Digital technologies / Year 5 and 6 / Digital Technologies Processes and Production Skills

Curriculum content descriptions

Design, modify and follow simple algorithms involving sequences of steps, branching, and iteration (repetition) (ACTDIP019)

Elaborations
  • following a diagram of a simple method of sorting numbers or words
  • following, modifying and describing the design of a game involving simple algorithms represented diagrammatically or in English, for example creating a flowchart with software that uses symbols to show decisions, processes and inputs and outputs
  • experimenting with different ways of representing an instruction to make a choice, for example branches in a tree diagram or using an ‘IF’ statement (a common statement used to branch) to indicate making a choice between two different circumstances using a spreadsheet or a visual program
  • experimenting with different ways of representing an instruction to make a repetition, for example loops in a flowchart diagram or using a ‘REPEAT’ statement
  • designing the instructions for a robot, for example a robot vacuum cleaner to clean a room
  • using different design tools to record ways in which digital solutions will be developed, for example creating storyboards or flowcharts to record relationships or instructions about content or processes
General capabilities
  • Literacy Literacy
  • Numeracy Numeracy
  • Critical and creative thinking Critical and creative thinking
  • ICT capability Information and Communication Technology (ICT) capability
ScOT terms

Decision making,  Design,  Algorithms

Downloadable

DT Challenge - 5/6 Blockly - Smart Garden

Learn how to program a BBC micro:bit using Blockly — no experience required. Learn the basics of programming in Blockly with our full BBC micro:bit simulator. Create a Smart Garden device to monitor the health of your plants, measuring temperature and wiring up a simple soil moisture sensor.

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DT Challenge - 5/6 Blockly - Networking with Micro:Bit

Learn how to code the micro:bit to use the radio! In this DT Mini Challenge, you can create wireless networks to send pictures and messages around the room! You'll start by sending simple messages, but work up to making your own interactive games with your friends! Dive on in and you'll be sending secret messages in no time!

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DT Challenge - 5/6 Blockly - Sport Micro:Bit

Use blocks to program a micro:bit for sport! Get excited about coding even if you have no experience. You'll use drag-and-drop blocks to write your own programs, and make interactive games and tools to improve your health.

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DT Challenge - 5/6 Blockly - Chatbot

Write programs to solve problems with code and create word games! In this DT Challenge, you'll learn how to play Mad Libs, Questions, Taboo, and Word Chain, and even write your very own Pirate Chatbot! Can you fool your friends into thinking they're talking to a real person? Learn how to create a series of word games with ...

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DT Challenge - 5/6 Blockly - Satellite

Learn how to use the Turtle in Blockly to draw and create with code. You'll draw a satellite piece by piece, building up your coding skills and learning advanced programming concepts like loops and functions.

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PyGame in a Day

As a general purpose programming language, python has a number of libraries that can be used for different purposes. PyGame is a free and open source python library that makes it easier to make multimedia applications like games.

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DT Challenge - 5/6 Blockly - Space Invaders

In this coding challenge, students learn about programming in Blockly, including data representation, decomposition, design, branching, iteration, functions, variables, animations, tracing and evaluation.

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digIT Robotics workbook

This brief lesson provides an introduction to coding MakerBots (mBots) using a block language. It provides introductory information about the robot's sensors, motors and microcontroller so students can control the mBot.

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DT Challenge - 5/6 Blockly - Intro to Micro:Bit

Learn how to program a BBC micro:bit using Blockly. No experience required. Learn the basics of programming in Blockly with our full BBC micro:bit simulator.

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digIT Games workbook

This lesson will help students develop a basic understanding of computer programming structures by using block language Scratch. It will also introduce student to using Python with the Makey Makey electronic input device to create a game controller.

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DT Challenge - 5/6 Blockly - Space Invaders - Mini

Command an alien space fleet to save your home planet from global catastrophe. Build a fleet of drone ships using advanced top-secret technologies. On your journey to Earth, slingshot around a black hole and mine for valuable resources. Your mission is to outsmart Earth’s Global Defense System in your quest for precious ...

