Key Stage 4 ICT
ICT students at St Mary’s will follow the BTEC Level 2 course. This is a liner course, made up of 3 units.
Studying Information and Creative Technology will inspire and enthuse students to become technology savvy – producers of technology products and systems and not just consumers. Students will be given the opportunity to gain a broad understanding and knowledge of the Information Technology sector and some aspects of the creative industries e.g. electronic publishing or multimedia production. There will be opportunities to explore the fundamentals of technology and gain the practical skills, knowledge and understanding to design, make and review information technology systems and products, create technology products, and products that combine information technology and creative technology.
The qualification encourages personal development, motivation and confidence, through practical participation and by giving students responsibility for their own projects.
Unit 1 - The Online World
How do websites work? How do emails reach your computer? How does the use of computer applications affect your daily life? This unit provides an introduction to the modern online world. Starting with your own experiences, you will extend your knowledge of online services and investigate the technology and software that supports them. You will learn more about a range of services including email, online data storage, collaborative software, search engines and blogging.
This unit will help you understand the main technologies and processes behind the internet and investigate how they come together to let you view websites and send information across the world. The internet and web of tomorrow will be even more powerful, more connected, more intuitive and a more important part of our lives. This will result in an internet of services, objects and infrastructure (ubiquitous computing) which will radically change our lives. For example, smart appliances will be able to talk to each other, clothes will monitor our health and retailers will access
social media to gain insight into shoppers’ preferences.
You will explore a range of digital devices, such as smart phones and digital music players and consider the technology that enables these devices to share and exchange information. This technology has created new concerns regarding security and privacy. You will investigate these concerns and consider how users should behave online to safeguard themselves and respect others.
This unit is essential if you are considering a career in the IT sector. Online systems and technology have become part of everyday work, so being able to understand and work with this technology is relevant in many roles in the industry.
Students must complete this unit which contributes to the final qualification grade.
25% of qualification
1 Hour exam
Unit 3 - A Digital Portfolio
This unit is your chance to show off! A digital portfolio is an exciting onscreen way to showcase your achievements to potential employers or when applying for a course.
It is all about:
- The projects you have created and developed
- Your use of communication and presentation skills
- Your capabilities and potential.
Digital portfolios can be viewed by anyone with a computer and an internet browser. You will learn how to create a digital portfolio that includes a series of web pages with links to content that you have created. You will learn how to make use of multimedia assets such as images, sound and video to make your portfolio appealing and engaging.
For this unit, your digital portfolio will have a clear purpose and audience to show them who you are and what you are capable of. It should have a structure that is logical and easy to navigate and must be in a format that can be uploaded and viewed on the web.
You should think of your portfolio as a shop window, carefully selecting a range of content including work done on this BTEC course as well as any other appropriate content. Every item should be clearly introduced, explaining why it is included and what it demonstrates to the viewer. Multimedia assets should be used to enhance the experience for the viewer, not as a substitute for good content.
25% of qualification
Internally assessed
Unit 10 - Database Development
Do you use the internet to search for information, such as music tracks, items in an online shop or train times? If so, the chances are that you are using a database without realising it! Many IT systems involve the use of databases and it is important to understand how they work.
Databases are designed to hold data in a digital form, for example, a record for each computer game in a shop. Database tools can be used to ensure the data is valid and accurate. They also allow information to be restricted to certain individuals and to be analysed and presented in reports.
Job roles include database administrators who oversee the performance, integrity and security of a system and database managers who are responsible for the way a company manages, organises and stores its information.
In this unit you will investigate the features and uses of databases by exploring what they are and what you can do with them. You will be able to apply some of your findings to your own database solution.
You will also learn how to use database software to design, develop and test relational databases for a brief. Once completed, you will review your database, having obtained feedback from others, and evaluate possible improvements.
50% of qualification
Internally assessed
Pass, Merit and Distinction grades are available for each unit, if student achieve a distinction grade in all units they will achieve a D* overall.