1. Information and Communication Technology in the Australian Curriculum Julie King Senior Project Officer, Technologies

2. Overview The work of ACARA The Australian Curriculum
ICT in the Australian Curriculum
ICT capability
Digital Technologies

3. Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority

4. Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA)
ACARA’s mission is to develop a world class national curriculum and national assessment and reporting programs for the common goal of delivering better outcomes so all young Australians become successful learners, confident and creative individuals, and active and informed citizens.

5. Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA)
ACARA is responsible for:
a national curriculum from Foundation to Year 12 in specified learning areas
a national assessment program aligned to the national curriculum that measures students’ progress
a national data collection and reporting program.

6. Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA)
ACARA commenced its work on 1 June 2009
COAG (Council of Australian Governments) decided an independent body was needed
Independent Statutory Authority under the Commonwealth Authorities and Companies Act 1997
SCSEEC (Standing Council on School Education and Early Childhood) is responsible for setting ACARA’s work program through a charter
The ACARA Board was announced in May 2009 and held its first meeting on 21–22 May 2009.
The council of the Australian Government has decided that an independent body was needed. So prior to that you had different states and territories governments trying to get together and work on a framework, it just didn’t happen.
Prior to that ACARA was called the NCB – the National Curriculum Board and that board had responsibility for developing national curriculum.
The government decided that ACARA was to be established under the Commonwealth Authorities and Companies act and their responsibilities were going to be National Curriculum and Assessment Reporting.
Ministerial Council for Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs (MCEECDYA is the body responsible for setting our work and responsibilities through a charter, which is the ACARA act.

7. ACARA Board ACARA Board 13 member board
Appointed by and reports to SCSEEC
Chair – Prof Barry McGaw
Deputy Chair – Tony Mackay
Professor Barry McGaw AO is Chair of the Board and Mr Tony Mackay is the Deputy Chair of the Board.
The ACARA Board has 11 other members, representing the Australian Government and all education streams (Independent, government and Catholic) across states and territories.

8. The Australian Curriculum
An overview of the Australian Curriculum and development timelines follows

9. Learning for life
Australian governments committed to working in collaboration to promote equity and excellence in Australian schooling, with school sectors supporting all young Australians to become
successful learners
confident and creative individuals
active and informed citizens.
On 5 December 2008, State, Territory and Commonwealth Ministers of Education meeting as the Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs, released the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians which sets the direction for Australian schooling for the next 10 years. Development of the Australian Curriculum by the Australian Curriculum, Reporting and Assessment Authority (ACARA) is being guided by the Melbourne Declaration.
The goals were developed by education ministers in collaboration with the Catholic and independent school sectors, following public consultation on the draft declaration. The Melbourne Declaration emphasises the importance of knowledge, skills and understanding of learning areas, general capabilities and cross-curriculum priorities as the basis for a curriculum designed to support 21st century learning.

10. The Australian Curriculum
Sets out what all students are to be taught (content) and what students are typically able to understand and able to do (achievement standards).
Affirms the central importance of discipline-based knowledge and skills as well as general capabilities and cross-curriculum priorities.
Acknowledges that classroom teachers are best placed to organise learning for students; they will make decisions about the pedagogical approach intended to achieve the best learning outcomes.
The Australian Curriculum aims to deliver the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians and to develop a world-class, 21st century Australian Curriculum for all young Australians, including those who may move across state and territory boundaries throughout their schooling years.
A curriculum for all young Australians
A world-class curriculum for
the 21st century

11. Dimensions of the Australian Curriculum
Learning areas
English
Mathematics
Science
Humanities and social sciences – history, geography, business and economics, civics and citizenship
Arts
Languages
Health and physical education
Technologies
Cross-curriculum priorities
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures
Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia
Sustainability
General capabilities
Literacy
Numeracy
Information and communication technology capability
Critical and creative thinking
Personal and social capability
Ethical behaviour
Intercultural understanding
The Australian Curriculum pays explicit attention to how the seven general capabilities and three cross-curriculum priorities contribute to and can be developed through teaching in each learning area.
By attending to the learning areas and subjects, the general capabilities and the cross curriculum priorities and by focusing on essential learning and not overcrowding the curriculum, the Australian Curriculum helps prepare all young Australians to become valued members of the community.
The general capabilities and cross-curriculum priorities are embedded in learning area content as appropriate. As part of the online curriculum, icons are used to indicate where they have been incorporated into the content descriptions for each learning area. This will vary depending on the learning area.
When planning teaching and learning programs for the Australian curriculum, teachers will notice that the capabilities and priorities have a strong but varying presence depending on the learning area.
Teachers may find further opportunities to incorporate them according to their choice of classroom activities.
The next four slides show how the general capability Intercultural understanding and the cross-curriculum priorities Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures and Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia are represented in content descriptions for English, mathematics, science and history (F-10).