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DT Challenge - 5/6 Blockly - Turtle

Control a turtle and draw amazing pictures with code. In this challenge you'll learn the fundamentals of programming by using instructions to position a turtle on the screen, drawing lines, patterns and shapes in the same way computers draw images. Computers use the input from users and the environment to give us feedback ...

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DT Challenge - 7/8 Python - Biology

Learn about the differences between animals, and how biologists use programming to help them do science! We'll learn about the features of animals, and how to use their differences in order to classify them. So hop in and learn some science!

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Ciphering a sentence

A cipher is a message that has been written in such a way (encoded) that it is unreadable by others. In this lesson, students will use mapping to encode a sentence. Students will work with a partner to create an algorithm that describes the encryption process. They will also examine encoded and decoded messages to recognize ...

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Water Water everywhere!

In this lesson, students are presented with the challenging problem of measuring a volume of water using containers that are not the exact measurement size. Students will decompose a complex problem into discrete steps, design an algorithm for solving the problem, and evaluate solution efficiencies and optimization in a ...

Assessment

BBC micro:bit project

The teacher assesses the student’s knowledge and skills using the student’s project log, self-reflection and think aloud.

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Makey Makey Orchestra

In this learning sequence students explore an orchestra and use Makey Makey to make a musical instrument for an ensemble.

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Storm survivor: Input, decision-making and loops

Students use a visual programming language to create a game or quiz to help members of a community prepare for a severe weather event.

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Describing an everyday object

In this lesson, students act like the inventor of an everyday object that does not yet exist. Students abstract the essential details, and describe what need would be fulfilled by the new object and how, specifically, it functions. They will then translate the description into a format appropriate for modeling the object ...

Assessment

Assessment resources

Browse assessment resources.

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Learning to loop

Students create algorithms with a condition that tells the computer to repeat a sequence of instructions.

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Automated soil moisture sensor

The soil moisture sensor project integrates science understandings and computational thinking to solve a problem about sustainable watering practices. This lesson was devised by Trudy Ward, Clarendon Vale Primary School, Tasmania.

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Can a computer recognise your sentiment?

This lesson plan enables students to explore how Natural Language Processing (NLP), a subset of Artificial Intelligence (AI), is used to assess and categorise a user’s online comments. (AI is the ability of machines to mimic human capabilities in a way that we would consider 'smart'.)

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Fun projects with language translation

Natural language processing is growing in importance. We often converse with automatic chatbots for customer service without even knowing. We also use online translation services or mobile apps. But how do these services work? Is there artificial intelligence (AI) in them? Three projects are offered to cater for student ...

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Home automation programming (yrs 5-6)

Investigate home automation systems, including those powered by artificial intelligence (AI) with speech recognition capability. These suggested activities provide a level of differentiation to cater for students’ range of programming skills. They were developed in collaboration with the Digital Technologies Institute.

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Visual to text coding: Lesson 7

This is the seventh in a series of lessons to transition from visual coding to text-based coding with a General Purpose Programming language. This lesson may take two to three 45-minute periods. It introduces iteration (also called loops).

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Visual to text coding: Lesson 5

This is the fifth in a series of lessons to transition from visual coding to text-based coding with a general purpose programming language. This lesson may take two to three 45-minute periods. It introduces how to create and use arrays (also called lists).

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Visual to text coding: Lesson 4

This is the fourth in a series of lessons to transition from visual coding to text-based coding with a General Purpose Programming language. This lesson may take two to three 45-minute periods. It introduces the combining of logical operators and and or for more complex decisions.

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Sphero: Catch me if you can

By years 5 and 6 many students may have had some experience with a visual programming language such as Scratch or Blockly that is the basis of the Hour of Code. Sphero will take the screen based control of an image to the next level by introducing a robotic device controlled by a visual programming language. This lesson ...

