1. Cross-Curriculum Priorities: The ACARA focuses on embedding the the following three focus areas into the DRAFT of the Technologies curriculum, so that they are able to provide content according to its relevance.
1.1. 1. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders: students learn about the impact of the longest lasting Indigenous culture in Australian society, and their innovative technological materials and methods. They also learn about environmental sustainability, cultures, histories and identities. students also explore different the methods of using technology that is utilised by Indigenous Australians to develop their skills of critical analysis in the data collection process.
1.1.1. 2. Asia and Australia's Engagement with Asia: students learn the impact that of the cross-cultural connections it shares with their asian counterparts, and the technological advancements that each culture has to offer each other. They look at old, new and current technologies and methods being utilised for the purpose of engaging with cultures that are able to improve services on global scale.
1.1.1.1. 3. Sustainability: Students look at ways that technology can be used to explore current sustainability methods in the environmental, economic and social contexts. They also investigate and gather new knowledge and understandings about sustainability to be able to analyse and apply them to find a more sustainable solution for a current issue.
2. Content Descriptions
2.1. Content Elaboration
2.1.1. These emphasize what specific content that teachers can use for their teaching focus, and to help develop their own understanding of what the content consists of. However it is only used a guide for teachers to successfully plan and teach relevant topics, but it is not there to be explicitly tell teachers what to teach or tell teachers what pedagogy that they should use.
2.2. These outline to teaching staff what the teaching goals and skills that they should aim for when they are planning and teaching. it does not tell them the "how" or the pedagogy going about how to teach the content. the purpose of the descriptions is to ensure that repetition of content can be avoided by teaching staff.
2.2.1. Band Levels
2.2.1.1. The draft Technologies curriculum is written for foundation level up to year 10. Each year level has been given its own content descriptor and place great emphasis of the interrelation and integration of the two strands within the year levels.
3. Achievement Standards
3.1. These standards span from foundation right up to year 10 and highlight the expected achievement standards that teachers should aim towards planning for. There is a sequence that teachers given to help guide their planning processes.
3.1.1. The standards also reflect and- acknowledge relationships between the two dominant strands- Knowledge and Understanding and Processes and Production skills.
3.2. All planning and terminology used is subject specific .
3.2.1. Portfolios are used as evidence gathering tools for teachers to use as an evaluative assessment. These are specifically used for subject-based resources and evidence of the students development throughout the school year.
4. Student diversity ACARA aims to provide a a curriculum that caters to the needs of all students and their ability levels across early childhood, junior primary and secondary school.
4.1. Students with Disability: The discrimination act 92" and the Disability Act 95" highlight the importance that students with disabilities and special needs should be delivered at the same rate as mainstream students. ACARA's commitment is to ensure that students who have a disabillity are in a mainstream classroom and given work that is catered to their specific needs.
4.1.1. English as an Additional language or dialect: The Australian Curriculum commits itself to ensuring that their prior english speaking skills are embraced and continue to be scaffolded with language enriched activities. Some students may require extra one on one assistance in regards to developing their oral or written language if they haven't received any formal schooling.
4.1.1.1. Gifted Students: Teachers are reliable for embracing every students talent and their abilities. They are also responsible for teaching students about more in-depth understandings into a particular topic in order to develop the students high-order thinking skills. Higher order cognitive thinking skills helps students to become deep learners of their own learning.
5. The following strands describe how the acquisition of knowledge, understanding and skills are acquired. The strand "Processes and Understandings" explains the pedagogy of how 'Digital Technologies" and "Design and Technology" theory is used in the classroom. Students learn about the different types of technologies that are used in everyday life, and the impact that it has on those who use them. They also gain an understanding of how the different technologies can be used in different contexts. with digital technologies students learn how to present data, learn about the different types of software and hardware, and the impact of the software and information has on peoples lives. Where as the second strand- "Processes and strategies" explains how students learn to use different design and technology processes to critique, explore and investigate different ways of applying their skills where and when they need it. they also learn how to plan, generate, adapt, critique and evaluate their own ideas and technological designs. in the digital technology process they learn how to use different digital software programs that allow them to create digital projects using problem-solving and self management skills that they have acquired to gather information, present the information, and edit the information.