12. Shape of the Australian Curriculum v3.0
Referenced to the Melbourne Declaration.
Provides a context for the current Foundation to Year 10 Australian Curriculum and guides the next stage of curriculum development.
Describes what has been agreed about the structure and development of the Australian Curriculum.
The first version of the Shape of the Australian Curriculum (May 2009) was written to guide the development of English, Mathematics, Science and History in
It was approved by education ministers in September 2009.
During 2011 a consultation wiki allowed for further comment on this paper.
Version 3.0 has been updated to reflect feedback received and discussions with state and territory school and curriculum authorities and has been considered by ministers in October 2011.
During 2012 another consultation wiki allowed for comment on v3.0.
Version 3.0 is being updated to reflect feedback received and discussions with state and territory school and curriculum authorities and will be considered by ministers in December 2012.

13. Australian Curriculum Development
The Curriculum Development Process outlines four stages in the development of the Australian Curriculum:
Curriculum shaping
Curriculum writing
Implementation
Evaluation and review.
For more information about ACARA’s curriculum development process, see the Curriculum Development Process paper at

14. Development of the learning areas
Timeline
English
Mathematics
Science
Humanities and Social Sciences
History
Geography
Economics, Business, Civics and Citizenship
The Arts
Languages
/13
Health and Physical Education
Technologies
saw the development of the Foundation to Year 10 Australian Curriculum for English, Mathematics, Science and History (see red dates). Senior secondary curriculum for these areas continue to be developed in 2011 with further consultation and refinement planned for 2012.
Foundation to Year 12 Australian Curriculum developments are underway for Geography, Languages and The Arts (see green dates). Languages and the Arts development will continue into 2013.
will see the development of the Foundation to Year 12 Australian Curriculum for Health and Physical Education, Technologies (including information and communication technology and design and technology), Economics and business, Civics and citizenship (see purple dates).
Opportunities to have a say about these developments during consultation should be taken up by educators with an interest in these areas to ensure that developments meet the needs of diverse student populations.
ACARA’s Curriculum Development Process paper on the website describes the process that is being used to develop the Australian Curriculum. See
Australian Curriculum development timelines

15. ICT in the Australian Curriculum

16. ICT in the Australian Curriculum
Information and Communication Technology is represented in the Australian Curriculum in two ways:
ICT Capability ‒ one of seven general capabilities – broad skills addressed across all learning areas
Specialised knowledge and skills in the Technologies learning area (writing phase has commenced)
There is a clear relationship between the two representations of ICT. The key difference is students as users and developers.
(Draft Shape Paper for Technologies: pages 15-16)
Talk about the general capability first as it was developed prior to the Technologies shaping phase without a specific curriculum to draw on. It was based on national statement of learning and NAP ICT literacy assessment framework and will be reviewed as the technologies curriculum is finalised.

17. General Capabilities Addressed through the learning areas
Identified where they
are developed or applied in content descriptions
offer opportunities to add depth and richness to student learning in content elaborations
More strongly represented in some strands than others
Identification of general capabilities in content descriptions is indicative
General capabilities are:
embedded within the content of learning areas
give the learning areas additional richness and depth
help students see the interconnectedness of their learning
represented to different degrees within and across learning areas
Teachers may find further opportunities to incorporate explicit teaching of general capabilities depending on their choice of activities.
To support learning area writers and teachers, general capabilities materials, comprising introductory statements and learning continua, have been developed that describe the
knowledge, skills, behaviours and dispositions that students can be expected to have developed at particular stages of schooling.
Each learning continuum has been developed using a set of organising elements which comprise the main aspects of learning for each general capability. Capability descriptions within each element have been organised into sub-elements which identify a focus or thread for each row.
In 2011, following national consultation, these materials were published on the Australian Curriculum website as a resource to help teachers:
 develop a shared understanding of the nature, scope and sequence of the general capabilities in the Australian Curriculum
 confirm their understanding of intended learning wherever general capabilities are identified in learning area content descriptions and elaborations
 plan for and guide students’ development of the general capabilities in school and classroom learning programs.

18. General Capabilities Literacy Numeracy ICT capability
Critical and creative thinking
Personal and social capability
Ethical behaviour
Intercultural understanding
In the curriculum, these icons indicate where general capabilities have been identified in learning area content descriptions and content elaborations:
wherever they are developed or applied in the content for each learning area
where they offer opportunities to add depth and richness to student learning.
It is important to note that this identification is indicative rather than prescriptive. Identification (or not) can be quite subjective and may depend on factors such as teacher experience, student needs or the focus of learning.
Teachers may find further opportunities to incorporate GCs depending on classroom context - particularly in some Las (see Maths example slide 18).

