ICT

YEAR 9 ICT UPDATE FOR TERM 2

This term, students in Year 9 ICT have been learning how to use Adobe Dreamweaver to create websites using HTML, CSS, Bootstrap and Javascript. Their final learning task is to analyze, design, develop, and evaluate their website based on a topic of their choice.

Mr Russo

ICT and Information Systems Teacher

Here is what some of the students have said about 9ICT this Term:

As we near the conclusion of this term, it's time to reflect on our hard work in Year 9 ICT. Over the past few months, we've immersed ourselves in the program Dreamweaver, using the core skills of web development: HTML, CSS, Bootstrap, and Javascript. Through projects such as the McKinnon Travel website, the Go Wild website, and the Italy website, we've built up our skills and deepened our understanding of design and coding.

We are working on our final assessment, individual websites on a topic of our choice. I am crafting a website about my favourite music artists for my final assessment. I thoroughly enjoy creating this site, as it is a topic I am interested in, and we have complete creative freedom. It's been a journey marked by challenges and growth, and as a result of our work, we now have the beneficial skills to build and design a website.

Ava Van Oosten, 9R

This term for ICT, we delved into web development using Adobe Dreamweaver; through practical applications, we built on skills like HTML, CSS, Bootstrap and Javascript to create stunning websites like McKinnon Travel, Go Wild and the Italy website. Furthermore, we even learned to create carousels and remarkable style sheets, which made the websites an ultimate success. As a wrap-up for this unit, we now focus on applying these skills to our website projects in any chosen field of interest.

For my final assessment, I have chosen to explore the majestic Taj Mahal through my website. The Taj Mahal is one of the world's seven wonders, which has intricate architecture and rich historical significance, making it the perfect subject for my learning task. This creative choice of topic showcases our initiative and passion for the subject. By crafting a website dedicated to this iconic monument, I can offer visitors an immersive digital experience that allows them to follow and explore the beauty of the Taj Mahal virtually.

Through this project, I aim to demonstrate my proficiency in technical skills and offer a glimpse into the rich history and architectural marvels of the Taj Mahal, highlighting its artistry, beauty and the profound love story that led to its creation.

Shreya Panwar, 9C

As we are near the end of this unit in ICT, we are now completing our last assessment for the unit, which is creating our own website in Dreamweaver. We have learned many new things like Bootstrap, Javascript, HTML and CSS. We practised and improved our skills in Dreamweaver by completing previous projects such as the McKinnon Travel website and the Go Wild website.

In our last assessment, we must make our website about anything we find fascinating in Dreamweaver. My website is about some of the best locations in the world and why people should visit it. I chose this website as I would love to travel to all my favourite countries one day. I intend to learn new and fascinating things about the digital world throughout these two terms.

Raina Tuli, 9Q

We have learnt how to create a website from scratch using Dreamweaver. We have created McKinnon Travel, Go Wild, and the Italy Website. All of these websites use different aspects of website creation, including CSS, Javascript, HTML, and Bootstrap. We are also making the website, so we get to choose the topic and have to make it ourselves.

ICT is a hard subject, but it can become easy if you put enough effort into it. You just need to do the work. It isn't too much work, but after the work, it becomes easy. My final website, the one we make ourselves, is about different landmarks.

I have enjoyed making the McKinnon Website, the Banner, and the animation in Photoshop as well. ICT has been a unique and fun subject since day one.

Jamie Maltz, 9T

GROK CYBER COMP

The Grok Cyber Comp started on Monday 10 June, and there’s still time to get involved! This competition is especially timely, as scams have become a significant issue in Australia. In 2023 alone, Australians reported nearly 302,000 scams, with losses totalling approximately $476 million. Investment scams were the most financially damaging, making up over half of these losses. This highlights the importance of cyber security education for young Australians.

The competition, open to all Australian students from Year 7 onwards and international students through Grok Access, tackles essential cyber security topics such as social media security, creating strong passwords, and identifying scams.

Interested students should contact Ms Ho to sign up. Participants only need 45 minutes to complete the competition, which can be started at any time during the two-week period ending on Monday 24 June 2024.

By participating, students will learn crucial skills such as how to protect their personal information, create robust passwords, and critically evaluate emails and messages to guard against scams - skills that are increasingly vital in our digital world.

Results will be available in the week after the competition ends, providing valuable feedback on each participant's understanding of cyber security. For those who wish to explore further, the Schools Cyber Security Challenges offer additional learning opportunities on topics like data encryption and network security, available all year round.

Don’t miss this chance to enhance your cyber security skills and prepare yourself against common threats in today's digital landscape!

Ms Mary Ho

ICT Learning Area Manager/ICT Teacher

References:

YEAR 9 CODING

In Coding Year 9 students have been learning to code in Python. Python is an incredibly popular language that is used for everything from creating simple scripts to powering complex web applications and even scientific research. It's an essential tool for any aspiring programmer, and our Year 9 students are diving into it headfirst. They are currently working on creating simple scripts that use various functions, if statements, and loops. Python is a fantastic language for beginners, as it has a simple, easy-to-understand syntax that is perfect for learning the fundamentals of coding.

But that's not all - some of our more advanced students are being given the opportunity to extend their skills even further. They are being challenged to begin to create games using the turtle module, which is a great way to get hands-on experience with Python while having fun at the same time. Alternatively, some others are being extended to learn a bit of JavaScript, which is a powerful language used for creating interactivity and games on the web.

In today's fast-paced digital world, programming languages are constantly evolving, and it's essential for aspiring programmers to keep up with the latest trends and technologies. That's why we believe it's crucial for our Year 9 students to be exposed to more than one programming language. Through this, they can gain a broader understanding of the fundamental principles that underlie all programming, and they can begin to notice the similarities and differences between different languages.

A good programmer needs to be able to write in various languages, using references and tools to support this. Even the teacher has accidentally demonstrated to students how sometimes they’ll confuse that Python uses the keyword “elif” while JavaScript uses “else if” for the same purpose, yet have shown them in class how to be able to quickly identify an error and problem solve a way out of it.

Either way, our Year 9 students are well on their way to becoming skilled programmers and innovators, and we couldn't be more proud of their progress so far!

Mr Juan Ospina Leon

ICT Teacher