ICT

As a department we are committed to the philosophy that during their time with us, each pupil should:-

Foster an interest in, and an enjoyment of the use of ICT.

Show continuous progression and improvement.

Develop confidence and practical skills in the use of ICT and achieve their full potential.

Develop reasoning, judgement and persistence in applying creatively ICT to problems, the majority of which will be outside the restricted area of the subject and which are relevant and worthwhile to the student.

Develop a broad and balanced perspective of the application of ICT and an understanding of their capabilities and limitations.

Develop an awareness of the ethical, social, economic and political consequences of the use of ICT for individuals, organisations and society through the study of meaningful applications.

In particular, we wish each pupil to develop:-

The ability to apply ICT to other subjects, such as Science, Technology and Geography.

The ability to solve problems, present solutions clearly, check and interpret results.

The ability to communicate what they have learned clearly.

The ability to work individually and as part of a group.

The confidence to experiment and make mistakes, and persevere when problems arise.

ICT is used in all aspects of everyday life and during KS3 we try and give pupils the opportunity to experience and improve skills in using databases, models/simulations, communicating information and sharing/exchanging information safely.

When the pupils get to the end of year 9 they will have acquired enough evidence to be entered for ESW ICT Level 2.  A portfolio of their work will be collated and will show how pupils can:

• use ICT systems
• find, select and exchange information, using ICT
• develop and present information, using ICT

At KS4 we offer a course in GCSE Information and Communication Technology. Pupils have to identify and solve real problems by designing information and communication systems in a wide range of contexts relating to their personal interests. Information and Communication Technology develops candidates’ interdisciplinary skills and their capacity for imaginative, innovative thinking, creativity and independence.

Assessment for GCSE Information and Communication Technology is untiered, i.e. all units cater for the full range of ability and allow access to grades A*-G.

The course is as follows:

At 6^th form we follow the WJEC GCE Information & Communication Technology course.

The course is as follows:

IT1 & IT2 covered in year 12 and IT3 & IT4 in year 13.

This specification encourages candidates to become discerning users of ICT, developing a broad range of ICT skills and knowledge and understanding of ICT.

This should form a basis for progression into further learning, including progression from AS to A2, and/or employment.

TeenTech Cymru

During May a group of year 8 pupils had the opportunity to attend an exhibition to ‘inspire tomorrow’s innovators’ at the Liberty Stadium, Swansea.  It gave pupils the opportunity to try some experiments, handle leading edge technology and spend some time with the Engineers, Technologists and Scientists influencing our 21^st century lives.

In the” Challenge Zone “session  the group the group was divided into three and competed against each other to build the highest structure that would hold a chocolate egg at the top.  Easy? Not when you were building your structures from spaghetti and jelly babies.  The girls won this.  The providers of this talked us through their work and showed some of the buildings their company have been responsible for: Millenium Stadium, Dubai Metro, Palm Trump International Hotel and many more.

We then visited the BBC Cymru Wales exhibition, where we were shown how they produce their websites.  Pupils were given hands-on experience of adding text and graphics to a website template using HTML.

At the” Insight Zone”, pupils had the opportunity to visit several exhibitions for 15min presentations.  We saw the the Photonics Academy from Bangor University who showed us how useful light can be in inventing lifesaving technology.  Cassidian gave us the opportunity to see the ‘Lightning strike’ exhibit that shows and explains how planes are able to continue flying despite being struck by lightning.  We met the NAO robot that can move and communicate like a human, it had also been programmed to dance.  The Airbus exhibition allowed pupils to see the fuel test system demonstration that shows how fuel moves between the wings during flight.  There were several other exhibits such as Technocamps, JVC,IBM, Tata steel to name but a few.

In the final session the group met leading app designers who talked about their work and explained what goes into a successful app.  Armed with this information our pupils had to design an app.  As a team they had to decide on an idea, list the features of the app, create a logo and nominate a person to give a thirty second description of the app.

There were several chances to win prizes during the day, one was an ‘Ideas wall’ which asked pupils to give their ideas for improving life in 2050.  This was won by our very own Harry Williams, who received an ipod as his prize.  Harry’s idea was that windows stored light energy like solar panels.

The pupils found the event informative and they enjoyed the hands-on experience.  They gave an assembly on their return to the lower school and they recommended the event to future years.

The Big Bang Cymru

A group of year 10 pupils recently accepted the challenge of designing and making a robot that would perform a specific task to help the environment in the future.
The Welsh National Competition was run by Technocamps and it enabled interested pupils to develop their problem solving, communication and team work skills, as well as their knowledge of computer science, in a fun and inventive way.

Equipped with a LEGO NXT kit, loaned from Technocamps, the team set about their task.

The team robot was designed to autonomously plant a section of wasteland with young saplings.  When these trees grow they would provide benefits to the local and global environment.

All set with their robot and props, it was an early start for our pupils, who had to get to the University of Glamorgan for 9 am.  The group was assessed on their robot, video (showing the groups progress throughout the task), poster, team work and on the day a live challenge.

Even though we were not successful, the group felt they learnt from the whole experience and found it enjoyable.