Kia Takatū - Junior Secondary Resources available

Kia Takatū is now starting to full up with great resources and information. The above map shows were things are up to and indicating that there is more to come, especially in the Designing and Developing Digital Outcome space.

The following Pīkau are available through Kia Takatū under the Toolkits. Yes, you do need to have registered and be signed in to be able to access these.

I have included the overview statements so you can see what they contain and the learning outcomes.

Pīkau 15 - Representing Data in Binary

Introduction video - https://player.vimeo.com/video/341315734

This pīkau focuses on how and why binary is used to represent data. Beginning with exploring the concept of representing anything with two digits, it then looks at the implications of this for the various kinds of data on digital devices including text, images, and sound.

Teachers will be taken through practical activities that demonstrate how data is represented, not by 0s and 1s, but by two states. For example, a CD is made up of millions of very small flat and uneven parts (pits and lands) that reflect laser light differently. The possibilities and limitations of binary will also be looked at through examples of real life problems.

It is sometimes mistakenly thought that ‘binary is just another coding language’ or is some kind of secret code. Here we will show just how fundamental binary is to everything digital.

Understanding binary also supports the understanding of error control, compression, and encryption that come up later in the Digital Technologies curriculum content.

After completing this pīkau teachers will be able to……

• explain how the concept of binary underpins everything digital.
• explain how students can engage with the concept of binary representation.
• give examples of binary states used for storing information ie 1s and 0s, black and white, shiny and dull, high and low voltage.
• explain how something non-digital (eg images, language) can be represented using binary.

Pīkau 16 Human Computer Interface Interaction Evaluation

Introduction video - https://player.vimeo.com/video/341315871/

This pīkau starts by exploring how interfaces can be evaluated, then moves on to specific techniques that can be used to support doing this with students.

Two techniques that are highlighted are the “think aloud protocol” and “usability heuristics”, which are accessible to students, can be applied to their own designs, and used to evaluate other interfaces.

After completing this pīkau teachers will be able to……

• Teach students about HCI based on research and information that helps them evaluate and design good digital interfaces
• Encourage students to see the value of designing good interfaces for humans
• Recognise that it’s easy to design bad systems, but there are also processes that can enable us to design good systems