Information Technology Documentation
►Internet Access and Emails
►Internet/Intranet access
►Parental Glossary of ICT
►The delivery of Information Technology
►Software Applications
►Learning across the National Curriculum
►Promoting key skills through ICT
►The use of ICT in Teaching and Learning
►National Curriculum Attainment Targets
►Internet Access and Emails
All pupils now have protected access to the internet. They can log on with their own user identification name and personal password. "Cyber Patrol" monitors the pages they look at and ensures that nothing of a dubious nature can be viewed.They all have their own email address. All access to the internet is via a broadband high speed system. Back to top►Internet/Intranet access
All teaching rooms now have at least one computer with internal and external links. There are three main IT internet suites. This means that all timetabled IT lessons will take place in PC rooms. Back to top►Parental Glossary of ICT
This has been extracted from the ICT Policy of the Barnsley Education Action Zone.■Cache/Caching
A method used in IT to improve performance. It means that information which is accessed from a slow speed source, such as the Internet, is held for a time locally in a so-called cache. Then any repeated accesses to the same information will be handled locally, at much higher speed. It is expected that in a classroom situation numbers of pupils may be accessing the same information over a short period of time and that performance will be significantly improved by the use of the caching facility. In our situation it will also reduce the costs of Internet access.
The use of caching is invisible to users, who will use the Internet in a normal way. The software will automatically and invisibly check in the local cache to see whether the required pages of information are already there or whether a real Internet access is necessary.
■Cyber Patrol
The name of an Internet service which has been set up specifically for managing children's access to the Internet. In use, there is a list of Internet sites which are inappropriate for children and access to these sites will be prevented. In addition, there is another list of sites which contain information of positive educational value to children. We will have the option of restricting younger pupils (or all pupils if we wish) to these vetted and approved sites only.
■Firewall
The term used to describe an electronic barrier between an organisation's internal IT facilities and the Internet. It will prevent unauthorised access to our information and IT resources by the so-called hackers who abound on the Internet. It will also prevent unauthorised access to the Internet by internal users, and monitor the use made of the Internet by authorised users.
■ICT
Information Communication Technology. This is a term coined in Education circles and often used synonymously with IT. It refers to the subset of Information Technology which is specifically concerned with the Communication of information, in particular using the Internet.
■Internet
Sometimes called the World Wide Web. A world-wide network of information sources which anyone can join. It arose from the US Defence Agency who wanted a network which would be resilient to enemy attacks on any part of it. It was then picked up and developed by US universities who wanted a simple, informal method of sharing and exchanging information. From there it has expanded around the globe.
It is fundamental to the design of the Internet that there is no single point of failure (which would have been vulnerable to attack). As a result anyone can join into and/or extend the Internet network, which is the reason for its explosive growth. It is also the reason for some of the greatest concerns over the Internet, that it is impossible to prevent the Internet carrying information which the bulk of society would view as inappropriate.
■Intranet
A small, self-contained version of the Internet which is set up within an organisation to store and distribute the organisation's internal information. An Intranet can be totally separated from the outside world or, more commonly, can be connected to the Internet through a Firewall. This is the plan for the LEA's Intranet which the Zone will use.
Users within the Zone will be able to access authorised information on both the Intranet and the Internet without necessarily being aware of the Firewall in between. Appropriate external users (e.g. in other Zones) can also be given access into our Intranet, or we into theirs.
■ISDN
Integrated Services Digital Network. The provision of digital network facilities on a dial-up basis. The agreement under which the NGfL operates provides unlimited usage between 9am and 6pm at a fixed charge. Use outside these hours incurs additional charges.
■Kb
Kilobits. One thousand bits of information, where a bit is either 0 or 1. A 256 Kb communication line has a capacity of 256,000 bits per second.
■LAN
Local Area Network. A network contained within a building or group of buildings which does not need to utilise the external network (from BT or others). A LAN will usually run at much higher speeds than the external network will support. Thus traffic within a school will be transmitted at much higher speeds than traffic between the school and elsewhere.
■Mb
Megabits. One million bits of information. A 4Mb line has a capacity of 4 million bits per second, i.e. 16 times the capacity of a 256 Kb line.