6. References: Australian Curriculum, assessment and Reporting Authority (2013). Draft Aaustralian Curriculum: Technologies. Taken from ACARA website: http://www.acara.edu.au/curriculum/learning_areas/technologies.html
7. Strands
8. General capabilities: the following seven learning areas are known as priority areas that encompass the teaching topics that taught in the classroom.
8.1. Literacy: Language, Literacy and Speaking highlight the areas of the development of oral, written and reading skills. Students explore and manipulate different technologies and materials such as audio books, articles, pop-up stories and posters to develop their written and oral language.
8.1.1. Numeracy: Students have an understanding that Mathematics is used in daily life in different contexts. Technology is broadly used throughout their learning process by allowing students to figure out new ways of processing information. They also have the ability to create 3 dimensional objects for measurement and geometry processes.
8.1.1.1. Critical and Creative thinking (CCT): Students apply their own abstract critical thinking skills to analyse, evaluate and make assumptions on topics once they have undergone projects and experiences that encourage them to investigate and gather information to develop their own understandings and higher order thinking skills.
8.1.1.1.1. ICT: As students develop the appropriate skills for computerising information possibilities almost become endless. They will participate in ICT learning activities that encourage them to make their own investigations, gather information, and present data their own way.
9. Curriculum aims and objectives: the curriculum aims to develop student knowledge and understanding of skills that they will need to meet the expectations of the education that is delivered to them. '
9.1. Subjects
9.1.1. English: The use of technology in this learning areas affirms the importance of technological understandings to scaffold student language development. Students use problem-solving methods such as; reading descriptions, describe objects, and interpret data. They learn how to generate ideas and share them in group discussions.English: The use of technology in this learning areas affirms the importance of technological understandings to scaffold student language development. Students use problem-solving methods such as; reading descriptions, describe objects, and interpret data. They learn how to generate ideas and share them in group discussions.
9.1.1.1. History: Students explore and gather information about technologies that have had an impact on the current wave of technological advancements that the world is experiencing. They investigate the history, artefacts and their impacts in cultural and social contexts.
9.1.1.1.1. The Arts: Students learn about the use of digital technologies to create lines, shapes, colour and textures within the strands of multimedia and Visual Arts. They also use digital technologies to create visual audio stories and present ideas. Media and Visual Arts involve research, planning, drafting, creating and representing digital projects to share among their peers.
9.1.2. Mathematics: students use technological skills and methods to develop their ideas and create digitalised resources such as graphs, shapes, lines and units of measurement; to help them investigate and analyse different ways of representing data. Technology helps students to develop different ways of automating mathematical processes to reinforce concepts.
9.1.2.1. Science: Through the design and technology strand students learn how gather materials and use methods to create real-world solutions in the areas of Chemical, Biological and Physical Sciences. Students use digital technologies to collect, organise and analyse data according to its relevance in order to develop a deeper understanding of the scientific processes involved.
9.1.2.1.1. Geography: students learn how to create computerised spreadsheets, graphs and maps. They also develop their own knowledge by gathering information on sustainability for the purpose of analysing statistical data.
9.2. Key Concepts
9.2.1. Personal and Social Capacity (PSC): Students develop social competence through social interactions with their peers teachers and caregivers. The development of relationships during the primary and secondary years is crucial for to feel socially competent to be able make decisions and to collaborate with others. These social skills are crucial in developing positive team building attitudes in projects that require them to cooperate and share materials evenly amongst each other.
9.2.1.1. Ethical Understandings: Students develop their own perceptions of right and wrong, and apply the appropriate ethical processes to various contexts ands and situations. They learn how to discern how to make ethical choices in regards to sensitive and confidential information. They are also aware that technologies are used in a way to preserve and gather private information for specific data bases that are kept confidential.
9.2.1.1.1. Intercultural understanding: The development of cultural understanding happens when students continue to develop more understanding of their own culture. Technologies are used in the Australian Curriculum in this area to to cross boundaries through communication, and to investigate the impact that different cultures have on society.