Level 3

Years

Learning Focus

Key experiences to draw on for relevant teaching and learning activities

Standards

3 & 4

As students work towards the achievement of Level 3 standards in Information and Communications Technology (ICT), they develop skills in using ICT for problem solving, expressing ideas, and presenting information to different audiences. Working in all areas of the curriculum, students explore a range of ICT tools (for example, basic editing tools such as word processing) and simple techniques for visualising thinking. They also use simple graphic organisers such as concept maps and sequence charts to provide a framework for visualising thinking. In particular they use tools that assist in sequencing, and in identifying relationships between, ideas, facts and concepts. Students save their visualising thinking files to folders and when new but similar learning situations arise, they retrieve themand use them as a starting point for these situations. Students reflect on the usefulness of such tools and strategies in new circumstances.

Students compare the purposes and structures of information presented in different media, such as print, on-screen, or as an action; for example, a moving robot. Individually, students learn to process data in the form of text, images and sound to create planned information products, such as invitations, short stories, presentation files (for example, a Microsoft PowerPoint file), animations and title pages for books. Students begin to use manual (for example, proofreading) and electronic (for example, spellchecker) techniques to identify typographical errors and make appropriate corrections. They use criteria , such as the accuracy and attractiveness of their information products, to make judgments about how well they meet their purposes. Students use software tools to assist with problem solving. For example, students create a questionnaire using word-processing software to collect data about the ages and ethnicity of residents in their local area as part of their Humanities study. Their understanding of this data is then demonstrated in a presentation file. Students work collaboratively todevelop their ICT skills.

When using ICT to assist with problem solving and for producing information products, students investigate and apply some practices that are ergonomically sound, such as adjusting the height of chairs to ensure that elbows are at an appropriate angle and using keying techniques that minimise wrist harm and maximise the efficiency of data entry.

Students begin to manage their files using simple ways of organising them for easy retrieval; for example, creating folders based on topics or forms such as stories, images, and projects. They compare their systems with those of other students and acknowledge and accept different approaches that work for the user. Students are introduced to the simple security strategy of using passwords to protect access to their files when working on a network.

Students continue to develop their skills in using ICT to communicate knowledge by exchanging email messages with others. When seeking new information on topics of importance or interest in all areas of the curriculum, students apply a set of procedures (such as simple key words) for locating information on the intranet and the Internet, and they determine the value of these resources by developing and applying simple criteria (for example, considering the age of the intended audience). They transfer this knowledge when they evaluate their own products.

Thinking with ICT tools

 Use to solve problems
Express ideas
Use simple graphic organisers
Identify relationships between facts, concepts and information

ICT for visualising thinking

At Level 3, students use ICT tools to list ideas, order them into logical sequences, and identify relationships between them.

Students retrieve their saved visualising thinking strategies and edit them for use in new, but similar situations.

They explain how these strategies can be used for different problems or situations.

ICT for creating

At Level 3, students organise their files into folders classified in a way that is meaningful to them.

Students explain the purpose of passwords for accessing files stored on networks.

They follow simple plans and use tools and a range of data types to create information products designed to inform, persuade, entertain or educate particular audiences.

They create information products to assist in problem solving in all areas of the curriculum. With minimal assistance, students use ICT tools to capture and save images.

They use simple editing functions to manipulate the images for use in their products.

They make ongoing modifications to their work to correct the spelling of frequently used words and to rectify simple formatting errors.

They evaluate the final information product and describe how well it meets its purpose.

Students make adjustments to their equipment and apply techniques that are ergonomically sound.

ICT for communicating

At Level 3, students initiate and compose email messages to known and unknown audiences and, where appropriate, send replies.

Students create folders in their mailbox to organise the storage of email messages they wish to keep.

They locate information on an intranet (MyClasses), and use a recommended search engine and limited key words to locate information from websites.

They develop and apply simple criteria to evaluate the value of the located information.

Reflecting with ICT tools

Compare different forms of media
Tools and strategies used
Products produced
Websites used

Information products

Conventions
Formatting
Editing
Manipulating
Audience suitability
Compare different forms of media
Presenting