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Visual to text coding: Lesson 3

This is the third in a series of lessons to transition from visual coding to text-based coding with a general-purpose programming language. This lesson may take two to three 45-minute periods. It introduces how to generate and use random numbers.

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Visual to text coding: Setting Up

This series of lessons is to help students to transition from visual coding to text-based coding with a general-purpose programming language. This section provides guidance on how to set-up the particular programming environment including Scratch, Python and JavaScript.

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Visual to text coding: The Basics

This series of lessons is to help students to transition from visual coding to text-based coding with a general-purpose programming language. This section provides the basics in order to use the programming environments: Scratch, Python and JavaScript.

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Visual to text coding: Lesson 11

This is the eleventh in a series of lessons to transition from visual coding to text-based coding with a General Purpose Programming language. It builds on the coding concept of functions. With the addition of parameters, functions allow the programmer to adapt their reusable code’s behaviour, tapping into the Computational ...

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Visual to text coding: Lesson 1

This is the first in a series of lessons to transition from visual coding to text-based coding with a general-purpose programming language. This lesson may take two to three 45-minute periods. It introduces how to create variables, get user input and perform maths operations.

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Visual to text coding: Lesson 6

This is the sixth in a series of lessons to transition from visual coding to text-based coding with a General Purpose Programming language. This lesson may take two to three 45-minute periods. It builds on the previous introduction to arrays (also called lists) and brings in the length property.

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Visual to text coding: Lesson 12

This is the final in a series of lessons to transition from visual coding to text-based coding with a General Purpose Programming language. See next steps for suggested courses and learning sequences after this lesson. It builds on the coding concept of functions (by introducing the concept of return values. Functions are ...

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Visual to text coding: Lesson 9

This is the ninth in a series of lessons to transition from visual coding to text-based coding with a General Purpose Programming language. This lesson may take two to three 45-minute periods. It explores creating powerful programs for managing and analysing data, by combining the previous skills of using loops and working ...

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AI image recognition - exploring limitations and bias

A hands-on activity to practise training and testing an artificial intelligence (AI) model, using cartoon faces, including a discussion about sources of potential algorithmic bias and how to respond to these sources.

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Visual to text coding: Lesson 2

This is the second in a series of lessons to transition from visual coding to text-based coding with a general-purpose programming language. This lesson may take two to three 45-minute periods. It introduces how to make decisions (branching) and identify data types.

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Note the music

We can program a computer to play music. Conventionally this is done by hard coding, which is the process of coding all possible expected behaviours. Alternatively, we can train an artificial intelligence (AI) computer about what notes go well with others, so it can play a duet with a human musician. Students can make their ...

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Visual to text coding: Index page

This lesson sequence provides a bridge between visual coding (eg. Scratch) and General Purpose Programming languages (eg. Python or JavaScript). This resource is most suitable if you have never done General Purpose Programming and/or you benefit from slow-paced, step-by-step video tutorials.

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Visual to text coding: Lesson 8

This is the eighth in a series of lessons to transition from visual coding to text-based coding with a General Purpose Programming language. This lesson may take two to three 45-minute periods. It brings together skills from the previous lessons to design and develop a Higher Lower game, where the player tries to guess ...

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Scratch Creative Computing Guide

There is also a series of units comprising learning activities, paired with assessment activities and templates that can be used to support use of the Scratch (MIT) platform. The Scratch Creative Computing Guide supports assessment activities with visual programming environments.

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Project Quantum: Online assessment system

Project Quantum helps computing teachers check their students’ understanding, and support their progress, by providing free access to an online multiple-choice assessment system and question bank. To use Project Quantum, you will need to create a free account.

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Visual to text coding: Lesson 10

This is the tenth in a series of lessons to transition from visual coding to text-based coding with a General Purpose Programming language. This lesson may take two to three 45-minute periods. It introduces the coding concept of functions. Functions can help organise code, reduce repetition and more to be explored later.

