The New Digital Technology Curriculum
11th May, 2016
Alex explores the new digital technology curriculum beginning in Victoria next year and some resources that may be of help
A curriculum is a dynamic and multifaceted concept that, while guiding the education profession, is prone to sway with the political agenda of the time. So it isn’t surprising that over my four year university degree I have explored three primary curriculums; AusVELS, the Australian Curriculum, and the soon to be introduced Victorian Curriculum. As of December 2016, the AusVELS website is to be archived (see the AusVELS homepage) and the Victorian Curriculum will become compulsory in government schools. A recently introduced aspect of the Victorian Curriculum, which is causing some concern, is the inclusion of digital technologies.
I have never completed a compulsory unit at university regarding the teaching of digital technologies, and I imagine many pre-service teachers would be in a similarly daunting situation. It also helps to bear in mind that many graduate and expert teachers will have little to no knowledge of what best practice teaching digital technologies looks like – putting pre-service teachers and qualified teachers on an unlikely level playing field. I thought this might be an opportune moment to explore the new digital technologies curriculum, unpack some its concepts, and suggest some resources and methods to go about teaching it.
What does the curriculum say?
The curriculum is split into three bands for primary education (F – 2, 3 – 4, 5 – 6) and there are three strands to the digital technology curriculum (VCAA, 2016);
Digital systems
“Focuses on the hardware, software and network components of digital systems”
Data and information
“Focuses on the properties of data, how they are collected and represented, and how they are interpreted in context to produce information”
Creating digital solutions
“Explores the interrelated processes and associated skills by which students create digital solutions”
A basic scan through the actual content of the curriculum reveals that the F – 2 band engages in mostly exploration of different digital concepts, hardware and ideas. As the curriculum progresses to the higher years, the content becomes more directed to action and the use of digital technologies to solve problems.
How will I teach it?
After listening to various different talks regarding the teaching of digital technologies and how best to approach this challenging task, I thought it would be best to provide some resources that can be used to assist you in the process.
LittleBits are very simple programming blocks and digital tools that are designed to be used by children. They are colour coded and magnetically attach, allowing for independent exploration and play, without the need for constant supervision. The website offers packs for educators and overall I believe this resource could be used to explore the Digital Systems and Creating Digital Solutions strands.
Scratch is a simple coding platform that many pre-service teachers would have heard of. It allows students to explore coding in a way that is accessible, while still providing the technology concepts needed. It will be useful in addressing all the digital technology standards.
The Victorian Curriculum Assessment Authority has this specific advice for curriculum page regarding digital technologies, which is fantastic. It has resources on assessment, progression, external resources and links to sites such as the Digital Learning and Teaching Victoria (DLTV) – which offers free membership to PSTs! Definitely check this site out.
I hope I have been able to provide a basic overview to both pre-service and qualified teachers about what the digital technologies curriculum is asking and some resources for how to meet the task of teaching it. I truly believe that the digital curriculum is going to be a focus point in the future and, if we can get on top of it, a fundamental part of primary education.
-Alex
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