Digital technologies / Year 5 and 6 / Digital Technologies Knowledge and Understanding

Curriculum content descriptions

Examine the main components of common digital systems and how they may connect together to form networks to transmit data (ACTDIK014)

Elaborations
  • describing digital systems as having internal and external components that perform different functions, for example external components for inputting data including keyboard, microphone, stylus; internal processing components including the central processing unit; external output components including speakers, projector, screen; and data and information storage components including cloud and external devices
  • explaining how data may be transmitted between two digital systems in different ways, for example that wires or cables are used in wired networks to transfer data from one digital system to another, and radio waves are used to transmit data in wireless or mobile networks
  • investigating how the internal and external components of digital systems are coordinated to handle data, for example how a keyboard, central processing unit and screen work together to accept, manipulate and present data and information
  • investigating how emerging digital systems work, for example using an augmented reality app (or blended reality) and considering how images of real-world objects can be blended with computer-generated information to produce a virtual reality
General capabilities
  • Literacy Literacy
  • Critical and creative thinking Critical and creative thinking
  • ICT capability Information and Communication Technology (ICT) capability
ScOT terms

Software,  User interfaces,  Computers,  Internet

Video

How 'binary information' is communicated via the internet

Ever wondered how your photos, emails and messages get sent between devices? Watch as software engineer Tess Winlock explains what binary information is, and how it gets from one place to another. Can you explain what 'bits' are? How about 'bytes'? In the past, binary information was sent using physical systems like semaphore ...

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Planning an action research project to facilitate implementation of Digital Technologies

This PowerPoint presentation includes ideas for planning and developing action research projects to facilitate implementation of digital technologies.

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Digital Technologies in the Australian Curriculum: sequence of content

This PDF provides a sequence of content for the Digital Technologies subject in the Australian Curriculum

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Planning an action research project to facilitate implementation of Digital Technologies

This document includes ideas for planning and developing action research projects to facilitate implementation of digital technologies.

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Literature reviews: what, why and how

This PowerPoint explains the benefits and techniques of literature reviews.

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Supporting the Implementation of Digital Technologies in Disadvantaged Schools: Case study of impact, outcomes and sustainability (2020)

This PDF is an extensive report on the success of the Digital Technologies in Focus (DTiF) project, with a focus on supporting the Implementation of Digital Technologies in disadvantaged schools. The evaluation gathered qualitative data to create rich case study accounts of six schools' engagement in the project and its ...

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Newsletter – July 2019

This newsletter from the Digital Technologies in Focus project includes information about an On Country staff development day with Leonara District High School, cybersecurity, the Australian Curriculum, and useful resources.

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St James Catholic College – Project proposal

This PDF outlines St James Catholic College's proposal to participate in the Digital Technologies in Focus project.

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Classroom ideas F-10: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander connections to Digital Technologies

This resource provides examples of ways Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures can be integrated into Digital Technologies. Examples include 'classification and sorting data' and 'designing solutions'.

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Digital Technologies resource types and resource mapping template

This three-page document gives suggestions for selecting and organising Digital Technologies resources, including physical equipment, unplugged activities and online links. It includes a simple template that may be helpful in documenting these.

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Kim review: Systems thinking

This article explores the types of systems in our world, their characteristics and how our behaviour can initiate and respond to changes in their performance. The author differentiates between systems thinking and a system and elaborates on those factors that contribute to systemic behaviour.

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Archived newsletters

This webpage features archived newsletters from the Digital Technologies in Focus project. The newsletters include information about schools' projects, assessment tasks, the Australian Curriculum and resources.

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Newsletter – July 2018

This newsletter from the Digital Technologies in Focus project includes information about schools' projects, the Australian Curriculum and useful resources.

Video

Alyangula Area School – Progress report 2

This video is a summary of a progress report into the implementation of Digital Technologies in the Alyangula Area School.

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St James Catholic College – Final report

This report provides details of St James Catholic College's participation in the Digital Technologies in Focus project, including a Research question, criteria for success, data collection, resources, challenges, milestones and next steps.

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Miller & Boix-Mansilla review: Thinking across perspectives and disciplines

This article explores the challenges associated with using knowledge from different domains (and people) to work on a common problem, issue or puzzle. It acknowledges that the differences in how disciplines structure their knowledge raise challenges when working across disciplinary boundaries. The article identifies these ...

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Books for exploring Digital Technologies concepts

This PDF provides a list of suggested books or similar that identify and discuss key concepts, key ideas and related ways of thinking about Digital Technologies.

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A–Z Digital Technologies vocabulary F–6

This PDF assists teachers in thinking about when and how to introduce Digital Technologies discipline-specific vocabulary.

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Effective DTiF strategies

This PDF lists eight ways in which Digital Technologies in Focus (DTiF) supported the implementation of Digital Technologies in disadvantaged schools.

Video

Supporting implementation of Digital Technologies and the ICT Capability: part 1

This video explains ways in which the Digital Technologies curriculum and the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) General Capability can be implemented in schools. This video is the first in a series of three.