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Cross age making a robot

This lesson sequence is a cross-age project that can be used for students in year 5/6 in collaboration with students from years 1-2. In this project, students collaborate on a code for an unplugged robot. They design, test and modify the robot and create instruction manuals.

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Heads or tails

In this lesson we show how to transition from a visual based programming language to using a text-based programming language using the example of a heads or tails coin toss application.

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Check out the checkout

This sequence of lessons explores how to incorporate user input, decision-making and loops in programming using the context of a shopping experience, particularly the checkout. It combines data in the form of a barcode and programming choices.

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Hour of Code: Saloni teaches If/Else statements with Scrat the Squirrel from Ice Age

The Hour of Code is a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify code and show that anybody can learn the basics. In this video, Saloni explains what an If/Else statement is. With the help of Scrat the Squirrel from Ice Age, she goes on to demonstrate how If/Else blocks can be used to program characters' ...

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Hour of Code: Chris Bosh teaches Repeat Until statements

The Hour of Code is a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify code and show that anybody can learn the basics. In this video, basketball star Chris Bosh explains the difference between a Repeat Until command and a Repeat Loop command. This is the third of seven clips in the Hour of Code tutorial. ...

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Hour of Code: Introduction

The Hour of Code is a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify code and show that anybody can learn the basics.  This video explains what computer science is and what a computer programmer does. This is the first of seven clips in the Hour of Code tutorial. To try your hand at coding visit learn.code.org

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Unplugged Activity: What is computer science?

Do you know what a computer programmer does? Watch as some experts in the field explain. For more information on the activities introduced in this video, visit http://learn.code.org/s/1/level/1

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Hour of Code: Bill Gates explains If statements

The Hour of Code is a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify code and show that anybody can learn the basics. In this video, Bill Gates, creator of Microsoft introduces the If statement. He explains that the If statement is a fundamental concept in computer programming. By demonstrating the use ...

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Hour of Code: Saloni on the If/Else block

The Hour of Code is a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify code and show that anybody can learn the basics. In this video, Saloni explains what an If/Else statement is and looks at how If/Else blocks can be used to program the movement of a zombie character. This is the fifth of seven clips in ...

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MathXplosion, Ep 47: Creative problem solving

Have you ever had a problem you couldn't solve? Here's an idea: act it out! You can use puppets, objects or people to act out the problem by trying to do what the people or things in your problem do. It will help you because you are actually doing the problem!

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Computational thinking cut out cards

This set of printable cards provides definitions of six aspects of computational thinking.

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Scratch 2.0 tutorial

This tutorial provides step-by-step instructions to support the learning of Scratch, a visual programming language. The tutorial is designed for educators who would like to learn how to use Scratch.

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Questacon Cyber Castle Challenge

Embark on an exhilarating virtual adventure that will ignite young minds and equip them for the digital frontier. The Questacon Cyber Castle Challenge is a FREE Minecraft: Education game and resources to engage students in cyber security concepts and skills of the future.

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Micro:bit missions: Take a chance on me (Integrating Mathematics): years 6-8

This resource comprises two activities that allow students to explore the concept of chance in Mathematics. Students use computational thinking while using a micro:bit as a digital system to generate and collect data. Students implement programs involving branching and iteration in visual and general-purpose programming languages.

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Computational thinking in the Australian Curriculum: Digital Technologies

This video provides an overview of computational thinking and how it can be taught in the context of other learning areas.

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Scratch 3.0 tutorial

This tutorial provides step-by-step instructions to support the learning of Scratch, a visual programming language. The tutorial is designed for educators who would like to learn how to use Scratch.

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Australian Curriculum: Digital Technologies: years 5-6

This PDF provides a line of sight from content descriptions to achievement standards.

