Reply to: The government is to scrap the 'appalling' ICT GCSE

[Doggy Styles]

I'm not sure that's relevant at A-level. I got taught that sort of thing in my degree (electronic eng).

You might be right. I did that at OND level, which was useful knowledge for 3GL developers in those days, and vital for assemblers. Probably not any more though.

[Moscow Mule]

Can't see much on understanding how the hardware works, but I didn't click all the links.

I'm not sure that's relevant at A-level. I got taught that sort of thing in my degree (electronic eng).

[Doggy Styles]

Doesn't look too bad...

http://www.ict-teacher.com/Alevel.html

Agreed. It's interesting that they start off by teaching the meaning of data, data protection law, accuracy, etc. I wonder if that bores some students into submission?

Can't see much on understanding how the hardware works, but I didn't click all the links.

[Moscow Mule]

Can't remember what it used to cover - I didn't do Comp Sci at university.

These days, it probably covers switching it on, using facebook, and how to twitter. But they aren't dumbing down the A-levels. Oh no, definitely not.

Doesn't look too bad...

http://www.ict-teacher.com/Alevel.html

[TheFaQQer]

Does the A-level cover processors, instructions, code and storage efficiency, latency, and all that malarky?

Can't remember what it used to cover - I didn't do Comp Sci at university.

These days, it probably covers switching it on, using facebook, and how to twitter. But they aren't dumbing down the A-levels. Oh no, definitely not.

[the_duderama]

I did a scottish standrad grade (scottish GCSE) in computing studies, and it covered programming (in comal but still programming), networking, databases, hardware etc, was actually really good from what i remember. We covered the "this is a word processor" before the GCSE stage.

[Iron Condor]

An ICT GCSE.

Is this to teach our next generation of managers on how to bring over foreign workers on ICT visas?

[Doggy Styles]

Does the A-level cover processors, instructions, code and storage efficiency, latency, and all that malarky?

[VectraMan]

I was a little saddened this year when I realized that my old school doesn't teach A level computer science any more - I wouldn't be where I am today (and no, I don't mean sat at home on the sofa because I can't find any work) if it wasn't for doing Computer Science.

I did A-level computer science without doing the lessons; i.e. just worked through some text books and sat the exam. I didn't do it originally as everybody said it was a waste of time subject, and if you wanted to do computer science at university (which I did), they were only interested in maths. The two of us that did it that way got A's, and went on to university computing courses, and I think all the people that actually took the subject properly got no better than C's and I'm not sure if any of them went to university at all.

It seems not being able to teach IT usefully in school is nothing new.

[BoredBloke]

My son has a 1-to-1 IT teacher becasue of his disability and his teacher is seriously rubbish. I guess that's why he is teaching it!

[TheFaQQer]

My son started doing ICT but gave up on it because he and most of the rest of the class already knew more than the teacher. Lessons revolved around how to use different menu options in MS Word or Excel.

That kind of thing was being taught as part of my wife's degree - I ended up doing the coursework for her because it was just easier, and she didn't understand it.

She was training to be a teacher.

[DaveB]

My son started doing ICT but gave up on it because he and most of the rest of the class already knew more than the teacher. Lessons revolved around how to use different menu options in MS Word or Excel.

Waste of time as a GCSE.

[TheFaQQer]

It's not, when the definition of IT is how to write a letter in MS Word, or how to search the internet.

IMO, this sort of thing should be taught in PSHE or IL, not as a separate subject.

WHS - it needs to be covered somewhere in the curriculum (for those that don't use computers at home, or don't have internet), but not as a GCSE.

I was a little saddened this year when I realized that my old school doesn't teach A level computer science any more - I wouldn't be where I am today (and no, I don't mean sat at home on the sofa because I can't find any work) if it wasn't for doing Computer Science.

[BrowneIssue]

We're all doomed dinosaurs

From the article:

But many children were already IT literate before they started the GCSE course. A 15-year-old who had taken to developing iPhone applications in their spare time was typically discovering that the ICT GCSE was not what they had expected.

From TPD:

Got a "Hello World" app running on my iPhone!

The forum's über-guru is just a little boy!

[Moscow Mule]

OK, my friend Google tells me what PSHE is, but WTF is IL?

Integrated Learning.