McKinnonNEWS

ICT

ISSUES IN THE USE OF TECHNOLOGY

Alongside their study of Spreadsheets and Databases, students in 10ICT also choose an individual issue with the use of technology which they then research and provide their findings in an oral presentation to the rest of the class, supported by an electronic presentation.

 

In first semester this year, issues researched were diverse and included such topics as:

  • Artificial Intelligence and its impact on Students

  • Smart Glasses

  • 3D Printing of Body Parts and 3D Printing of Firearms

  • Air Taxis

  • Eye Health Issues

  • Computers and Mental Health

  • Pilotless Planes and Self-Driving Cars

  • The Impact of Computer Use on Handwriting

  • Drones: Deliveries, Privacy and in Warfare

  • Various Cybersecurity and Privacy issues

 

By asking students to research and present to the class on individual issues each student is exposed to a wide range of issues of which they should be aware.

 

One of the common strategies for dealing with these topics is to make people aware of the issues concerned, so students are also asked to prepare a poster designed to educate about the issue.

CYBERSECURITY AND GROK LEARNING

This is the final area of study for the 10ICT Course. Students use the resources available in GrokLearning to complete the basic course “Defence Against the Dark Hats” - cyber security and how to stay safe online! In this single, Intermediate level module, students learn about:

  • secure passwords,

  • how to keep personal information private,

  • how to identify suspicious emails and messages,

  • how encryption keeps information secure, and

  • how to browse the web securely.

 

Once this unit is completed, students can choose to work through as many modules as they can from the following choice of courses:

  • Cyber Hunt - 5–15-minute cyber problems that stretch students’ creativity and problem-solving skills.

  • Web Application Security - Learn the tools and techniques to start you on your way to becoming a cyber security expert! 

  • Cryptography - This Challenge introduces basic cryptography concepts in relation to data representation and securing online communication, and how these are implemented through code. It teaches programming in the context of classic cryptographic ciphers like rotation, XOR and mixed-substitution, and explains the techniques used to break these forms of encryption. Hear from cyber security experts who share what it's like to work in the cyber security industry, and how the skills and knowledge you learn through these activities can set you up for an exciting career after school.

  • Network Security - Learn how networks secure our data during transmission. This Challenge teaches the fundamentals of wired and wireless networks and the underlying principles of digital systems using BBC micro:bits.

  • Modelling Cyber Threats - How do experts know the security risks they face in digital systems?

 

GrokLearning has a range of classroom-ready online courses, competitions and activities all aligned to the Australian Curriculum: Digital Technologies. The Platform uses interactive notes and engaging, real world problems. Auto-marking and intelligent feedback allow students to progress through the courses at their own pace.

 

Side note: all courses for Grok are free to McKinnon Secondary School students. Topics of interest: Automation, Cyber Safety, Cyber Security, Data Science, Design, Networking, Programming, Quantum Computing and Web Design.

YEAR 10 COURSE EXPO AT EAST CAMPUS

A huge thank you to the following students who represented our 10ICT Course at the Year 10 subject Expo at the end of last term:

  • Hamish Dixon (who also prepared the 2025 EXPO-10ICT Leaflet above) 

  • Aarav Sahu 

  • Ayaan Pardhe and

  • Krithik Venkatesh Prem

Ms Diana Hatch

10ICT Teacher