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Eco-calculator

In this sequence of lessons students make a paper prototype of an eco-calculator to demonstrate human impact on the environment and suggest changes in behaviour. This is an unplugged activity with an opportunity to extend learning to create a digital solution using Scratch.

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Visual programming with Scratch: years 3-6

This comprises a collection of sample activities that incorporate visual programming (Scratch) into teaching and learning programs. They show the possibilities Scratch offers for integration. The projects are incomplete and are designed to be used as samples for inspiration or modification by teachers.

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Problem solving process

This is a unit for Year 5 from the Scope and sequence resources from the DT Hub. The topic of creating a digital solution is organised into four key elements. Use this flow of activities to plan and assess students against the relevant achievement standards. Students follow the problem solving process to design and create ...

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Maker spaces

Find out about Maker spaces. Use this topic from the Digital Technologies Hub to learn more, get ideas about how to teach about it, find out what other schools are doing and use the applications and games in the classroom.

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Beautiful biomes

In this lesson students learn the features of the five main biomes, and use ClassVR headsets and CoSpaces to design and create a virtual biome to explore. They research and identify the features of a biome and then create their own virtual environment. The resource explores the human impacts on biodiversity and explore ...

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Home/school communications

In this lesson sequence, students use big data sets and school surveys, to design (and as an extension activity, make) a new digital communication solution for the school.

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Making maths quizzes 2: Implementing a digital solution

In this sequence students implement a digital solution for a maths quiz. They test and assess how well it works.

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Activities that promote Digital Technologies concepts and incorporate Numeracy: part 1: Introduction and overview: accessing the Australian Curriculum National Numeracy Learning progression

This video provides an introduction to the ways in which Digital Technologies can be used to develop students' learning in the Numeracy Learning Progression.

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Australian Curriculum: Digital Technologies key concepts mapping: years 5-6

This PDF uses colour coding to provide a line of sight between key concepts, content descriptions and achievement standards in the Digital Technologies subject in the Australian Curriculum.

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Algorithms

Find out about algorithms. Use this topic from the Digital Technologies Hub to learn more, get ideas about how to teach about it, find out what other schools are doing and use the applications and games in the classroom.

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Classroom ideas: Micro:bit environmental measurement (visual programming): years 5-6

This tutorial shows ways in which environmental factors such as lighting and temperature can be measured and improved using micro:bits and sensor boards, and programmed using pseudocode and visual programming.

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Classroom ideas: Micro:bit environmental measurement (visual and general-purpose programming): years 5-8

This tutorial shows ways in which environmental factors such as lighting and temperature can be measured and improved using micro:bits and sensor boards, and programmed using pseudocode, visual programming and general-purpose programming.

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Making maths quizzes 1: Plan and test our programs

In this sequence students plan, create and edit a program that will ask maths questions that are harder or easier depending on user performance.

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Activities that promote Digital Technologies concepts and incorporate Numeracy: part 4: Tessellations

This video provides suggestions for ways in which Digital Technologies can be used to develop students' learning in the Numeracy Learning Progression.

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Computational thinking poster

This infographic provides an overview overview of the concepts related to computational thinking.

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Classroom ideas: Choose your own adventure: years 3-6

This PDF provides a sequence of activities that allow students to view and create planning templates and algorithms when making 'Choose Your Own Adventure' stories. Older students can use the visual programming language Scratch to build their stories.

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Unplugged Activity: Computational Thinking

This video introduces one of code.org's unplugged activities. It discusses a lesson on Computational Thinking, designed to show you how to take a big difficult problem and turn it into several simpler problems. The goal of the lesson is for a group of students to write a set of instructions for another group of students ...

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MathXplosion, Ep 20: Crack an ancient Roman code

Decrypt the ancient cipher box used by Julius Caesar over 2,000 years ago! By shifting the alphabet or replacing one letter for another further down the alphabetical sequence, you can crack a coded message. The secret to a cipher is one special piece of shared information, known as a key. This shared key is required for ...

