AS91900v1 Conduct a Critical Inquiry to Propose a Digital Technologies Outcome Assessment Brief

Achievement Criteria

Background

Students are coming to a secondary school with some idea/knowledge of these areas, web design, computer programming, animation. You are to select one of these areas and provide clear details of this area of what it is designed to do and the range of applications that could be used to create it.

Then guide them through its use using a suitable application to create content.

“You have the opportunity to create an educational resource, what will you teach?”

What format will you use to inform on its use?

Possible student outcome topics that could be developed based on their inquiry could be:

Web design, computer programming, animation, other.

In this assessment you will conduct an inquiry into one of the following categories:

1: Web Design

For this category for example using HTML/CSS scripting or Web authoring using MS Expression Web.

2: Computer programming

For this category for example Python or Scratch.

3: Animation

For this category for example Blender or Adobe Animate.

4: Another digital format

You are to select another area that can be used.

For three categories of the above categories, all these applications are currently available on the desktop computers at SBHS.

For the chosen category you are to research into this area and provide a list of what is easily/freely available/provided. Produce a review of each application comparing the positives and negatives for each. Then choose from this list and justify why you should use this application. Then provide a visual and descriptive guide to its use.

In this guide you should inform on the basics and how to get started, then select what areas the user is to be guided on how to use. Provide clear details on what the user is going to be trained on.

Ensure to state what year level the training is relevant to. Is it for year 9’s with limited previous IT experience or is it for senior students who already have detailed knowledge/experience with a range of IT applications.

Criteria For Achieved:

Conduct a critical inquiry to propose a digital technologies outcome involves:

• deciding on an inquiry focus and developing specific inquiry question(s)
• undertaking research to gather background information and ideas
• analysing gathered information
• establishing a refined inquiry focus
• proposing a digital technologies outcome to the inquiry
• explaining relevant risks and ways to mitigate these risks

Examples of risks include:

• time
• financial
• estimations and scheduling
• incorrect functionality
• scope creep
• factors outside of one’s control
• reporting on the findings of the research in relation to the inquiry question(s) and proposed digital technologies outcome.

Criteria For Merit:

Conduct an in-depth critical inquiry to propose a digital technologies outcome involves:

• comparing and contrasting different perspectives that relate to the inquiry focus
• discussing possible future opportunities relating to the inquiry focus and explaining the possible impacts of these opportunities
• effectively managing milestones and inquiry progression
• evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the proposed digital technologies outcome.

Criteria For Excellence:

Conduct a comprehensive critical inquiry to propose a digital technologies outcome involves evaluating the findings and implications including:

• critiquing any sources used and evaluating their potential for bias and inaccuracies
• considering possible issues relating to the proposed outcome and suggesting areas for improvement, extension, and/or follow-up
• critiquing the accuracy, relevance, reliability, and/or significance of the findings.

Task 1 State which category you will conduct the inquiry on:

I will conduct my inquiry on Computer Programming. My focus will be to design an educational resource that introduces Year 9 students to programming concepts through Scratch and then connect these concepts to Python for further development as their skills grow.

Task 2 If you select category 4, give details on this:

For the following tasks you are to create your own range/type of digital document/s and provide the required information/evidence for each task element.

Achieved Conduct a critical inquiry to propose a digital technologies outcome:

Task 3 deciding on an inquiry focus and developing specific inquiry question(s).

The focus and inquiry questions are broad enough to enable a choice from a range of possible digital technologies outcomes, and do not limit the type of outcome proposed.

Inquiry focus:

The inquiry will focus on helping year 9 students with limited IT experience learn fundamentals of computer programming, starting with scratch visual, block-based coding and progressing towards simple text-based python programs.

Inquiry Questions:

• How can scratch be used to introduce programming concepts to beginners?
• What strategies help students transition from Scratch to python programming?
• Which freely available applications fully support this learning pathways for year 9 students?

Task 4 undertaking research to gather background information and ideas.

Research is from a variety of sources, can include your own knowledge and experience.

Task 5 analysing gathered information.

Review the collected information.

It is not expected that all gathered information is be presented. The research must be relevant and used to inform and explain how digital technologies provide a solution to the inquiry question(s).

Task 6 establishing a refined inquiry focus.

Confirm the final requirements and what improvements are made.

Presented a concise summary and analysis of your findings to explain and interpret how the research relates to the outcome.

Establish a refined inquiry focus. After researching background information, demonstrate how the inquiry focus has been refined from the initial stages to a specific focus.

Task 7 proposing a digital technologies outcome to the inquiry.

The proposed outcome should be what you will be creating.

You are to justify/explain why this “outcome” will meet the requirements of your inquiry.

This must be based on your research findings.

Task 8 explaining relevant risks and ways to mitigate these risks.

Mitigate these risks, trying to eliminate or reduce the effect of the risk.

Examples of risks include:

• time
• financial
• estimations and scheduling
• incorrect functionality (an application is not performing its intended tasks or does not operates as expected)
• scope creep (the uncontrolled expansion of a project’s initial goals, requirements after the project has begun)
• factors outside of one’s control.

Task 9 reporting on the findings of the research in relation to the inquiry question(s) and proposed digital technologies outcome.

Reflect on your inquiry questions and research and link this to your proposed outcome.

Provided evidence of how digital tools can be used to enhance and enrich the learning and propose what applications are used to demonstrate a particular software skill.

Merit Conduct an in-depth critical inquiry to propose a digital technologies outcome:

Task 10 comparing and contrasting different perspectives that relate to the inquiry focus.

Analysing the similarities and differences between two or more subjects.

Show that you have looked at a number of perspectives and can evidence this in your investigation stages.

Task 11 discussing possible future opportunities relating to the inquiry focus and explaining the possible impacts of these opportunities.

Task 12 effectively managing milestones and inquiry progression.

Effective goal setting and the inquiry progressed forward in a planned and organised way.

Task 13 evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the proposed digital technologies outcome.

Identifying areas of proficiency and areas needing improvement.

Show that you have taken your findings and explored future opportunities and have considered their impacts.

Discuss what could affect your proposals content, over what time frame it is relevant for.

Excellence Conduct a comprehensive critical inquiry to propose a digital technologies outcome involves evaluating the findings and implications including:

Task 14 critiquing any sources used and evaluating their potential for bias and inaccuracies.

Critiques your sources to confirm they were relevant, and what perspectives they were developed for.

Task 15 considering possible issues relating to the proposed outcome and suggesting areas for improvement, extension, and/or follow-up.

Detail any other areas where you could have proposed more in your outcome, but you chose not to. This includes areas where you knew time was a limitation, or your skill or the limitations of knowledge affected your decision.

Task 16 critiquing the accuracy, relevance, reliability, and/or significance of the findings.

Compare a range of sources with differing opinions and evaluate the:

• accuracy,
• relevance,
• reliability and/or significance
• of evidence from differing viewpoints.

Assessor Marking Guide and Student Checklist AS91900v1 for student _________________