In a world that is increasingly digitised and automated, it is critical to support students in new ways of collaborating and communicating and to develop skills such as computational and systems thinking. At Willetton Primary School Digital Technologies is offered as a specialist learning area for all students from Years 1 to 6.
The Digital Technologies learning area provides opportunities for students to develop a deep knowledge and understanding of information systems and how to be safe, respectful, creative and discerning decision-makers when they select, use and manage data, and digital systems to meet needs and shape preferred futures.
This learning area helps students to become innovative creators of digital solutions, effective users of digital systems and critical consumers of information conveyed by digital systems. Students are provided with authentic learning challenges that foster curiosity, confidence, persistence, innovation, creativity, respect and cooperation.
Willetton Primary School partners with the Cyber Safety Project to empower every student to manage their digital safety and well-being. The project provides proactive strategies to the whole community with a live training Webex for teachers to equip them with the latest knowledge and a 4 part Webex series for parents to assist in fostering proactive and safe digital environments in the home. The curriculum is delivered to students in the Digital Technologies specialist area with the aim of providing students with future skills, lifelong habits and self-regulation when using digital technologies. Students engage with videos, physical, digital and creative activities in the 16 part learning suite. Students learn to manage their own privacy and security and to be responsible digital citizens.
Students from Years 3 to 6 have the opportunity to engage in an international Computational Thinking Challenge. The challenge provides students with an opportunity to develop some of the skills from the World Economic Forum’s top skills for 2025; analytical thinking and Innovation, complex problem solving, critical thinking, creativity, technology use, monitoring and control, design and programming and reasoning. Students learn about Computational Thinking in Digital Technologies and practice these skills in context. Students learn decomposition, pattern recognition, abstraction, modelling and simulation, algorithms and evaluation.
Students who demonstrate an aptitude for coding are given an opportunity to participate in an after school extension coding club. Year 1’s and 2’s are identified through the coding course in the Digital Technologies specialist learning area and participate in Term 2. Year 3 – 6’s are identified by their performance in the Bebras challenge and participate in Term 3 & 4. In coding club students are challenged using coding platforms such as Scratch, Code.org, Grok academy, Makecode and Blockly. Students use peripherals such as use Microbits, Makey Makey and Dash robots to make their projects come to life.