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DTiF in conversation with Save the Bilby Fund – Background information on the Save the Bilby Fund

Kevin Bradley, CEO of Save the Bilby Fund, and Cassandra Arkinstall, a researcher and volunteer at Save the Bilby Fund, explain why the bilby is an important indicator of the health of an ecosystem, and how their decline impacts other wildlife. This video gives an overview of what the Save the Bilby Fund does as they work ...

Video

DTiF in conversation with Kevin Bradley and Cassandra Arkinstall from Save the Bilby Fund – Using Digital Technologies to help save bilbies

Kevin Bradley, CEO of Save the Bilby Fund, and Cassandra Arkinstall, a researcher and volunteer at Save the Bilby Fund explain how important digital technologies are in the campaign to save the bilby from extinction. The video explains how digital systems are used to collect and visualise data and help eradicate threats ...

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Create dichotomous keys lesson

In this lesson students engage in a hands-on exploration of local diversity. Students research and record local wildlife, learn about biodiversity in Australia, and conduct a ‘bush blitz’. They learn how to create dichotomous keys and translate their keys into a wildlife discovery app prototype. The resource includes links ...

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Animal adaptations

Students explore aspects of animal adaptation prior to applying their knowledge to construct their own digital creature using littleBits electronic sets.

Online

Makey Makey boards

In this sequence of lessons students explore how electrical energy can be transferred and transformed in electrical circuits, using Makey Makey boards as the basis for experimentation and recoding of data.

Online

Connecting digital components

This is a unit for Year 6 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 learn about input and output devices and then use Makey Makey boards ...

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Data interpretation: organise data by classifying, grouping and sorting objects

This PDF provides suggestions for organising and classifying discrete items according to different criteria, for example, shape, size, colour and type, and prompts students to identify ways in which school resources have been classified.

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ACARA sample assessment task: years 5-6: Representing data

This resource provides strategies for assessing aspects of the Digital Technologies subject in the Australian Curriculum that relate to the representation of data in binary code. The resource includes an assessment planner and rubric, as well as links to curriculum and learning 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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Australian Curriculum: Digital Technologies Years F–2 Sample assessment task: Stepping out

This resource provides strategies for assessing aspects of the Digital Technologies subject in the Australian Curriculum that relate to data using contexts from other learning areas and General Capabilities, including Mathematics, Numeracy and Literacy. The resource includes an assessment planner and rubric, as well as ...

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Exploring digital systems unplugged: networks: years 5-6

This PDF provides activities in which students identify features of digital systems, and create models to demonstrate their operations. Students are encouraged to demonstrate their understanding of Domain Name Servers (DNS), routing, and transmission control and internet protocols (TCP/IP).

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Digital systems cards

This PDF and accompanying cards provide suggestions for ways in which students can identify and explain digital systems in their environment. Students determine whether digital systems include inputs, outputs, or both, and whether they feature software, hardware or peripheral devices. The resource includes useful links ...

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Micro:bit missions: Take a chance on me (Integrating Mathematics): years 6-8

This resource comprises two activities that allow students to explore the concept of chance in Mathematics. Students use computational thinking while using a micro:bit as a digital system to generate and collect data. Students implement programs involving branching and iteration in visual and general-purpose programming languages.

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Classroom ideas: Micro:bit environmental measurement (visual programming): years 5-6

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 and visual programming.

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Books for exploring Digital Technologies concepts

This PDF provides a list of suggested books or similar that identify and discuss key concepts, key ideas and related ways of thinking about Digital Technologies.

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Australian Curriculum: Digital Technologies Years F-6 achievement standards and aligned content descriptions on a page

This PDF presents content descriptions and achievement standards for the Digital Technologies subject in the Australian Curriculum

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Planning an action research project to facilitate implementation of Digital Technologies

This document includes ideas for planning and developing action research projects to facilitate implementation of digital technologies.

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Australian Curriculum: Digital Technologies years 3-4 Digital Systems sample assessment task: Cooling the school

This document provides a scaffold to teach and assess students’ understanding of how digital systems can be used to monitor and collect information used for mapping and making judgements about the environment. Students record information using digital systems to investigate a school need, then design solutions to improve ...

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Booth Sweeney review: Systems literacy

This article explores how children’s innate understanding of systems can be developed through deliberate educational programs that support systems thinking. This can happen by encouraging students to identify patterns, consequences and feedback (loops) associated with social, environmental and economic problems; and by ...

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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.