Information and Communications Technology – Concepts and Skills Charts

Using ICT tools to visualise thinking

Standards do not apply at Level 1.

The Level 1 learning focus statements suggest appropriate learning experiences from which teachers can plan relevant teaching and learning activities that support students to develop the concepts and skills.

At this level there are no relevant elements of the standards for this skill.

The Level 2 learning focus statements suggest appropriate learning experiences from which teachers can plan relevant teaching and learning activities that support students to develop the concepts and skills.

Use ICT tools to list ideas, order them into logical sequences, and identify relationships between them.

Apply ICT tools and techniques to represent and explore processes, patterns and cause-and-effect relationships.

Select and apply ICT tools that support the filtering, classifying, representing, describing and organising of concepts, issues and ideas.

Use editing functions of the ICT tools when visualising thinking.

Use a range of ICT tools and data types to visualise their thinking strategies when solving problems and developing new understanding.

Use appropriate ICT tools and editing techniques efficiently and effectively for assisting in visualising thinking.

Retrieve their saved visualising thinking strategies and edit them for use in new, but similar situations.

Review their stored thinking strategies in order to identify similarities and differences in their thinking patterns.

Explain how the visualising thinking strategies can be used for different problems or situations.

Document in their bank of digital evidence how these visualising thinking strategies help them to understand concepts and relationships.

Designing solutions and information products

Standards do not apply at Levels 1.

The Level 1 learning focus statements provide advice about learning experiences from which teachers can develop relevant teaching and learning activities and describe how students can develop their knowledge, skills and behaviours.

Follow simple plans.

Use design tools to represent how solutions will be produced and the layout of information products.

Prepare designs that identify the structure and layout of the products and the evaluation criteria, and the plans for managing collaborative projects.

Devise detailed plans that sequence tasks to be done, resources needed, and timelines for completions.

Annotate their plans to explain changes made during the project.

Manipulate text, images and numeric data to create simple information products for specific audiences.

Make simple changes to improve the appearance of the information products.

Use tools and a range of data types to create information products designed to inform, persuade, entertain or educate particular audiences.

Produce accurate and suitably formatted products to suit different purposes and audiences.

Independently apply a range of processing skills, functions and equipment to solve problems.

Products demonstrate a clear sense of purpose and respect for the audience.

Create information products to assist in problem solving in all areas of the curriculum With minimal assistance, use ICT tools to capture and save images.

Use simple editing functions such as copy, paste, re-sizing to manipulate the images for use in their products.

Select relevant techniques for minimising the time taken to process data, and apply conventions and techniques that improve the appearance of the finished product.

During the processing stage of collaborative work, students monitor project plans and record reasons for adjusting them.

Modify products on an ongoing basis in order to improve meaning.

Evaluate the final information product and describe how well it meets its purpose.

Judge products against agreed criteria.

Apply criteria to evaluate their information products to meet user needs.

Appraise different strategies for organising and managing resources involved in problem solving and creating information products.

Compare own solutions with others and justify suggestions to improve quality.

Retrieve files and save new files using a naming system that is meaningful to them.

Use file naming conventions that allow easy retrieval of files.

Independently use the operating system to manage their desktop workspace.

Organise their folders logically, appropriately name and locate files for sharing with others.

Apply techniques to facilitate the easy handling of large files such as saving and retrieving compressed files and understanding the characteristics of different file formats.

Explain the purpose of passwords for accessing files stored on networks.

Password protect and back up important files.

Create and maintain an up-to-date, logically structured bank of digital evidence of own learning –including text, images and multi-media.

Manage own bank of digital evidence to ensure it is up-to-date, is easy to navigate, complies with ICT presentation conventions and demonstrates a diversity of ICT skills and knowledge.

Adjust equipment and apply techniques that are ergonomically sound.

Safely and independently use a range of skills, procedures, equipment and functions to process different data types.

Use ICT in a safe, efficient and effective manner.

Standards do not apply at Levels 1.

The Level 1 learning focus statements provide advice about learning experiences from which teachers can develop relevant teaching and learning activities and describe how students can develop their knowledge, skills and behaviours.

With some assistance, students use ICT to locate and retrieve relevant information from a variety of sources.

Locate information on an intranet, and use a recommended search engine and limited key words to locate information from websites.

Use email, websites and frequently asked question facilities to acquire information from peers and known and unknown experts.

Use recommended search engines and refine search strategies to locate information quickly

Select the most appropriate search engines to locate information on websites.

Use complex search strategies, such as Boolean, to refine their searches.

Apply techniques to locate more precise information from websites, including searching general and specialised directories, and applying proximity operators.

Develop and apply simple criteria to evaluate the value of the located information.

Sending and receiving data and information

Compose simple electronic messages to known recipients and send them successfully.

Initiate and compose email messages to known and unknown audiences and, where appropriate, send replies.

Create folders in their mailbox to organise the storage of email messages they wish to keep.

Successfully attach files to emails. Apply protocols for sending and receiving electronic information. Successfully upload own work to a protected public online space.

Organise their email mailbox into a logical structure and maintain it.

Evaluate the merits of contemporary communication tools, taking into account their security, ease of use, speed of communication and impact on individuals.

Use accepted protocols to communicate regularly online with peers, experts, and others, expressing their messages in language appropriate to the selected form of communication, and demonstrating respect for cultural differences.

Use email, websites and frequently asked question facilities to share information with, peers and known and unknown experts.

Share their ideas through their blog, website or other public forums, which are correctly formatted, comply with ICT conventions and demonstrate an awareness of the characteristics that contribute to products meeting their purpose.

Exchange ideas and considered opinions with others through online forums and websites.