CURRICULUM CONNECTION The Australian Curriculum Learning Continuum for ICT Capability encompasses a wide range of capabilities for students to progress through in Primary education. In the context of the English learning area, ICT capability is developed when students use ICT to “interpret and create print, visual and multimodal texts. They use communication technologies when they conduct research online, and collaborate and communicate with others electronically” (General Capabilities, 2018). In Year 2, ICT capability exists in the Language and Literacy sub-strands and is inclusive of the Learning Continuum elements Communicating with ICT, Creating with ICT and Managing and operating ICT.
How to interpret the curriculum maps
The curriculum maps included in this teaching resource features two levels of student progression based on the LC from Level 1 (end of Foundation Year) to Level 2 (end of Year 2). As such I have included the following symbol to represent a student’s progress in ICT capability. It is important to note that a student may or may not be still at Level 1 at the end of Year 2 or may be somewhere in between and could even have reached or surpassed Level 2 capabilities at the end of Year 2.
Symbol indicating possible student progression.
Determining student progression
The above points highlight how crucial it is that student progression is accurately determined by teachers of each year level. A student may have progressed in their capabilities if: • They develop greater autonomy and confidence in their selection and use of information sources and tools; • They develop into discerning users of ICT, with an increasing awareness of the benefits and limitations of the systems they use; • They become able to present their ideas in an increasing variety of ways with a developing sense of audience; • They use ICT-based models of growing complexity for increasingly complex lines of enquiry involving progressively greater decision making and personal autonomy and; • Their ability to evaluate their own work grows, and they become progressively more able to discuss and appreciate social, economic, political, legal and ethical issues. Therefore, what is required is an understanding of the ICT potential of situations. Progression involves the student solving “increasingly sophisticated and abstract problems, constructing an increasingly rich and viable conceptual framework and developing fluency in the use of a widening range of techniques” (Kennewell, Parkinson, & Tanner, 2000, p. 38). An ICT capable student must be someone who can construct ICT solutions to problems which are appropriate the Literacy contexts and are based on the knowledge of the opportunities and limitations offered by the hardware and software available. © ICTE Solutions Australia 2018
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