Digital Technologies: What now? Presentation by Dr Jason Zagami to the Queensland Studies Authority: Australian Curriculum conference on 22 March 2014 in Brisbane, QLD.

1. Digital Technologies
Australian Curriculum: Technologies

2. Dr Jason Zagami
jason.zagami.info

3. Lecturer
Griffith University
School of Education and Professional Studies
Gold Coast

4. Teaching

5. Research

6. Service

7. Curriculum Development

8. Melbourne
Declaration
2008
on Educational Goals for Young Australians

9. Melbourne
Declaration
Information and Communication
Technology and Design and
Technology

10. Technologies
Learning Area

13. Engineering a
Software Engineering
Mathematics a
Computer Science
Business a
Information Systems

14. Engineering a
Software Engineering
Mathematics a
Computer Science
Business /Graphics a
ICT

15. Engineering a
Software Engineering
Mathematics a
Computer Science
Business /Graphics a
ICT

16. Engineering a
Software Engineering
Mathematics a
Computer Science
Business /Graphics a
ICT

17. Software Engineering
Digital Technologies a
Computer Science
ICT General Capability a
ICT

18. 1:54

19. UK dis-application
!
ICT as a subject name carries negative
connotations of a dated and unchallenging
curriculum that does not serve the needs and
ambitions of pupils. Changing the subject name
of ICT to computing will not only improve the
status of the subject but also more accurately
reflect the breadth of content included in the
proposed new programmes of study
Education secretary Michael Gove MP
!
January 2012

20. !
!
!
I remember being at school and using early
computers. Yes, I was in computer club - and I
loved it. I think we’ve lost some of that sense of
joy and excitement in computing, and have just
become focused on just training kids to use
Windows. We want to bring some of that
excitement back.
September 2013
!
Elizabeth Truss
Parliamentary
Under Secretary
of State for Education and Childcare

21. !
!
!
Coding - one of the essential skills of the 21st
century - will now start at age 5. We are aiming to
develop one of the most rigorous computing
curricula in the world, where pupils will learn to
handle detailed, abstract computing processes
and over-11s will learn 2 programming
languages (one of which must be textual).
September 2013
!
Elizabeth Truss
Parliamentary
Under Secretary
of State for Education and Childcare

22. Developmental
Curriculum
Foundation Year 10

23. Processes and
production skills
Collecting, managing and analysing data /
Creating digital solutions by:
!
defining
designing
implementing
evaluating
collaborating and managing

24. Knowledge and
understanding
Digital systems
the components of digital systems:
hardware, software and networks and their use
Representation of data
how data are represented and structured
symbolically

25. Abstraction
!
Data Collection, Data Representation and Data
Interpretation
!
Specification, Algorithms and Implementation
!
Digital Systems
!
Interactions and Impacts

26. Abstraction
which underpins all content, particularly the
content descriptions relating to the concepts
of data representation and specification,
algorithms and implementation

27. Computational
Thinking
which underpins all content, particularly the
content descriptions relating to the concepts
of data representation and specification,
algorithms and implementation

28. Data: Collection,
Representation and
Interpretation
Data collection (properties, sources and
collection of data), data representation
(symbolism and separation) and data
interpretation (patterns and contexts)

29. Information
Systems
Data collection (properties, sources and
collection of data), data representation
(symbolism and separation) and data
interpretation (patterns and contexts)

30. Specification,
Algorithms and
Implementation
Specification (descriptions and techniques),
algorithms (following and describing) and
implementation (translating and
programming)

31. Software
Development
Specification (descriptions and techniques),
algorithms (following and describing) and
implementation (translating and
programming)

32. Digital
Systems
Digital systems (hardware, software, and
networks and the internet)

33. Computer
Systems
Digital systems (hardware, software, and
networks and the internet)

34. Interactions and
Impacts
Interactions (people and digital systems, data
and processes) and impacts (sustainability
and empowerment).

35. Human Computer
Interactions
Interactions (people and digital systems, data
and processes) and impacts (sustainability
and empowerment).

36. Multimedia?

37. Indicative Timings
F-2 10 Hours
3-4 20 Hours
5-6 30 Hours
7-10 40 Hours

38. 1:08

39. Resources?

40. 1:46

41. Blockly
Scratch
Scratch Junior
MIT App Inventor

42. 0:36

43. Daisy the Dinosaur
Hopscotch
BeeBots

44. Romotive
Mindstorms
Lollybot
Sphero

45. Arduino
Shrimp
Raspberry Pi
MaKey MaKey

46. 1:17

47. CS Unplugged

48. Computational Fairy Tales
The Ant and the Grasshopper: A Fable of Algorithms (Algorithms)
!
Bullies, Bubble Sort, and Soccer Tickets (Bubble Sort)
!
Hunting Dragons with Binary Search (Binary Search)
!
Binary Searching for Cinderella (Binary Search)
!
Goldilocks and the Two Boolean Bears (Boolean)
!
The Tortoise, the Hare, and 50000 Ants (Parallel Algorithms)

49. Computational Fairy Tales
The ant paused for a moment while he thought. "It is the algorithm
that we use," he finally replied.
!
"Algorithm?" asked the grasshopper.
!
"A set of steps or instructions for accomplishing a task," explained
the ant. "Like when a carpenter builds a chair, he uses an algorithm
that includes measuring, cutting, smoothing, and hammering."
!
"What task does your algorithm solve?" asked the grasshopper.
"Does it solve the problem of having too much time during the
summer?" He chuckled out loud at his own joke.

50. Project Based Learning

51. Information Systems?

52. SQL Fiddle

56. Futures Thinking
!
Systems Thinking
!
Design Thinking
!
Computational Thinking

58. 0:40

59. Computational Thinking
!
"Computational thinking is a
fundamental skill for everyone, not just
for computer scientists. To reading,
writing, and arithmetic, we should add
computational thinking to every child’s
analytical ability."
!
Jannette Wing

60. 2:43

61. Computational Thinking Skills

62. Analysis - the process of breaking
the complex into smaller parts to gain
a better understanding of it.

63. Decomposition

64. Pattern
recognition

65. Pattern
generalisation
and abstraction
!

66. Algorithm Design

67. Who is going to teach it?

68. What about Senior?

69. Is computer education working?

70. Griffith University
Dr Jason Zagami
www.zagami.info