19. ICT capability
Students develop ICT capability as they learn to use ICT effectively and appropriately to access, create and communicate information and ideas, solve problems and work collaboratively in all learning areas at school, and in their lives beyond school.
Broader skills
ICT capability is represented to different degrees across the learning areas. Continuing to look at this during 2012.
Recent mapping of English, maths, science and history shows ICT capability is moderately represented in English and Mathematics and weakly represented in Science and History
Nature of CDs
Commonly identified where a phrase such as ’including digital technologies’ is part of a content description or elaboration.
Potential to include ICT capability in many more content descriptions and in teaching activities. However, unless there is some signifier or indicator of ICT capability learning, it cannot be assumed that students will use digital technologies.
It is likely that the potential to develop and apply ICT capability so far has not been adequately identified.

20. The elements of ICT capability
Students:
apply appropriate social and ethical protocols and practices (intellectual property, digital information security etc) in using ICT to:
Investigate (access data and information from a range of primary and secondary sources when investigating questions, topics or problems - defining, planning, locating, accessing, selecting, organising and evaluating information and data)
Create (generate ideas, plans, processes and solutions to challenges and tasks)
Communicate (communicate ideas and information with others and collaboratively construct knowledge, adhering to social protocols appropriate to the communicative context - purpose, audience and technology)
manage and operate ICT to meet their learning needs and to become effective users of ICT (applying technical knowledge and skills to work with information as required and use information classification and organisation schemes)

21. Extension of learning continua
Learning continua extended
Literacy and Numeracy – end Foundation
The rest, including ICT capability, end Foundation, Year 4, Year 8
Worked with 20 schools to collect student data on assessment tasks
Teacher surveys
Targeted consultation
Work associated with general capabilities is ongoing.
In 2012, this work includes the further development of the learning continua to add descriptions for
the end of the Foundation Year for Literacy and Numeracy
end of the Foundation Year, Year 4 and Year 8 for
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) capability – Will also review as technologies curriculum is developed
Critical and creative thinking
Personal and social capability
Ethical behaviour
Intercultural understanding.
In addition, the Literacy and Numeracy learning continua have been further extended to address the learning needs of students with disability. Further development of the Personal and social capability continuum is being investigated.

22. General capabilities online
Show page online – show ICT page, intro, elements and continuum
Go to a subject area – show content descriptions eg:
Click ‘show tags’ so that icons appear – click on one where ICT capability is shown
A filter function on the Australian Curriculum website assists users to identify F–10 curriculum content where a capability has been identified. Teachers may find further opportunities to incorporate explicit teaching of general capabilities depending on their choice of activities. Students can also be encouraged to develop capabilities through personally relevant initiatives of their own design.
xt three slides show relationship between content descriptions and aspects of the capabilities

23. ICT capability in English: Year 2
Content description and elaboration
ICT capability continuum
Text structure and organisation
Know some features of text organisation including page and screen layouts, alphabetical order, and different types of diagrams, for example timelines 
learning about features of screen texts including menu buttons, drop down menus, links and live connections
Investigating ‒ locating and accessing data and information
Locate and retrieve textual and graphic information from a range of digital sources

24. ICT capability in Science: Year 6
Content description and elaboration
ICT capability continuum
Planning and conducting
With guidance, plan appropriate investigation methods to answer questions or solve problems
following a procedure to design an experimental or field investigation
considering which investigation methods are most suited to answer a particular question or solve a problem
Investigating ‒ defining and planning information searches
Use appropriate ICT to identify and represent patterns in sets of information and to pose questions

25. ICT capability in History: Year 8
Content description and elaboration
ICT capability learning continuum
Use a range of communication forms (oral, graphic, written) and digital technologies
creating an oral presentation, supported by audio-visual material, to recount the life of Temujin (Genghis Khan) and to explain his contribution to the Mongol world
Creating ‒ generating solutions to challenges and learning area tasks
Design and modify creative digital solutions, for particular audiences and for a range of purposes
Communicating ‒ collaborating sharing and exchanging
Select and use a range of ICT tools efficiently and safely to share and exchange information and to construct knowledge collaboratively

26. ICT in the Technologies learning area
Digital Technologies is designed to assist students to become confident developers of information solutions by applying computational thinking skills
Digital technologies knowledge and understanding
Digital technologies processes and production skills
Computational thinking provides a framework for understanding how contemporary digital technologies help solve current and future information problems. (draft Shape paper Technologies, paragraph 70)
Through opportunities to study Digital Technologies from Foundation to Year 8, in a well structured and rigorous curriculum, Australian students will be ideally placed to support technological innovation in Australian industry, participate fully in societal change, and confidently apply digital technologies in all areas of their lives.
While some students will proceed along a digital technologies engineering pathway, others will scientifically explore new uses, others will artistically engage with digital technologies and still others will exploit business opportunities, all should be able to lead and manage the opportunities and industries relying on digital technologies. This future requires an in depth understanding of digital technologies, how these work in our world, and the opportunities they present.

