Don Valley Academy

By studying this qualification you will develop your understanding of current and emerging technologies and the social and commercial impact they have. You will develop knowledge and understanding of ICT in a range of contexts and your technical skills in using a variety of software. Through controlled assessment you will develop ICT-based solutions to solve problems. You will develop your understanding of the legal, social, economic, ethical and environmental issues raised by ICT and be able to recognise potential risks when using ICT, and develop safe, secure and responsible practice.

On completion of this course you will gain 1 GCSE grade A* to G.

During the two years you will study two units. The first unit is assessed through an examination that is worth 40% of your final GCSE grade. The second unit is assessed through controlled assessment and is worth 60% of your final grade.

The two Units are:

Unit 1: Living in a digital world
In this unit you will explore how digital technology impacts on the lives of individuals, organisations and society. You will look at current and emerging digital technologies such as mobile phones, cameras, media players and games consoles.

You will explore the benefits of shopping online and the potential problems people face when purchasing products over the internet. You will explore ways in which ICT is used to communicate such as social network sites and virtual learning environments.

Unit 2: Using Digital Tools

This is a practical unit that will broaden and enhance your ICT skills and capability. You will work with a range of digital tools and techniques to produce effective ICT solutions in a range of contexts.

Lessons per week – 3 lessons

Award
1 GCSE
Assessment
60% Controlled Assessment, 40% Examination

For further information, see Mr Crawford (Head of ICT and Business Studies), Mrs Larner (2nd in Department) or your ICT teacher.

INFORMATION & COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (Core)

OCR Nationals ICT (Level 2)
The OCR Nationals in ICT will provide you with the skills, knowledge and understanding of ICT in preparation for when you leave school and go into the workplace.

You will study a number of different units and will be able to achieve 1 GCSE at grade A* to C by the end of Year 11.

All pupils will have completed Unit 1 in Year 9 and then complete the other two units in Years 10 and 11.

Unit 1 : ICT Skills for Business
By completing this unit you will develop the ability to create files in a variety different software packages including word processing, DTP, spreadsheet, database and presentation software. You will learn how to use email effectively and will search the internet efficiently for information.

Unit 4 : Design and Produce Multimedia Products
In this unit you will design and create a multimedia product. The product will incorporate a range of multimedia elements such as sound, graphics, movies and hyperlinks.

Unit 8 : Technological Innovations in ICT
In this unit you will carryout research into some of the recent innovations in ICT such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth. You will also develop an understanding of how e-commence has changed the way we buy and sell products.

Lessons per week – 1 lesson
Award
1 GCSE
Assessment
Coursework

For further information, see Mr Crawford (Head of ICT and Business Studies), Mrs Larner (2nd in Department) or your ICT teacher.

GCSE INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY – option

By studying this qualification you will develop your understanding of current and emerging technologies and the social and commercial impact they have. You will develop knowledge and understanding of ICT in a range of contexts and your technical skills in using a variety of software. Through controlled assessment you will develop ICT-based solutions to solve problems. You will develop your understanding of the legal, social, economic, ethical and environmental issues raised by ICT and be able to recognise potential risks when using ICT, and develop safe, secure and responsible practice.

 On completion of this course you will gain 1 GCSE grade A* to G.

 During the two years you will study two units. The first unit is assessed through an examination that is worth 40% of your final GCSE grade. The second unit is assessed through controlled assessment and is worth 60% of your final grade.

 The two Units are:

 Unit 1: Living in a digital world

In this unit you will explore how digital technology impacts on the lives of individuals, organisations and society. You will look at current and emerging digital technologies such as mobile phones, cameras, media players and games consoles. You will explore the benefits of shopping online and the potential problems people face when purchasing products over the internet. You will explore ways in which ICT is used to communicate such as social network sites and virtual learning environments.

Unit 2: Using Digital Tools

This is a practical unit that will broaden and enhance your ICT skills and capability. You will work with a range of digital tools and techniques to produce effective ICT solutions in a range of contexts.

 Lessons per week – 3 lessons

Award

1 GCSE

Assessment

60% Controlled Assessment, 40% Examination

 For further information, see Mr Crawford (Head of ICT and Business Studies), Mrs Larner (2nd in Department) or your ICT teacher.

INFORMATION & COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (Core)

OCR Nationals ICT (Level 2)

The OCR Nationals in ICT will provide you with the skills, knowledge and understanding of ICT in preparation for when you leave school and go into the workplace.

 You will study a number of different units and will be able to achieve 1 GCSE at grade A* to C by the end of Year 11.

 All pupils will have completed Unit 1 in Year 9 and then complete the other two units in Years 10 and 11.

 Unit 1 :  ICT Skills for Business

By completing this unit you will develop the ability to create files in a variety different software packages including word processing, DTP, spreadsheet, database and presentation software.  You will learn how to use email effectively and will search the internet efficiently for information.

 Unit 4 : Design and Produce Multimedia Products

In this unit you will design and create a multimedia product.  The product will incorporate a range of multimedia elements such as sound, graphics, movies and hyperlinks.

 Unit 8 : Technological Innovations in ICT

In this unit you will carryout research into some of the recent innovations in ICT such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth.  You will also develop an understanding of how e-commence has changed the way we buy and sell products.

 Lessons per week – 1 lesson

Award

1 GCSE

Assessment

Coursework

 For further information, see Mr Crawford (Head of ICT and Business Studies), Mrs Larner (2nd in Department) or your ICT teacher.

We have made significant investment over the Summer of 2010 in new ICT facilities. We have upgraded ICT hardware, software and infrastructure in both IT3 and IT4. Students from Year 7 to Y13 who use these rooms should see a big improvement in ICT performance. Below are some photos of the new facilities taken by Nikk Price from our Y13.

We start our ICT qualifications in Year 9 when students commence Unit 1 of the OCR National ICT level 2 qualification during the 1 ICT lesson per week.

In Year 10 students completed the Animation and Multimedia units of the OCR National ICT Level 2 qualification during the 2 ICT lessons per week

Year 11 students complete a variety of further units on topics such as Sound using ICT, Creating publications for a purpose, databases etc.

From September of 2010 we arfe offering a range of Level 3 ICT qualifications in our 6th Form. Students in Y12 can now opt for a Single OCR National ICT A-Level over 2 years, or a Double or even a Triple A-Level. These courses have been very popular this year on the back of strong GCSE results from last year’s Y11 students.  

We are continuing to run the popular and successful OCR Applied ICT Course with our Single and Double A-Level students in Year 13.