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

Curriculum content descriptions

Explain how student solutions and existing information systems are sustainable and meet current and future local community needs (ACTDIP021)

Elaborations
  • using sustainability criteria to explain how well students solutions meet requirements, for example personal data are secured (social) and the solution can only be viewed on screen to avoid printing (environmental)
  • explaining why people interact so readily with touch systems, for example touch input requires less dexterity to issue instructions and is designed to be accessible to users through the use of icons
  • imagining how the functioning of one type of information system could be applied in a new way to meet a community or national need, for example considering how an electronic tracking system such as a global positioning system (GPS) could be used to find people who are lost
  • comparing past and present information systems in terms of economic, environmental and social sustainability, including those of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples
  • exploring the ethics and impact of management practices on the use of communication networks, for example internet censorship from a local, national and global perspective and the impact on freedom of access and expression
  • considering opportunities and consequences of decisions for future applications, for example practices to save energy and other resources when using information systems, such as switching off when not in use, ensuring electronic devices are in energy-saving mode
General capabilities
  • Literacy Literacy
  • Critical and creative thinking Critical and creative thinking
  • Personal and social capability Personal and social capability
  • ICT capability Information and Communication Technology (ICT) capability
  • Ethical understanding Ethical understanding
ScOT terms

Social relations,  Communities,  Information management

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Computational thinking poster

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

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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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Classroom ideas: exploring digital technologies through shopping: years 3-6

This PDF demonstrates how using concepts derived from age-appropriate content, combined with multiple points of entry to and exit from a shopping-related task might remove barriers to learning. Students engage in purposeful and authentic open-ended explorations that require critical and creative thinking and incorporate ...

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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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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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User interface design: Controllers for all

In this lesson, students design and implement a new user-interface that allows a user to interact with a digital program. This lesson idea was created by Rebecca Vivian.

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Classroom ideas: QR codes, digital systems and data representation: yrs 5-6

This PDF provides ideas for using QR codes in classrooms to generate discussion about data representation and digital systems: how they work, who uses them and for what purposes. The resource also includes a simple tutorial on creating and using QR codes.

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Teaching and supporting project management in the F-6 classroom

This PDF gives educators an overview of what project management is and ideas on how they can implement project management skills in the F-6 classroom.

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Analysis of AI applications, drawing on ethical understandings

This lesson plan explores the ethical aspects of artificial intelligence and the implications on our future lives. This lesson was developed by the Digital Technologies Institute in collaboration with the DT Hub.

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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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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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Recognising AI

Use the tasks in this lesson to introduce concepts that underpin artificial intelligence (AI). The majority of the tasks are unplugged (do not require a digital device). Use the downloadable AI cards with your students to explore what they know about AI.

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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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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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Australian Curriculum: Digital Technologies years 5-6 Digital Systems assessment task: Staying fit, healthy and sun-safe: Teacher booklet

This document provides suggestions for using digital systems to encourage fit and healthy activity. It is the second in a series of four resources.

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Exploring digital systems unplugged: networks: years 5-6

This PDF provides activities in which students identify features of digital systems, and create models to demonstrate their operations. Students are encouraged to demonstrate their understanding of Domain Name Servers (DNS), routing, and transmission control and internet protocols (TCP/IP).

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Australian Curriculum: Digital Technologies years 5-6 Digital Systems assessment task: Staying fit, healthy and sun-safe: Teacher PowerPoint

This PowerPoint supports the assessment task, Staying fit, healthy and sun-safe. It is the last in a series of four resources.

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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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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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Data bias in AI

Artificial intelligence can sometimes be biased to certain shapes or colours. When such AI systems are applied to situations that involve people, then this bias can manifest itself as bias against skin colour or gender. This lesson explores bias in AI, where it comes from and what can be done to prevent it.