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Unplugged Activity: Graph Paper Programming

This video introduces one of code.org's unplugged activities and provides an introduction to programming without the use of computers. One student takes on the role of "programmer", drawing arrows and scribbles on paper to guide the other student to re-create a particular picture. For more information on the activities ...

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Data Representation

Find out about Data Representation. Use this topic from the Digital Technologies Hub to learn more, get ideas about how to teach about it, find out what other schools are doing and use the applications and games in the classroom.

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Visual programming

Find out about Visual programming. Use this topic from the Digital Technologies Hub to learn more, get ideas about how to teach about it, find out what other schools are doing and use the applications and games in the classroom.

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Game-based learning

Find out about Game-based learning. Use this topic from the Digital Technologies Hub to learn more, get ideas about how to teach about it, find out what other schools are doing and use the applications and games in the classroom.

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Robotics

Find out about robotics. Use this topic from the Digital Technologies Hub to learn more, get ideas about how to teach about it, find out what other schools are doing and use the applications and games in the classroom.

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Hour of Code: Mark Zuckerberg teaches Repeat Loops

The Hour of Code is a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify code and show that anybody can learn the basics. In this instructional video, Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg explains what a Repeat Loop is and how to use the repeat block. This is the second of seven clips in the Hour of Code tutorial. To ...

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Creating a digital game

This is a unit for Year 6 from the Scope and sequence resources from the DT Hub. The topic of creating a digital solution is organised into four key elements. Use this flow of activities to plan and assess students against the relevant achievement standards. Students follow the problem solving process to design and create ...

Interactive

Design thinking across the curriculum

This cross-curriculum resource is designed to introduce Stage 2, 3 and 4 students to the design thinking process through a series of videos and interactive activities. This resource is also downloadable as a SCORM file: the downloaded version will only work if you upload it to a webserver, such as Moodle or Canvas.

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Expert webinar video: Nathan Alison, Digital Learning and Teaching Victoria (DLTV): Focus on systems thinking. How do we teach it well?

Nathan Alison from Digital Learning and Teaching Victoria (DLTV) explains what systems thinking is and how it is used in the context of Digital Technologies. Nathan explains what we need to consider when teaching digital systems, covering topics such as networks, hardware and software protocols, people and processes.

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Expert webinar video: In conversation with Paul Mead from She Maps: A wide-ranging discussion from women in Technology and unconscious bias to digital systems and the ethical and safety considerations of using drone technologies

Paul Mead, from STEM education provider She Maps, discusses unconscious bias in young students and how She Maps is spreading the word about women who work with technologies in the field. He discusses digital systems and explains how geospatial systems and geographical information systems are used to collect, analyse and ...

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Curzon & Bell et al. review: Computational thinking

This article explores the concept of computational thinking within computer science learning and in relation to other learning areas. The authors assert that because of its focus on analysis, computational thinking is not only suitable for computation but also the development of systems-based on computation.

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Voskoglou & Buckley review: Problem solving and computational thinking

This article explores the relationship between computational and critical thinking as it applies to solving technological problems. Research evidence derived from classroom experiments strongly suggests that using computers to solve problems enhances students’ abilities in solving real-world problems involving mathematical ...

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Expert webinar video: Russell Scott - Vortals: Augmented reality, virtual reality, 2D, 3D and game design lessons

Russell Scott, Co-Founder of multimedia design company Vortals, demonstrates some of the ways he teaches students about augmented reality, virtual reality, 2D, 3D and game design.

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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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Programming for Water Management

This unit of work introduces students to the potential of digital technologies to manage and conserve water resources in Australian agriculture. It assumes that students and teachers have little or no prior programming experience and provides a series of introductory activities to build students' understanding of the basic ...

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Flow Chart

This resource is a web page containing a sample flow chart. The flow chart shows multiple pathways depending on the answer to questions identified as a decision (diamond shape). A printable resource is also available to support the task. This resource is an activity from the NRICH website.