■SIMS
Schools Information Management System. This is a schools administration system which is run in every school in the LEA. The system at each school is free-standing.
■Thin Client
A technique which separates the handling of the screen and keyboard of a Personal Computer from the processing and storage of information. It has the benefit of allowing the processing and storage to be centralised on high performance machines which can be more easily managed, supported, updated and secured. However, it is totally dependent on the network link between the desktop and the central processing. Back to top
►The delivery of Information Technology
The delivery of Information Technology to Willowgarth pupils has evolved since the introduction of National Curriculum into a model in which discrete lessons of Information Technology service the IT needs of the rest of the curriculum. The requirements of National curriculum are satisfied within IT lessons, but there has been positive encouragement and appropriate purchasing of computer hardware and software to allow other areas of the curriculum to use IT as and when it is deemed sensible.Information technology is a tool to be used by pupils to work more efficiently, more accurately and to give better presentation of their efforts. IT is used to motivate and give encouragement to pupils and the emphasis of the delivery of Information Technology is the acquisition of generic skills by the children in order that they can apply the skills irrespective of the context.
We follow the guidelines as set out in the National Curriculum. Refer to that document for further details.
This extract is taken from the National Curriculum:
■ICT/key stage 3
During key stage 3 pupils become increasingly independent users of ICT tools and information sources. They have a better understanding of how ICT can help their work in other subjects and develop their ability to judge when and how to use ICT and where it has limitations. They think about the quality and reliability of information, and access and combine increasing amounts of information. They become more focused, efficient and rigorous in their use of ICT, and carry out a range of increasingly complex tasks.
Thus in WHS we will teach ICT skills through our selected contexts. We will evaluate GOAL - contact Mr. Loveday for more information - and then decide upon our PC schemes.
See also the web site below.
http://www.nc.uk.net/servlets/NCFrame?subject=ICT&KeyStage=3
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►Software Applications
►PC applicationsThese are mainly Microsoft Office 2000. Word, Access, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook and Frontpage. We also use various scanning and photo applications. Specific topics are left to the discretion of individual members of staff.
All lessons are now taught on internet PCs. The necessary skills will be taught as work progresses. Back to top
►Learning across the National Curriculum
The handbooks for primary and secondary teachers set out in general terms how the National Curriculum can promote learning across the curriculum in a number of areas such as spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, key skills and thinking skills. The examples below indicate specific ways in which the teaching of ICT can contribute to learning across the curriculum.Promoting pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development through ICT
For example, ICT provides opportunities to promote:
■spiritual development, through helping pupils to discuss how the limitations of ICT make us more aware of what makes us human [for example, 'can computers create?'] and helping pupils to recognise their own, and others' creativity and imagination
■moral development, through considering some of the ethical issues surrounding the misuse of information [for example, the rights of access to personal information], recognising how ICT can multiply the results of our actions, and consequently appreciating the need for greater responsibility in its use
■social development, through considering how ICT can facilitate communication and the sharing of information and discussing how ICT affects ways of life, ways of working and communities [for example, its impact on employment, social relations and small communities]
■cultural development, through discussing how information arises out of a cultural context [for example, how the presentation of a site on the world wide web reflects the culture of its creators], discussing how ICT connects local, national and international communities, and through learning about other cultures through information on the internet. Back to top
►Promoting key skills through ICT
For example, ICT provides opportunities for pupils to develop the key skills of:■communication, through reading and selecting from a range of sources, planning,
■writing and refining texts in different styles and for different purposes, communicating face-to-face and by e-mail, and discussing and reflecting critically on their own and on others' work
■application of number, through working with quantitative data and mathematical models
■IT, through the programmes of study for ICT and in particular the key stage 4 programme of study, which is aligned with the key skills unit for IT
■working with others, through discussing and reflecting critically on their own and others' work, developing information systems as part of a group, and working with others via e-mail and the internet
■improving own learning and performance, through reviewing, modifying and evaluating their work as it progresses
■problem solving, through modelling real situations and developing solutions to problems when working with ICT. Back to top
►The use of ICT in Teaching and Learning
The Scottish Experience. Includes video reports.Go to this web site:
http://www.ngflscotland.gov.uk/teachers/ICTLT
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►National Curriculum Attainment Targets
Attainment target for ICT►Level 1
Pupils explore information from various sources, showing they know that information exists in different forms. They use ICT to work with text, images and sound to help them share their ideas. They recognise that many everyday devices respond to signals and instructions. They make choices when using such devices to produce different outcomes. They talk about their use of ICT.
