Digital technologies / Year 9 and 10 / Digital Technologies Knowledge and Understanding

View on Australian Curriculum website Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority
Curriculum content descriptions

Investigate the role of hardware and software in managing, controlling and securing the movement of and access to data in networked digital systems (ACTDIK034)

Elaborations
  • explaining how an operating system manages the relationship between hardware, applications and system software
  • comparing the similarities and differences of two common operating systems
  • identifying how changes to the configuration of an operating system change the operation of hardware and software components in a networked digital system
  • explaining the role of hardware and software components in allowing people to interact with digital systems, for example using a mouse or touch pad or screen, speech, accelerometer
  • investigating the operation and use of robotic process control systems
  • explaining encryption of data as a means of protecting data, for example secret keys and ‘exclusive or’ (XOR) and hashing algorithms to digitally sign data
General capabilities
  • Literacy Literacy
  • Critical and creative thinking Critical and creative thinking
  • ICT capability Information and Communication Technology (ICT) capability
ScOT terms

Software,  Information management,  User interfaces,  Computers,  Transmission control protocols,  Internet

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Cyber security analysis from The Conversation

This is a collection of articles about cyber security. It includes articles on cyber-espionaage, cyber crime, data security, government policy around cyber security, and international perspectives including from US, China and UK. The articles are written in plain language and are authored by experts from universities in ...

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How is your personal information kept secret on the internet?

Lots of private data is exchanged over the internet. What are some examples? As Mia Epner explains, cryptography allows for the secure transfer of data online. How does encryption work? And what is a key? Today information is encrypted using 256 bit keys. This keeps information safe because it means there are way too many ...

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How do computers get hacked?

What are some examples of cyber crime? Watch this clip to find out how viruses, denial of service attacks (DDoS) and phishing scams work. What is a botnet? And how are they used by hackers to bring down websites? Most of the time computers get hacked because of simple mistakes users make. What can users do to better protect ...

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Connected via a network

This is a unit for Year 9 from the Scope and sequence resources from the DT Hub. The topic of digital systems is organised into four key elements. Use this flow of activities to plan and assess students against the relevant achievement standards. Students develop and understanding that digital systems must be robust and ...

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Data: Controlled and secured

This is a unit for Year 10 from the Scope and sequence resources from the DT Hub. The topic of digital systems is organised into four key elements. Use this flow of activities to plan and assess students against the relevant achievement standards. Students explore how data can be secured through various methods such as ...

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Digital systems

Find out about Digital systems. 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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User interface

Find out about User interface. 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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Working together

In this lesson sequence students, through role-play and other activities, develop understandings of the role of hardware and software in managing, controlling and securing the movement of and access to data in networked digital systems.

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What are IP addresses?

Meet Vint Cerf, the co-creator of the internet! In this clip, Vint and software engineer Paola Mejia explore the way computer networks talk to each other. Find out what an IP address is and why it's similar to a street address. What's the domain name system? And how does your computer find out the IP address of a website ...

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Systems thinking

Find out about Systems thinking. 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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Technologies: sequence of achievement in the Australian Curriculum

This Word document provides sequences of achievement standards for the Technologies learning area in the Australian Curriculum

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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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Expert webinar video: Dr Rebecca Vivian - The CSER Digital Technologies Education Program

Dr Rebecca Vivian provides an overview of the CSER Digital Technologies Education Project from The University of Adelaide. The project includes free professional learning, a digital equipment lending library and a range of resources designed to support teachers in the implementation of the Australian Curriculum: Digital ...

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Newsletter – December 2019

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

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Newsletter – December 2017

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

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Newsletter – December 2020

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

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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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Newsletter – October 2020

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

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Digital Technologies in the Australian Curriculum: overview and key links

This PDF gives an overview of the Australian Curriculum: Digital Technologies. It includes key points from the rationale and a step-by-step process for becoming familiar with the structure of the curriculum to assist planning. The document also provides links to key documents and sections of the Australian Curriculum as ...

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Asunda review: STEM integration

This article explores the benefits of an interdisciplinary STEM program in the quest for providing students with a holistic approach to problem-solving that reflects real-world practice. This is supported by a conceptual framework that comprises four constructs: systems thinking, situation learning theory, constructivism ...