Out and About

After weeks of fevered expectation we have all been put out of our misery by the publication of the 2008 Unit One project brief for DiDA. It essentially involves students producing a range of publications for a party of foreign students visiting the United Kingdom. Click here for more detail about 'Out and About'.

Friday September 26th

On Friday 26th September (SCHOOL INSET DAY)the ICT Department will be open from 9.15am for students in Years 10 and 11 to complete their DiDA. THEY MUST OBTAIN A PERMISSION LETTER FROM THE ICT OFFICE

Term One News

Year's 10 and 11

A big warm welcome back to Term One at Gillotts. For most students in year's 10 and 11 the big DiDA challenge is to get Unit One completed before Friday October 24th which is the day before the autumn holiday. Over the holiday the ICT team will provide individual feedback so that students then have around four weeks to get their projects finalised for the December 1st deadline when EdExcel close the window on receipt of marks for Check it Out.

To help students we will be holding catch-up sessions on Wednesday evenings from September 17th when we will attempt to have at least two ICT teachers on duty to help students. PLEASE ENCOURAGE YOUR STUDENTS TO ATTEND THESE SESSIONS.

If you have any concerns or worries about your child's progress please contact Mr Thomas the subject leader or any member of the ICT team.

Year 9

Our target for Year 9 is to get all students through Unit One - Dance O Clock by May 2009. This is a big challenge for both students and teachers. In lessons we will be working on the eportfolio and revisting each of the raw publications the students worked in Year 8. So far we have got off to a good start. Later in the year we will be introducing catch-up sessions to help students meet the dealine.

Year 8

We are currently waiting for EdExcel to publish this year's SPB. The information we have at present is that the publications will based on local tourism. The expected release date is around September 30th. In the build-up we are focusing on creating a series of publications where the students are required to ensure that each has a consistent corporate theme. Don't forget to revisit the blog to find out full details of the SPB at the end of the month.

Year 7

The first project for Year 7s will be 'Cyberscary'. This is the ICT teacher's favourite topic of the year and one which the students all seem to enjoy. The students are required to use MSPublisher to design a bookcover based on the 'Cyberscary' book review. Full details can be found on our Moodle site.

DiDA Marks

When students receive their final grades from the EdExcel exam board they are either D, M, C or P. Understandably this has caused some confusion, especially with last year's Year 11. If students have passed just one unit they will receive the Award in Digital Applications (AiDA) while two units will secure a Certificate in Digital Applications (CiDA). Each award which is equivalent to a higher level GCSE is graded as follows:

D = Distinction = A*

M = Merit = A

C = Credit = B

P = Pass = P

The Final Deadline is Looming

December 1st is the last date for submitting Unit One, Check it Out marks to the exam board. When we start back in September we will continue to teach Check it Out right up until the end of Term One for both Year 10 and year 11 students. If students are already on an A or A* they will be expected to commence 'It's a Small World' - their teacher will advise them. Catch-up sessions will commence Tuesday 16th September for both Year's 10 and 11 and will be held every Tuesday and Wednesday between 3.30pm and 4.30pm.

Catch-UP Sessions

As we are looking for all students in years 9 and 10 to complete their Check-it-Out eportfolios by July 1st, there will be catch-up sessions in A12 every Tuesday and Wednesday from 3.30pm starting after half-term.

Holiday Homework

The Review section is worth 5 marks. All students need to complete this task over half-term. This review is aimed at the moderator and should cover what went right and what went wrong. The key is to be honest and to make the review interesting. Simply saying I could have worked harder or planned my time better is to say the least a little obvious and a tad boring. The review itself can be a Word document saved as a PDF, a presentation, sound file or a short film. The following sections must be included:

1. Introduction. (Say what the review is going to be about)
2. The project's aims and objectives. (What they were and how you set about meeting them. Did you meet them?)
3. Publications. (for each publication say what challenges you had and how you solved them. refer to feedback)
4. Performance Analysis. (You should analyse your own performance. What went well and what went wrong. Come up with two things you would do differently should you repeat the project. these must be imaginative ideas not just vague things like work harder)
5. Conclusion (Always add a final conclusion)

Towards Completion

Currently our Year 8s are working hard on this year's SPB Dance O Clock. Most groups should now be starting or about to start on the Playlist. It is however vital that all students have completed the Danceometer. Do contact the ICT team if you are struggling with any aspect of this.

The deadline for Year 9s and 10s to complete Check it Out is July 1st. There are 42 marks available for DiDa and we are looking for all students to be on around 22 by July 1st. We will then start only those students who have reached this level on Unit 2. All students will receive feedback which will help them to get their marks up to a B, A or A*. This work they should carry out in their own time.

A strong word of warning! Before students can obtain Unit 2 they must pass Unit 1. December 1st 2008 is the last window in which the exam board Edexcel will accept marks for Check it Out. THERE WILL BE NO EXTENSIONS