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Digital Technologies in focus

As a part of the Australian Government’s National Innovation and Science Agenda, ACARA has been funded to support the implementation of the Australian Curriculum: Digital Technologies in some of Australia’s most disadvantaged schools.

The Digital Technologies in focus (DTiF) project has been designed to encourage whole-school and inter-school collaboration, supported by curriculum officers.

One hundred and sixty schools with a low index of community socio-educational advantage (ICSEA) rating are participating in the project. Since July 2017, leaders and teachers from these schools have been taking part in workshops to help them implement Digital Technologies.

Nine Digital Technologies curriculum officers support clusters of schools, providing expertise to primary and secondary school teachers.

In 2018–20, the Digital Technologies curriculum officers will continue conducting professional learning workshops with teachers and school leaders. These workshops are customised to the specific needs of participating schools, with webinars and online mentoring complementing face-to-face events. Additional workshops have been offered to other schools.

Quick facts:

  • 160+ schools
  • 2,300+ teachers
  • 30,000+ students
  • 15 modules offered Australia wide
  • 10 project focus clusters

   

Current DTiF resources have been updated to reflect V9.0 of the Digital Technologies curriculum. New resources added to support V9.0 include:

 Teaching > Digital Literacy

  • Sequence of keyboarding skills 
  • Teaching > Programming and algorithms
    • Sample unit of work – Design and create a solar system quiz game (V9)
  •  Teaching > Privacy and security   
    • Classroom ideas – Foundation – Privacy and security
    • Classroom ideas – Years 1-2 – Privacy and security 
    • Classroom ideas – Years 3-4 – Privacy and security 
    • Classroom ideas – Years 5-6 – Privacy and security 
    • Classroom ideas – Years 7-8 – Privacy and security 
    • Classroom ideas – Years 9-10 – Privacy and security 
    • Classroom ideas – Years 7-10 – Enigma machine 
    • Teaching tips – Hacker versus Attacker 
  • Teaching  
    • Books for teaching Digital Technologies concepts – updated to include books for Privacy and security 

 Professional learning > other professional learning

The following topics are presented in short 3-4min videos 

    • Key changes 
    • Privacy and security 
  • Collaborating and managing 
  • User stories 
  • Algorithms 
  • Algorithms and Mathematics 
  • Digital Technologies, Mathematics and algorithms