the subject from Year 11 through to Year 13.

The College has three rooms of 30 computers running on a Windows XP Professional platform. To support this we also have networked printers, a colour laser printer, scanners, digital still cameras, a digital video camera and data projectors. Microsoft Office 2007 is the suite of software applications used and students will also be using a range of other applications such as Inspiration Mindmapping, Internet Explorer, and NXT programming software.