ICT AT McKINNON

INTERNATIONAL REPRESENTATION

IT and Computer Science are now international platforms. Often people around the world work on the same projects from many different countries. It is an important aspect of our curriculum. As such throughout the year, we encourage all students to participate in many different activities. This week will see all of last year's participants in the NCSS Challenge receive their award certificates. 

The end of term is fast approaching and in the last two weeks of term all IT students will be participating in the international Bebras Computational Thinking Competition. All students, even those not currently enrolled in an IT subject, are encouraged to participate.  Sign up for the event by contacting an IT teacher directly or emailing Ms Hatch and come along to A4 any lunchtime in the last week of term to participate. We especially encourage those that participated last year!  Check out http://www.bebras.edu.au/ for details and practice questions. 

LOOKING AFTER YOUR HARDWARE

With so many of our students now carrying their personal devices (Chromebooks or Netbooks) with them everywhere, we'd like to remind the whole community that looking after our own hardware is very important. These machines are designed to last for three years and if we look after them they will! Simple steps like ensuring that our device is ALWAYS carried in a proper laptop bag or case will help with the longevity of the hardware. Also make sure the device is charged every night. Make sure the plug is switched on at the wall! Some students are starting the day with low batteries and this limits the quality of the work they can potentially produce in class. 

Students are encouraged not to use their devices for entertainment at recess and lunch, to save on batteries and give both the machine and user a break. 

Lastly all technology works best if it is properly turned off at the end of every day. This means shutting down the computer not just closing the screen or setting it to sleep. 

CONVENTION CHECK

People in all parts of our society are using electronic communications more and more. Gone are the days when we paid per character, and mobile device keyboards were hard to use. 

An important topic covered in Year 7 ICT is email conventions, All emails should have a salutation (greeting), be written in proper English with correct capitalisation and punctuation and have a sign off at the end. The first reply following an email should follow the same format, and after that the writers may become more relaxed. 

Good, clear communication is very important when you can't hear tone of voice nor see body language. 

Diana Hatch

Timetabler, ICT Learning Area Manager