InTEACT has a resource library that contains a collection of loanable resources available for free to members. For more information about the resource library, visit our Resources Library page.
As part of our 2014 CS4HS Program, InTEACT members from across the ACT have developed a range of resources for teaching the Australian Curriculum: Digital Technologies, and they are now available for teachers everywhere to use in their teaching programs. We have grouped the activities below according to the corresponding band in the Digital Technologies curriculum – follow the links for more details of each one.
We’ve also included resources developed from past CS4HS and InTEACT events in the list, providing our members and visitors with a good selection of teaching resources and ideas. We’ll continue to add to the list as new resources are provided by members.
Foundation – Year 2
Years 3 and 4
- Hot Potatoes – an integrated study of Digital Technologies, Maths, English and Science
- Communication through the Media – An inquiry unit
- Bee-Bot Learning Experiences
- Scratch: An Introduction
Years 5 and 6
- Hot Potatoes – an integrated study of Digital Technologies, Maths, English and Science
- Understanding Computer Hardware
- Scratch: An Introduction
Years 7 and 8
- Robotics Resource Pack – supports the RoboCup event
- Interactive Fiction with Inform
- Context Free Art – visualising computational approaches
- Building Web Applications: A Simple To-Do List
Years 9 and 10
- Robotics Resource Pack – supports the RoboCup event
- Comparative Study of Applications and Systems
- Interactive Fiction with Inform
- Context Free Art – visualising computational approaches
- Building Web Applications: A Simple To-Do List
- An Introduction to Google App Engine and Big Data Applications
- First Site Guide – An educational website aimed at people who are looking to learn more about the online world. Includes in-depth online guides followed by PDF’s, video tutorials and other web development resources that will come handy to all beginners who are about to establish themselves on the internet.
We also have available some resources to assist with teaching topics covered in the ACT Senior Secondary IT Curriculum. These may be applicable in other jurisdictions, depending on what is being taught in your programs.
Note that some of the topics covered in the Year 11 and 12 curriculum are now a part of the Digital Technologies curriculum for F-10.
Senior Secondary (Years 11 and 12)
- Any of the resources listed in the Years 9 and 10 list above will fit within one of the current ACT Year 11 and 12 IT Courses.
Run your own Professional Learning
The good folks at the University of Adelaide CSER (who run the free Digital Technologies MOOCs for teachers) have released a PL-in-a-box resource that supports professional learning (PL) of Digital Technologies in your school or community. These resources are designed to support you or your team in delivering free professional learning sessions, workshops or events for Digital Technologies.
Learn to Code Resources for iPad
Through their Everyone Can Code Program, Apple have developed a series of resources to support teachers of years K-10 to teach coding basics on iPad. Details about each of these resources – for teachers and students – are available below:
- Get Started with Code 1 – For years P-2
- Get Started with Code 2 – For years 3-5
- Swift Playgrounds – For years 5+
- Learn to Code 1 & 2 Teacher Guide
- Learn to Code 1 & 2 iTunes U Course
- Learn to Code 3 Teacher Guide
Supporting Resources
In addition to the resources listed above, we have also included links to useful websites and online resources that you could use to assist with teaching Computer Science, Computational Thinking and other IT topics. These have not been mapped to the Australian Curriculum, but if you find an activity or resources particular useful and map it to the curriculum, let us know and we’ll move it into the list above.
- Digital Technologies Work Samples (ACARA) – ACARA has published work samples that demonstrate student achievement at, above and below standard for each of the Australian Curriculum band levels.
- Digital Technologies Hub – Developed here in Australia with content written by practising educators from across the country, the Digital Technologies Hub is a great place to start if you’re looking for ideas about what to teach and how to teach it in the classroom. Their Learning Sequences in particular are fantastic.
- code.org – Teach kids to code through a series of activities and resources. Runs the Hour of Code initiative each year.
- CS Unplugged – Have students learn a range of computer science concepts through a series of activities designed to be completed without a computer. Great for kids of all ages.
- Computer Science Field Guide – An online interactive resource for high school students to learn about computer science. Designed for the NZ curriculum, but highly applicable to many parts of the Australian Curriculum too.
- Bootstrap – Not the CSS framework, this resource teaches algebraic and geometric concepts to students through computer programming. Targeted at high school students and supported by the code.org initiative.
- Grok Learning – hosts the National Computer Science School (NCSS) Challenge each year, and contains resources designed to teach students of all ages how to program using Python and a new Blockly (visual programming) tool, and also includes courses and competitions on web design using HTML and CSS. The NCSS Challenge runs in August each year, but other courses are available year round.
- Codecademy – A free, online tool to learn programming in a number of different languages.
- How to Think Like a Computer Scientist – An online, interactive textbook that teaches you the fundamentals of programming with Python. The Interactive Python platform on which it is hosted also provides tools for hosting your own interactive textbook – worth a look for the more adventurous teacher.
- Online Resource list of Coding for Students entities; How to get started. A collation of good links that can help teach students coding skills. It features some of the more widely known organizations but also some of the lesser known initiatives. Courtesy of Paul Turnbull.
- Online Resources list of the more sophisticated programming languages. Hackr. Free and paid possibilities displayed.
Resources from the 2016 ACS / InTEACT Conference
The following is a summary of the resources presented and used at the ACS / InTEACT 2016 CS4HS Conference held in August:
- Maria Miloslavjevic – The Art of the Possible: The Importance of Lifelong Learning
- Chris Hamling – Resources to support VEX Robotics (large download – 975MB)
- Tim Bell – Introducing Computer Science as a School Subject
- Therese Keane – Where are all the girls in IT?
- Trish Williams – DDR, IWAR, HIoT
Resources from the 2015 ACS / InTEACT Conference
The following is a summary of the resources presented and used at the ACS / InTEACT 2015 CS4HS Conference held in September:
- Julie King – Australian Curriculum: Digital Technologies – moving towards implementation
- Dan Bowen – Creating a next-gen curriculum
- Dan Bowen – Crowdsourcing a hackers curriculum
- Katie Bell and Bruce Fuda – Cryptography Activities
- Katie Bell and Bruce Fuda – Computational Thinking Problems
Resources from other ACCE Members
InTEACT is just one of the members of the ACCE, and grants from the ACCE were issued to each member association to assist with the development of resources for use across Australia. The links below will take you to the sites of other member associations, and the resources developed by their members – teachers like yourselves in primary and secondary schools.