Select a topic across a two year cycle

Recommended any combination of three topics per year.
Choose a combination of units that suits your students and context.

Cycle one (Year 7)

Jan Jun Dec

Cycle two (Year 8)

Jan Jun Dec

Overview

This unit focuses on the skills required to acquire, analyse and visualise data. Students can acquire data from sources ranging from paper and digital surveys to electronic sensors and online data repositories. Spreadsheets and single-table databases can be used for data analysis and visualisation. At each stage, the digital footprint of data solutions is considered.

By the end of Year 8 students acquire, interpret and model data with spreadsheets and represent data with integers and binary.

They select and use a range of digital tools efficiently and responsibly to create, locate and share content; and to plan, collaborate on and manage projects.

Students manage their digital footprint.

  • acquire data from surveys, electronic sensors and data repositories
  • apply spreadsheet formulas and techniques to clean and analyse data
  • create charts to visualise data
  • explore how data is structured and queried in single-table databases
  • consider digital footprints, assess which data is essential to purpose and depersonalise data where appropriate.

This unit focuses on building specific skills rather than framing the data work process within a user story or context. The ‘Collaborative data project’ unit is designed to incorporate skills from this unit into a purposeful design project.

 

Watch this video for a quick overview of the unit and how to use its resources with your students.

Achievement standards

Digital Technologies: Years 7–8

By the end of Year 8 students acquire, interpret and model data with spreadsheets and represent data with integers and binary.

They select and use a range of digital tools efficiently and responsibly to create, locate and share content; and to plan, collaborate on and manage projects.

Students manage their digital footprint.

Assessment task

Use this checklist and star rating for each student to assess students' demonstrated knowledge and skills related to the solar installations data task outlined in the lesson sequence Solar energy installations

Use the rubric to assess students' proficiency in:

  • acquiring, storing, and validating data from a range of sources using software
  • analysing and visualising data using a range of software
  • drawing conclusions and make predictions by identifying trends
  • demonstrated knowledge of databases
  • modelling and querying attributes using data.

Rubric: Acquiring, storing, validating, visualising, modelling and querying data

Criteria 1 (limited) 2 (basic) 3 (proficient) 4 (advanced)
Acquire, store, and validate data from a range of sources using software needs guidance to acquire and store data from sources and may not validate data effectively shows basic skills to acquire and store data from sources; attempts to validate data with some success demonstrates accessing relevant data sources, imports and clean data, store data in an organised way ensuring that the data is accurate, reliable, and ready for analysis demonstrates ability to acquire, store, and validate data from diverse sources using appropriate software, demonstrating thorough validation techniques and error checking
Analyse and visualise data using a range of software needs guidance to analyse and visualise data; demonstrates basic understanding of software tools for analysis and visualisation, however, requires support demonstrates basic ability to analyse and visualise data; uses software tools for analysis and visualisation with some support demonstrates analysis and visualisation of data using relevant software; demonstrates understanding of software tools and explains ways to analyse and visualise data effectively use advanced analysis techniques to derive deep insights from the data and creates complex and interactive visualisations that effectively communicate insights from the data, using advanced features of the software to enhance visual representation
Draw conclusions and make predictions by identifying trends needs guidance to draw conclusions and make predictions from data; requires support and prompting to identify trends demonstrates a basic ability to draw conclusions and make predictions from data; identifies trends with some accuracy draws well considered conclusions referring to relevant data, makes logical predictions from data and identifies trends accurately draws well-considered conclusions based on relevant data and the question being addressed, makes logical predictions using advanced statistical techniques and identifies complex trends and patterns in the data.
Knowledge of databases needs guidance to understand basic database concepts understands basic database concepts, but may struggle with applying them in practice demonstrates a solid understanding of database concepts and can apply them effectively demonstrates an advanced understanding of database concepts, including complex topics
Modelling and querying attributes using data needs guidance to query attributes of objects and events using structured data; requires support to use software tools effectively for modelling and querying basic ability to model and query attributes of objects and events using structured data; uses software tools for modelling and querying with some success demonstrates ability to model and query attributes of objects and events using structured data; uses software tools effectively for modelling and querying creates complex and dynamic models of objects and events using structured data and uses advanced querying techniques to extract specific information from large and complex datasets

Unit sequence

This topic offers 3 sequential units

Acquiring data

What is this about?

Data can be collected from paper and digital surveys, from electronic sensors and from online data repositories. Students practise different techniques for acquiring data, explore the forms in which this data comes, and consider privacy by discussing the digital footprint of data solutions.

Content description

Acquire, store and validate data from a range of sources using software, including spreadsheets and databases AC9TDI8P01
Investigate and manage the digital footprint existing systems and student solutions collect and assess if the data is essential to their purpose AC9TDI8P14

 

This sequence enables students to:

  • collect data from surveys and electronic sensors
  • visit data repositories and examine the forms in which data can be acquired from them
  • consider data privacy, digital footprints and how to assess which data is essential to purpose.

Supplementary information

Some of the suggested ideas enable integration of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures cross-curriculum priority.

Resources to include

Resources to introduce

Resources to develop and consolidate learning

Resources to extend and integrate learning

Further reading and professional learning

Spreadsheets

What is this about?

Spreadsheets are a powerful tool with applications in everyday life as well as study and work. Beyond entering data in a table format, students will apply spreadsheet skills like filtering, formulas and chart creation.

Content descriptions

Analyse and visualise data using a range of software, including spreadsheets and databases, to draw conclusions and make predictions by identifying trends AC9TDI8P02

Model and query the attributes of objects and events using structured data AC9TDI8P03

Investigate and manage the digital footprint existing systems and student solutions collect and assess if the data is essential to their purpose AC9TDI8P14

This sequence enables students to:

  • clean a spreadsheet by filtering data that is unnecessary for purpose
  • depersonalise a spreadsheet by removing data that unnecessarily contributes to a digital footprint
  • apply spreadsheet formulas and other techniques to analyse data
  • create charts to visualise data.

Supplementary information

While Microsoft Excel is the most frequently mentioned spreadsheet tool in this unit, other popular software such as Google Sheets and Apple Numbers perform most of the same functions, such as formulas and charts. Consider which software suites are available to students in your school.

The Google Workplace Learning Center provides information about transitioning between Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets.

The Apple Learning Center provides learning materials and a user guide for working with Numbers on an iPad.

Resources to include

Resources to introduce

Resources to develop and consolidate learning

Resources to extend and integrate learning

Further reading and professional learning

Databases

What is this about?

Databases allow data to be structured in more complex and organised ways than is possible in a flat spreadsheet. Grouping data as attributes within records is the first step in working with databases. Students also make queries to select only data that meets particular criteria, including with Structured Query Language (SQL).

Content description

Analyse and visualise data using a range of software, including spreadsheets and databases, to draw conclusions and make predictions by identifying trends AC9TDI8P02

Model and query the attributes of objects and events using structured data AC9TDI8P03

 

This sequence enables students to:

  • explore the record structure for data
  • make queries on a single-table database to select data that meets particular criteria.

Supplementary information

Only single-table databases are addressed in this unit for Years 7–8. This permits understanding of the object/record structure for data, but does not require a thorough demonstration of how relational databases allow more complex organisation of data (see Years 9–10).

Resources to include

Resources to introduce

Resources to develop and consolidate learning

Resources to extend and integrate learning

Further reading and professional learning