The Nature of Information & Communication Technology
Information Technology, as a term, is concerned with all aspects of the digital world; computers, microprocessors, digital communications, the Internet, data capture, robotics and so on.
Information & Communication Technology, as a subject area, is designed to allow students to experience a wide range of computer applications and to become familiar with computer hardware and basic theory. The software tools that students became familiar with through their Year 8 course are enhanced with the study and use of graphics programs, digital video software, movie making, creating multi-media, animation software, sound manipulation and programming languages.
In overview, the course deals with some of the more specialised and interesting areas of Information and Communication Technology that students may not have met before. Students study the hardware and software behind common computer systems, use digital capture and modification techniques with images, sounds and movies, create web pages using a scripting language and learn the basics of the Pascal and Delphi Programming Languages.
The Value of Studying Information & Communication Technology
Digital technology is all around us - in the car, our home appliances, video and music entertainment, electronic games. Our communication and navigation systems rely on digital connections, computerised services and satellites. No business or organisation can now function without the use of a computer. Microprocessors are at the heart of robotic and automatic devices. Yet how many of us have even the barest understanding of how a microprocessor actually works or how a program is written?
"Information is power" it is said. Information is at the heart of the modern world. We expect information to be available "at the touch of a button". Without information, in its many forms, business, government and industry can not function, yet without the skills to evaluate and understand information, without the knowledge to manipulate and present information, the person in modern society is adrift.
The Year 9 and 10 Information & Communication Technology course addresses these issues in terms of theory and practice. By the time students complete the course, we hope that they will have an understanding of what a computer is and how it functions, what a program is and how to write one, and how to use some of the more interesting software applications, such as digital video.
Both girls and boys are encouraged to take ICT. This is very much a creative subject and many students have excelled in the creative aspects of ICT and programming.
For further information, please contact Mr Paul Wagg, Head of Department, or you can download a copy of the course outline here.