Key concepts in ICT

The National Curriculum programme of study for ICT groups the knowledge, skills and understanding that pupils need to acquire into four themes. The Key Stage 3 Strategy publication entitled 'Framework for teaching ICT capability: Years 7, 8 and 9' subdivides each of the first three themes into three key concepts.

The resulting nine key concepts provide a useful way forward when considering the breadth of ICT capability. The fourth theme (‘Reviewing, modifying and evaluating work as it progresses’) is a critical feature of ICT capability, which needs to be integrated throughout all areas.
 
Finding things out

The theme Finding things out is concerned not only with finding information from a wide range of sources but also with recognising that the user must judge the quality of content found.

Pupils are taught to make judgements about the validity, reliability and bias of various data and information sources, and to select information relevant to a task, using, for example, CD-ROMs or the Internet. They are taught that the way in which different types of information are combined conveys meaning. For example, pupils recognise that the arrangement of text, graphics and numeric data in an advertisement is intended to persuade us to buy a product.

When searching and selecting, pupils are taught to use search engines to find appropriate information, to refine their searches, to make them more effective and to select relevant information by reference to its origin and quality. For example, a pupil searching the Internet for information about global warming might select the data found on a website with a .org or .gov suffix because it should be more reliable.

When organising and investigating, pupils are taught to retrieve and collect information for a specific purpose or task. They process the data in various ways to find something out, draw conclusions or answer hypotheses. They are able to present their findings effectively. For example, pupils may develop a hypothesis about the effects of a local building project. To test this hypothesis they would create a questionnaire to collect and record people’s attitudes, process the data in a spreadsheet or database, and use their analysis to support or refute their hypothesis, finally using graphs to present their findings.

Developing ideas and making things happen

Developing ideas and making things happen is concerned with using ICT to process, develop or display information efficiently.

Pupils are taught to analyse problems, breaking them down into component parts, and to automate processes to increase their speed and accuracy. For example, pupils may develop their understanding of efficiency by using master pages in publications to explore a range of possibilities before making a decision.

Pupils are taught that they can use models and modelling to represent a situation or process on-screen. They explore patterns and relationships by changing variables and rules and can use this technique to answer ‘What if …?’ questions. For example, pupils may explore a spreadsheet model of the relative costs of running a mobile phone by changing the number of minutes used per month (changing variables) to see what the phone would cost if… They may then develop the model by including the number of free text messages (changing rules).

Pupils are taught to develop computer-based systems to control and monitor situations. They analyse the problem and design, create, test and refine a solution. For example, in a science experiment pupils may develop a system to measure temperature, light and humidity, using a range of sensors incorporating a subroutine for each sensor, with appropriate sampling rates, and triggering an alarm when a condition is met.

Exchanging and sharing information

This theme relates to the process of communication. Pupils are taught to recognise common forms and conventions used in communications and to use this knowledge to present information appropriately to a specified audience.

When exchanging and sharing information, pupils are taught to consider fitness for purpose. They review and evaluate the effectiveness of their work and are able to justify the choices they have made. They are able to use this critical evaluation to develop and improve their presentation of information, refining it for the purpose and audience. For example, pupils may use digital video to create an advertisement for overseas visitors to their locality. They may refine their work further by devising criteria drawn from an analysis of existing TV advertisements, during which they identify the common forms and conventions.

They are taught to use ICT to communicate effectively with wider and remote audiences. For example, pupils may use email or online questionnaires to gather information from pupils in other countries, recognising and understanding the technical issues involved and the rules governing such communications.