►Level 2
Pupils use ICT to organise and classify information and to present their findings. They enter, save and retrieve work. They use ICT to help them generate, amend and record their work and share their ideas in different forms, including text, tables, images and sound. They plan and give instructions to make things happen and describe the effects. They use ICT to explore what happens in real and imaginary situations. They talk about their experiences of ICT both inside and outside school.
►Level 3
Pupils use ICT to save information and to find and use appropriate stored information, following straightforward lines of enquiry. They use ICT to generate, develop, organise and present their work. They share and exchange their ideas with others. They use sequences of instructions to control devices and achieve specific outcomes. They make appropriate choices when using ICT-based models or simulations to help them find things out and solve problems. They describe their use of ICT and its use outside school.
►Level 4
Pupils understand the need for care in framing questions when collecting, finding and interrogating information. They interpret their findings, question plausibility and recognise that poor-quality information leads to unreliable results. They add to, amend and combine different forms of information from a variety of sources. They use ICT to present information in different forms and show they are aware of the intended audience and the need for quality in their presentations. They exchange information and ideas with others in a variety of ways, including using e-mail. They use ICT systems to control events in a predetermined manner and to sense physical data. They use ICT-based models and simulations to explore patterns and relationships, and make predictions about the consequences of their decisions. They compare their use of ICT with other methods and with its use outside school.
►Level 5
Pupils select the information they need for different purposes, check its accuracy and organise it in a form suitable for processing. They use ICT to structure, refine and present information in different forms and styles for specific purposes and audiences. They exchange information and ideas with others in a variety of ways, including using e-mail. They create sequences of instructions to control events, and understand the need to be precise when framing and sequencing instructions. They understand how ICT devices with sensors can be used to monitor and measure external events. They explore the effects of changing the variables in an ICT-based model. They discuss their knowledge and experience of using ICT and their observations of its use outside school. They assess the use of ICT in their work and are able to reflect critically in order to make improvements in subsequent work.
►Level 6
Pupils develop and refine their work to enhance its quality, using information from a range of sources. Where necessary, they use complex lines of enquiry to test hypotheses. They present their ideas in a variety of ways and show a clear sense of audience. They develop, try out and refine sequences of instructions to monitor, measure and control events, and show efficiency in framing these instructions. They use ICT-based models to make predictions and vary the rules within the models. They assess the validity of these models by comparing their behaviour with information from other sources. They discuss the impact of ICT on society.
►Level 7
Pupils combine information from a variety of ICT-based and other sources for presentation to different audiences. They identify the advantages and limitations of different information-handling applications. They select and use information systems suited to their work in a variety of contexts, translating enquiries expressed in ordinary language into the form required by the system. They use ICT to measure, record and analyse physical variables and control events. They design ICT-based models and procedures with variables to meet particular needs. They consider the benefits and limitations of ICT tools and information sources and of the results they produce, and they use these results to inform future judgements about the quality of their work. They take part in informed discussions about the use of ICT and its impact on society.
►Level 8
Pupils independently select appropriate information sources and ICT tools for specific tasks, taking into account ease of use and suitability. They design successful ways to collect and prepare information for processing. They design and implement systems for others to use. When developing systems that respond to events, they make appropriate use of feedback. They take part in informed discussions about the social, economic, ethical and moral issues raised by ICT.
►Exceptional Performance
Pupils evaluate software packages and ICT-based models, analysing the situations for which they were developed and assessing their efficiency, ease of use and appropriateness. They suggest refinements to existing systems and design, implement and document systems for others to use, predicting some of the consequences that could arise from the use of such systems. When discussing their own and others' use of ICT, they use their knowledge and experience of information systems to inform their views on the social, economic, political, legal, ethical and moral issues raised by ICT. Back to top
