Teaching Digital Technologies through Design (QUT Pedagogy Exchange)
1. Teaching Digital Technologies
through Design
Natalie Wright (QUT Creative Industries Faculty)
Dr Nick Kelly (QUT Science & Engineering Faculty)
Dana Holden (Kedron State High School)
Nicola Flanagan (Oakleigh State School)
CRICOS No: 00213J
Cultivating Critical and Creative Thinking
with the Digital Technologies Curriculum
2.
3.
4. Focus our thinking to solve everyday problems
Find information about our problem
Consider alternatives
Decide what to do
Do it
Ask if we are satisfied with the results?
…if not, try again
Learn through the experience
Metacognitive
Empathy
Collaboration
Experimentation
Design
Thinking
5. Empathy
Designers use empathy and
understanding of people and how they
relate to environments and products, to
design experiences that create new
opportunities for active engagement.
Think from your students’ perspective
9. “How Might We…?" Question
Eg."How might we cultivate critical & creative thinking through
design within a Year 6 Digitech Curriculum?"
• Not too broad but not too specific; ambitious but achievable
• ‘How’ assumes there are solutions out there - promotes creative confidence & optimism
• ‘Might’ says we can put ideas out there that might work or might not; either way, it’s OK -
removes expectation of perfection and self-editing; promotes open-minded, blue-sky thinking
• ‘We’ says we’re going to do it together and build on each other’s ideas - promotes collaboration
15. Perceptions
What is Digitech and what does it mean for teaching and learning?
What do you know about it?
What do you wish you knew?
What is exciting about it?
What is challenging?
What direction do you think you need?
18. Yr 1 Computational Thinking
Linking Location & Direction in Mathematics to the F-2 Digital Technologies Curriculum
• using computational thinking to break down a task, then approach it
methodically & logically
• using the language of direction/location
• using the language of computational thinking like ‘debug’ and
algorithm’
• reinforcing some concepts from other curriculum areas including
English and Geography
• differentiating learning for students by giving them a range of
experiences through the different activities
http://osstechenablinglearning.edublogs.org/2017/04/08/4053/
19. Yr 2 Scratch Jr
Supporting students to become creators of digital solutions by working collaboratively &
reasoning systematically
• Scratch Jn is an app version of Scratch
• a coding ‘drag and drop’ project by MIT
http://osstechenablinglearning.edublogs.org/2016/05/21/scratch-
jn-and-junior-primary/
20. Yr 2 Coding as a Tool for
Differentiation
• mindset more important than skill-set
• using skills or knowledge in a real context to
achieve a real purpose
• providing the creator with a deeper level of
understanding themselves as they work to break
the concept down in order to be able to teach it
• building skills in computational thinking – breaking
down problems, recognising patterns, sequencing
events, adding loops & ‘if then’ statements
• problem solving whilst designing the code or
algorithm
• building resilience
• use of the physical is a motivator & learning catalyst
http://osstechenablinglearning.edublogs.org/2017/01/12/d
ifferentiating-using-coding/
21. Yr 3 ProBots
Programming the way through Maths using Dance
• Measurement & Geometry
• Measure, order & compare objects using familiar metric units of
length, mass & capacity (ACMMG061)
• Location & transformation
• Create & interpret simple grid maps to show position & pathways
(ACMMG065)
• Geometric reasoning
• Identify angles as measures of turn & compare angle sizes in
everyday situations (ACMMG064)
http://osstechenablinglearning.edublogs.org/2016/05/06/probots-
programming-our-way-through-maths/
22. Yr 5 Factors in Maths & Coding in
Hopscotch
• identifying & describing factors & multiples of whole numbers &
using them to solve problems (ACMNA098)
• demonstrating understanding of mathematical concept and skill
of decomposition (computational thinking concept)
• demonstrating an understanding of algorithms & the
abstraction needed to build a game to explore another concept
• gaining experience in the process of designing/building a digital game
• mindset of design, trial, debug and gain feedback - perseverance
http://osstechenablinglearning.edublogs.org/2016/09/16/factors-in-
maths-and-coding-in-hopscotch/
23. Yr 5 Geography Digital Solution
• demonstrating a digital solution in Scratch in a
Geography/DigiTech unit with aspects of Mathematics
http://osstechenablinglearning.edublogs.org/2017/01/12/di
fferentiating-using-coding/
24. Yr 6 Geography, Scratch &
#DigiTech
• Scratch quizzes for Year 3 - students arrived with 24 questions on
Australian geography & selected 10 to use (4 x general knowledge,
4 x requiring the use of an atlas or map, 2 x more challenging)
• the need to select a way to make a repetition for each question
(ACARA DigiTech ACTDIP019)
• utilise a design which required user input (ACARA
DigiTech ACTDIP020).
http://osstechenablinglearning.edublogs.org/2016/04/30/g
eography-scratch-and-digitech/
30. Prototype your Idea
story board
diagram
3 min TV advertisement
3 min performance
physical object
Think about how you could incorporate technology to
design/present a solution
32. 3-Minute Elevator Pitch
Use your newsflash and prototype
to explain your idea, gain feedback
and evaluate
https://www.facebook.com/groups/digitechqld/
Queensland Digital Technologies Teachers
33. Debrief and Next Steps
What have I learnt?
What would I do differently?
What can I do right now?
34. Thank you!
Natalie Wright | QUT Design Lab Design Education Research Platform | Creative Industries Faculty
n.wright@qut.edu.au
Dr Nick Kelly | Senior Research Fellow | Science & Engineering Faculty
nick.kelly@qut.edu.au
Dana Holden | A/HOD Junior Secondary| Teach Team Ambassador | Kedron State High School
dhold30@eq.edu.au
Nicola Flanagan | Head of Innovation | Oakleigh State School
nflan1@eq.edu.au