27. ICT in the Technologies learning area ‒ Shaping Phase
Position Paper
Appointment of Lead Writer and Advisory Panel
Initial Advice Paper
Draft Shape Paper for national consultation

28. Australian Curriculum: Technologies writing process
Appointment of Writers and Advisory group
Writing
Consultation and Trialling
A broad outline has been written and reviewed by the advisory group and the national panel. The writers are currently drafting the detailed curriculum.
Consultation on the draft curriculum will occur in early 2013 and publication is planned for late 2013.

29. Technologies Shape paper
Australian Curriculum: Technologies is designed for all students in Australian schools
Outlines a proposal for the curriculum design of the Technologies area
Provides a contemporary, conceptual direction for Technologies
Proposes core learning Foundation to 8 in Design and Technologies and Digital Technologies with elective subjects from Year 9
It is proposed that all young people will undertake Design and Technologies and Digital Technologies learning F-8.
It is proposed that it is a core part of the Australian Curriculum F-8 with additional learning opportunities available from Year 9.
Design and Technologies and Digital Technologies developed by ACARA and additional learning opportunities by states and territories.

30. Overarching idea: creating preferred futures Design and Technologies
Subjects and strands
Overarching idea: creating preferred futures
Design and Technologies
Digital Technologies
Design and Technologies knowledge and understanding
Digital Technologies knowledge and understanding
Design and Technologies processes and production skills
Digital Technologies processes and production skills
The overarching idea for the Technologies learning area is creating preferred futures.
A focus on preferred futures involves systems thinking and provides a methodology for identifying and moving towards socially responsible and sustainable patterns of living.
Students creatively and actively design sustainable and appropriate solutions to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to do so.
Both subjects comprise two related strands: Knowledge and understanding and Processes and production skills.

31. Digital Technologies
provides students with the knowledge, understanding and skills to safely and ethically use digital technologies to create and interact with digital information and systems for specific purposes and/or audiences.
They:
consider social, cultural, legal, ethical and environmental issues.
use computational thinking methods and strategies to understand and solve problems.
develop conceptual, collaborative and technical skills and they learn to operate and manage digital systems.

32. Digital Technologies curriculum
will enable students to:
pursue specialist knowledge in the field of digital technologies
precisely define problems
identify the steps and processes required to create solutions
realise solutions through the application of computational thinking and the use of information systems.
It will also contribute to students developing a set of critical thinking skills and ICT capability.
The Digital Technologies curriculum enables students to: pursue specialist knowledge in the field of digital technologies. At the core of this is the development of knowledge, understanding and skills that enable the precise definition of a problem, the steps and processes required to create the solution, and its realisation through the application of computational thinking and the use of information systems.
This curriculum will also equip students with a set of critical thinking skills and ICT capability that will support learning anytime, anywhere and participation in a knowledge-based society.

33. Australian Curriculum website and aligned resources
This section outlines features of the Australian Curriculum website and digital resources that are aligned to the Australian Curriculum by Education Services Australia.

34. AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM ONLINE

35. Australian Curriculum aligned resources
Resources aligned with the Australian Curriculum
Efficient discovery of existing digital resources
Curriculum metadata (including ScOT terms) to allow an accurate connection to resources
Available through Scootle
To become available through local portals
Education Services Australia has worked with schools and teachers to develop the nationally available digital resources that are aligned with the Australian Curriculum.
This is an exciting repository which teachers will find useful to assist their planning and programming for teaching and learning.

36.
There are currently aligned digital resources available for teaching the Australian Curriculum English, Mathematics, Science and History, Foundation to Year 10.
Teachers in some States and Territories in government, independent and Catholic schools access these resources via Scootle (See weblink above). Teachers in some government school systems will be able to access these resources via their department portal soon.

37. Australian Curriculum aligned resources
This slide shows how the digital resources that are aligned to support the Australian Curriculum appear in Scootle.
Teachers can select particular content descriptions from the Australian Curriculum and filter to find relevant resources to assist their teaching.

38. Getting involved
Subscribe to ACARA update: The ACARA Update is an e-newsletter that highlights ACARA’s activities. The update is sent periodically. To receive the ACARA Update subscribe here:

39. Contact
Julie King, Senior Project Officer, Technologies