Digital technologies / Year 7 and 8 / Digital Technologies Processes and Production Skills

Curriculum content descriptions

Evaluate how student solutions and existing information systems meet needs, are innovative, and take account of future risks and sustainability (ACTDIP031)

Elaborations
  • comparing student solutions with existing solutions that solve similar problems, for example identifying differences in the user interface of two adventure games and explaining how these differences affect the usability or appeal of the game
  • judging the quality of a student solution based on specific criteria such as meeting an economic need or contributing to social sustainability
  • investigating what features of touch input rather than keyboard or mouse input contribute to their success in meeting a wide range of needs, for example mimicking a common movement such as expanding or contracting a hand to change the size of an object on screen, suits users with a range of dexterity
  • evaluating the success of information systems in meeting an economic, environmental or social objective, for example interviewing a local business owner to find out how effectively their information system supports a business objective such as increasing market share
  • considering the effects of e-waste on societies and environments, for example the impacts of toxic chemicals when hardware is disposed of, and the practice of dumping unwanted digital systems overseas, particularly in the Asia region
  • comparing cloud-based information systems to client-based information systems
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
Cross-curriculum priorities
ScOT terms

Innovation,  Critical thinking,  Sustainable development,  Information management,  Risk management

Online

Exploring AR Space Rocks

In this lesson, students undertake a research project about “space rocks”. They devise a research question to investigate something they would like to know about space rocks and communicate their ideas within an AR or Virtual Reality (VR) experience.

Downloadable

DT Challenge - 7/8 Python - Introduction to Microbit

In this challenge students use the BBC micro:bit as an embedded system to create different pieces of a virtual pet game. Students in the process learn about the micro:bit’s features and can think about how to make their own version of a virtual pet game, or even an entirely new project. Discover how embedded hardware (micro:bit) ...

Downloadable

DT Challenge - 7/8 Javascript - Space Invaders

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

Video

Artificial Intelligence Explainers: Video 2: AI in our everyday life | Digital Technologies Hub

In this video we look at the ways AI is making decisions that can affect your daily life. Discover some AI applications that are designed to make our lives easier. See how a machine can be considered smart as it performs human-like behaviours such as recognising speech, text, images and being able to reason. This is the ...

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Artificial Intelligence Explainers: Video 4: AI Explainers | Digital Technologies Hub

Use this video to discuss how Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to be a transformative technology much like introduction of the car, 100 years ago. We also showcase some innovative Australian applications. This is the fourth video in a series. The first three in the series are Introduction to AI & machine ...

Video

Artificial Intelligence Explainers: Video 3: AI systems | Digital Technologies Hub

We use examples of home automation and recommender systems to go into more detail about how the AI in these systems work. We also look at filter bubbles and discuss why its important to be aware of potential issues of using these systems. This is the third video in a series. The first two in the series are Introduction ...

Online

Building a virtual tour about Uluru

In this lesson, students create a 360 educational Google Tour about Uluru and the Aboriginal peoples who are the traditional owners of the land.

Online

AR Solar System with Metaverse

In this lesson, students explore our Solar System in Augmented Reality (AR). Students start by exploring a set of AR flashcards that present the Sun and Planets in our Solar System and then go on to use the Metaverse App to create their own AR solar system experience based on research.

Online

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.

Online

Systems Thinking and AI applications

This lesson takes a systems thinking approach to understanding the place of artificial intelligence (AI) as a component within solutions to real world problems, such as predicting bushfire hotspots, spotting and monitoring animals in the wild, automated horticulture and agriculture, and early detection of medical issues.

Online

Home automation with AI

Home automation is all the rage. You talk to your mobile phone to control the lights, the fan, the air conditioner, or your pool pump. But how does it work? In this lesson, we explore the AI that could power a home automation system.

Online

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.

Online

Rock, Paper, Scissors AI!

In this lesson we use the game rock, paper scissors to investigate how an AI can recognise your hand gestures. Firstly students create, train and test their own AI model. They import their AI model into a pre-made JavaScript program to modify the computer program to incorporate game play. The level of game play will depend ...

Online

Habits of a Systems Thinker

This lesson introduces some of the skills and concepts involved with Systems Thinking. Students are introduced to a number of Habits of a System Thinker, positive and negative feedback loops and the concept of supra- and subsystems.

Online

Home automation: General purpose programming

Investigate home automation systems, including those powered by artificial intelligence (AI) with speech recognition capability. These suggested activities for year levels 7-8 are designed for students using general purpose programming languages JavaScript and Python, with similar content to the visual coding lesson Home ...

Online

AI quiz

This lesson provides an opportunity for students to draw on their ethical understanding when asked to respond to different scenarios. The scenarios feature information systems that incorporate an AI application. Students are given four options to select which one they believe to be the ‘right’ thing to do. Students develop ...

Online

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.

