Years 7–8: Creating a digital solution
This scope and sequence unit provides an opportunity for students to apply the skills for understanding and implementing algorithms from the ‘General-purpose programming’ unit in the context of a design project. Design thinking methodology and user experience design are explicitly introduced in pathway 1, then three different option pathways provide contexts and ideas for student projects that involve programming and a user interface as part of the solution. Choose one option pathway that suits your students’ needs, school context and available resources.
Additional details
| Year band(s) | 7-8 |
|---|---|
| Content type | Scope and sequence, Whole School |
| Format | Web page |
| Australian Curriculum Digital Technologies code(s) |
AC9TDI8P04
Define and decompose real-world problems with design criteria and by creating user stories
AC9TDI8P07
Design the user experience of a digital system
AC9TDI8P08
Generate, modify, communicate and evaluate alternative designs
AC9TDI8P10
Evaluate existing and student solutions against the design criteria, user stories and possible future impact |
| Keywords | scope and sequence, scope, sequence |
| Integrated, cross-curriculum, special needs | Mathematics, Digital Literacy, Critical and creative thinking |
| Organisation | ESA |
| Copyright | Creative Commons Attribution 4.0, unless otherwise indicated. |
Related resources
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Scope and sequence overview
This resource provides a possible set of sequenced topics that could be used in teaching the Australian Curriculum Digital Technologies curriculum Version 9.0 to address the content descriptions of the curriculum.
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Years 7–8: Binary numbers
This scope and sequence unit introduces students to the binary system of ones and zeros used by digital technology to store and process numbers. They also learn how text, images and sound can be stored this way.
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Years 7–8: Working with data
This scope and sequence unit focuses on the skills required to acquire, analyse and visualise data. Students can acquire data from sources ranging from paper and digital surveys to electronic sensors and online data repositories. Spreadsheets and single-table databases can be used for data analysis and visualisation. At each stage, the digital footprint of data solutions is considered.
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Years 7–8: General purpose programming
This scope and sequence unit introduces skills and tools for designing and testing algorithms, building up to the use of nested control structures and functions. Students are also introduced to coding in a general-purpose programming language like Python or JavaScript.
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Years 7–8: Hardware, networks and cyber threats
This scope and sequence unit explores how the performance of computer hardware – such as CPU and RAM – is determined by its specifications, and how digital networks (wired and wireless) can also be compared in terms of requirements. Students are introduced to the concepts of network protocols and cryptography for ensuring data integrity and security, and learn to identify and mitigate cyber security threats like phishing.