ICT

10ICT AIRTABLE

This term the students in 10ICT will be using an online, free database software called Airtable.

We started using Airtable for 10ICT in 2020 when students were locked down and unable to access the school desktop computers, but have found it to be easily accessible to students, so have kept it in the course. Many staff have also discovered the benefits of using Airtable with various tasks.

Limiting ourselves to the free version of the software still gives the students the experience of working with tables of Records and Fields, choosing appropriate data types, sending forms to collect and automatically record data, manipulating displays of the data in various ways as appropriate and linking tables (the major advantage of using a database over a flat file) to reduce data redundancy.

Students will be creating their own databases on Hollywood Actors, their ICT class and current exam timetables as well as using and manipulating some pre-prepared databases on Seasonal Produce in Australia, and Famous People’s Favourite Books.

One of the greatest benefits, of course, is that, along with our use of Stile to present content, activities and assessments, this work can be completed on the Chromebooks at home and will not require students to access the desktop computers at lunchtime. It also allows for students who miss classes due to camps, excursions, sport, holidays etc to be able to catch up without having to give up many lunchtimes.

Hopefully the students will learn to appreciate the advantages of maintaining certain data in a database rather than just a spreadsheet file, and the experience should help to prepare them for using other databases such Microsoft Access if they choose to study an IT offering at VCE level.

Diana Hatch

ICT Teacher

This is what some of the current Year 10s think of the Airtable unit:

Airtable is a user-friendly database, being able to filter, group and sort fields. I have found it to be interesting and a great application that I will use in the future. 

 James Granberg 10F

I have enjoyed using Airtable these past 2 weeks, it has a very nice layout and it is easy to understand and use. I also like how simple it is compared to Excel.  

Hudson Carr 10B

Airtable is a collaborative application for database management and a valuable skill to obtain when stepping into the tech industry. So far in ICT, we have learnt to record Hollywood actors and Australian produce into an impressive and organised table of data. Fields and records are our friends as an alternative to rows and columns; everything is impeccable and colour-coded.

Minh Hoang 10F

Learning to navigate our way on Airtable has been a fascinating experience so far. It has allowed us to broaden our skills regarding data formatting and customising our bases. The platform is always a joy to work with, especially with the numerous ways to group, sort and filter our work with a range of colours and icons! 

 Jasmine Lee 10I

During ICT, my peers and I received the opportunity to learn about Airtable. Even though it looked similar to Excel, it was completely different from what I had imagined. However, the system of the website was very friendly with clear instructions so I had no trouble understanding and learning how to use Airtable. Even though some people may prefer Excel a bit more over Airtable, I still think Airtable's colour is very distinct and amazing. 

Andrew Jang 10G