Online

Lilypad Personalised Alert Buzzer

In this lesson students will create a personalised musical buzzer by programming the LilyPad Arduino to play a sound using the Main board, Buzzer and Button, coding the note frequency in Arduino IDE. The lesson can be extended to include LED’s that light up or flash according to the note played to enable the buzzer to be ...

Online

Light up soft toy with LilyPad

This project will explore two ways of controlling the flow of current to a LED using a button and switch. No programming is initially expected in this project, however once students are comfortable with connecting or sewing their circuits and attaching lights, a follow-up project that involves using a pre built Arduino ...

Online

Anti-bullying AI

Sometimes we write and post things on social media in a hurry. Such posts can hurt people and even make them feel bullied. Wouldn't it be great if an Artificial Intelligence application could check our posts as we write them, and warn us if they were potentially hurtful?

Online

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.

Online

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.

Online

Off to the movies

This is a simple Boolean (true/false) application where its asks the user’s age - if you are over 15 then you can watch G and M rated movies - if you are under 15, then you can only watch G rated movies. This lesson was designed in collaboration with Jason Vearing QSITE (Gold Coast Chapter).

Video

An introduction to artificial intelligence and machine learning

This video is the first of a series of 5 explainers on artificial intelligence. It discusses why it is a challenge for a computer to easily recognise one object from another. Discover how a machine learns using labelled images rather than following a specific set of rules and how AI connects with human learning.

Online

Computers and binary

This is a unit for Year 8 from the Scope and sequence resources from the DT Hub. The topic of data representation is organised into four key elements. Use this flow of activities to plan and assess students against the relevant achievement standards. Students examine the ways all computer data including text, images and ...

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.

Online

Create an app or game

This is a unit for Year 7 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 ...

Online

Robotics and embedded systems

This is a unit for Year 8 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 ...

Online

Everything is numbers!

In this sequence students learn how the binary number system works, how we can represent text using binary numbers and learn one of the representations of the standard English alphabet used by computers. They look at how the same concepts apply to non-text data and analyse the effectiveness of some binary representation ...

Online

There can only be one

In this lesson sequence students write a simple suite of programs that can be used to facilitate an S.R.C. election though the collection and processing of data. It assumes that students have been introduced to Python programming language.

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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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Australian Curriculum: Digital Technologies Years 7-8 Sample Assessment Task: Digital Systems

The Years 7-8 assessment task focuses on digital systems (integrating Digital Technologies and Science). The digital systems assessment task provides a scaffold to teach about and assess students’ understanding of how digital systems can be used to monitor the classroom learning environment. learn how to create environmental ...

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Creating a digital start line and finish line with micro:bits: years 7-8

This PDF provides a sequence of activities in which students create algorithms to measure the time taken for a vehicle to travel from a starting line to a finish line. Students connect micro:bits and laser receiver sensors to measure time, then create programs to undertake the timing using visual and general-purpose programming.

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Australian Curriculum: Digital Technologies key concepts mapping: years 7-8

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 7-8 Sample Assessment Task: Digital Systems - Student activity guide

The Years 7-8 assessment task focuses on digital systems (integrating Digital Technologies and Science). The digital systems assessment task activity guide can teach and assess students’ understanding of how digital systems can be used to monitor the classroom learning environment. Students will learn how to create environmental ...

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Computational thinking poster

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

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Tutorial: Python

This tutorial provides detailed instructions to support the learning of Python, a general purpose programming language. The tutorial is designed for educators who are learning to use Python.

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Australian Curriculum: Digital Technologies: years 7-8

This PDF provides a line of sight from content descriptions to achievement standards in the Digital Technologies subject in the Australian Curriculum.

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ACARA sample assessment task: years 7-8

This resource provides strategies for assessing students' understanding of the ways in which data can be sourced, organised and represented to maximise options for analysis, evaluation, decomposition and visualisation in order to create digital solutions. The context of the resource is the liveability of the places in which ...

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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 ...

Video

Expert webinar video: Dr Karen Joyce: Map my school

Dr Karen Joyce from STEM education provider She Maps discusses geospatial mapping and methods for teaching underpinning concepts to primary, secondary and tertiary students. Her presentation provides opportunities to think about how we might teach digital systems, data collection and interpretation to our students in context.

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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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Faith Lutheran College – Timeline

This document presents the milestones in Faith Lutheran College's participation in the Digital Technologies in Focus project.

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Faith Lutheran College – PL ecosystem

This document illustrates the network of people and resources that make up Faith Lutheran College's Professional Learning ecosystem.

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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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Lockwood & Mooney review: Computational thinking

This article provides a literature review of how computational thinking fits into a school curriculum. The aim of the report is to provide educators with an overview of the current research in this field and the work that is being done in teaching computational thinking.

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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 ...

Audio

Faith Lutheran College – Podcast

This podcast includes information about the aims, challenges, insights and accomplishments of Faith Lutheran College's participation in the Digital Technologies in Focus project.

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Faith Lutheran College – – Final report

This report provides details of Faith Lutheran 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.