Primary Catalogue

Most of us always try to abide by the law. But did you know that just by submitting a research report, you could be committing a crime? That is, if you have used the work or intellectual property of others without acknowledging it. Plagiarism is theft and it has serious consequences in schools and workplaces alike. The good news is that it’s not hard to research ethically and compile a bibliography that cites the work of others and strengthens your own! Show Less

A person’s intellectual property does not just refer to their ideas or words. It also means any images, music and videos that they have created. These types of works are protected online by a licence that tells us if and how we can use or modify them. Understanding these licences is important not only for accessing great media for your research projects, but for making sure you're a respectful digital citizen. Show Less

Social networking is a great part of the Internet, but it's also important to be careful not to hurt other people's feelings. This video showcases a series of situations to stop cyberbullying. What would you do if someone shared an embarrassing photo of a friend? What if you used a rather unpleasant word while chatting to a friend and he got upset? Would you share personal information with a friend about someone? Show Less

Even the most experienced programmers use simple visual models and techniques to plan an effective algorithmic solution. In this video, students are introduced to the IPO model and flowcharts as two such methods to abstract unnecessary information in a problem, decompose it into smaller tasks, a recognise patterns and repetition, and program a series of simple steps for a computer to follow. Show Less

Using the analogy problem of washing dirty dishes, this video explores the IPO model and pseudocode as tools to guide computational thinking. Students of lower secondary digital technologies will understand how using pseudocode can be an accessible preliminary step in the design process before attempting to write a program in their chosen syntax. Show Less

Files are stored on a hard drive and are different sizes. In this clip, cartoon dinosaurs are used to demonstrate the size of files. It begins with bits that are made up of 1s and 0s. Eight bits make a byte, 1000 bytes make a kilobyte, 1000 kilobytes make a megabyte, 1000 megabytes makes a gigabyte and 1000 gigabytes make a terabyte. Show Less

This episode takes a brief journey through time, showing how computers have changed over the years. From the mechanical calculator invented by Charles Babbage and programmed by Ada Lovelace, to Alan Turing’s algorithms which are still used in computers today, we see the evolution of what we know today as computers. We learn that coded messages were used during World War Two and the World Wide Web was invented in the 1990s! Show Less

Introducing the concepts of abstraction, decomposition, algorithm design and pattern recognition, this video gets inside the ‘mind’ of a computer to understand why computational thinking this is a crucial first step to designing a successful program. Students and teachers of lower secondary digital technologies will find this an approachable foundation to computational thinking. Show Less

How the Internet works is explained using the example of pigeons in their nests. All the pigeons, or computers, are connected together, and this is called a network. The rules of how the messages are sent are called protocols, and large messages are broken into small parts called packets. Each pigeon’s nest has a number called an IP address, and these numbers can be found on a domain name server which is like a computer address book. Students will also learn that it is the routers that send the message to the computer. Show Less

Discover how search engines work through the example of a bear searching for honey in the woods. A search engine uses web crawlers to find information and send back a copy of each page. Algorithms are used to find the best match, and then the sites are ranked according to many factors, including how well the site is written, how frequently it is used and how popular it is. Students will learn that the algorithms are like the bees searching for the best honey. Show Less

There are many different elements that go into making a computer game: deciding on the type of game, designing the pictures, animating the characters and choosing what will happen. We learn about why it's important to make sure that the game gets progressively harder and rewards are given. The use of code and algorithms is explained. Show Less

This programme provides a basic introduction to animation, demonstrating how lots of pictures that are slightly different are put together to make it look as if a picture is moving. Pictures of a cat are shown in slightly different positions and when shown quickly one after the other, it looks like it is walking. Students will discover that animations can also be made using code! Show Less

Complex programming is introduced using an example of a kangaroo that needs to have a drink without being eaten by a crocodile. The kangaroo needed to check that the crocodile was not near the water before she had a drink and she needed more than one drink during the day. The kangaroo sequences steps that she needs to take to have a drink without the crocodile getting to her. She uses algorithms that include selection and a loop. Making sure that the steps are done in the correct order is important and so is repeating the algorithm. Show Less

Students read, sing and learn about various cuisine and the processes involved in preparing food from the kitchen to the table. This curriculum-aligned song targets outcomes of curriculum documents and supports and integrates classroom learning across key subject areas. Show Less