Albany Senior High School/Coursebook/2DIG

What is this course about?
A reality of modern life is that, for almost any job, "computer literacy" is a basic requirement. You will, no doubt, also realise that Information Technology Professionals are highly sought after in the workplace and hence are amongst the top salary earners. These men and woman have taken their knowledge and skills far beyond the level of computer literacy. They are the Architects, Engineers and Developers of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). Their passion is to invent and conceive new ideas. In turn, they are constantly learning and acquiring the latest knowledge and qualifications.

At Albany Senior High our aim with Digital Technology is to teach and apply the best and most up-to-date IT Professional practices. Our courses are not about simply helping our students' become computer literate. Instead our courses are about educating students' to become IT professionals.

Hence we look at situations which actually exist in the workplace. One such situation is the following:

Already back in 1989, Ken Stowe, a Charter Member of the Computer Integrated Construction Association, had this to say about a "Construction Future": “Soon, construction project players will no longer conceptualize, draft and transfer project information from office to office on computerized two-dimensional blueprints with volumes of printed specifications. A computerized project database will emerge from team sessions with the architect, owner and builder starting with conceptual design. The database format will be standardized to allow for automated materials quantities takeoff and expert decision / support systems to suggest and analyze various design alternatives.”

Today, some twenty years since Ken wrote this article the technology is available. Unfortunately not many people know how to apply the technology in order to achieve the best results.

If you enrol for the Year 12 course you will undertake the following project:

You are an Information Technology (IT) and Information Systems (IS) Professional and you are required to use data received from your Client and transform this into information which will enable expert decision making and alternative management practices.

What will I learn?
You will learn to manage IT Projects, including how to formulate and implement strategies and processes which enable various digital tools and technologies to be used effectively for the management and presentation of information.

The key areas of knowledge are:


 * Effective use of data, text, and media to meet briefs
 * Design concepts
 * Data transformation
 * Effective use of presentation techniques (oral/audio and visual) to impart information
 * Peripheral devices
 * Ethical behaviour and ‘netiquette’
 * Intranets and content management systems

During this course you will learn to:


 * Use software applications to produce effective and professional outcomes to meet stakeholder briefs
 * Explore the impact and functionality of digital technologies in business and social use
 * Develop advanced and innovative skills in presenting and imparting information to a range of audiences
 * Explore the aspects of digital technologies that assist business and social use
 * Use problem-solving skills to identify and develop solutions
 * Work on collaborative and individual projects

What sorts of things will I do?
Project Management You are required to plan and control projects. This involves Time Management, Risk Management, Cost Management, Resource Management and Communication Management.

Project Management is a professional discipline and all Information Technology (IT) professionals are required to regularly manage projects or work as a member of a project team. The more you know about and apply Project Management the more certain you can be of achieving a successful outcome.

You will use Lists, IDEFO Diagrams, GANTT Charts, and Flow Charts.

Frequently asked questions:
Are there any prerequisites for this course?

There are no set prerequisites for Product Design courses at Albany Senior High School. It is however within the nature of the subject area that through the senior years, although students build their abilities using familiar methods of design and production, study will be at ever deeper more sophisticated levels.

There is an expectation that over this time students will move towards greater levels of independence where they are demonstrating enthusiasm, self motivation and perseverance in order to solve authentic design problems within their specialist Technological area.

It is therefore advisable that you always speak to the specialist Technology teacher working in your area of interest before making final decisions on course choice.