ITA U3O1

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ITA U3O1

• By Mark Kelly
• McKinnon Secondary College

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Only 2 outcomes?

• Fewer outcomes, more work in each - 2 subtasks
  in U3O1
• Kids need better organisation skills to cope with
  bigger tasks actively teach it!

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Only 2 outcomes?

• IMHO too much in unit 3, especially new, big
  and difficult stuff like databases. The hardest
  outcome 1st!
• Unit 4 spreadsheets and security theory are
  relative childs play!

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And then U3O1

• Doing U3O2 first gives time for database
  training.
• Databases are serious, heavy-duty work for most
  kids at McKinnon especially for those who
  didnt do U1 and U2.
• Easier than in 2007 but 7 out of 18 didnt do
  databases in year 11. They need time to skill
  up.
• We are now giving RDBMS training in year 10.

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Once again, from the top

• Students apply a problem-solving methodology
  comprising the stages of analysing, designing,
  developing, testing, implementing and evaluating
• (No documentation is produced.)
• Students use database management software to
  create solutions and information products that
  utilise a relational database.
• They practise techniques for managing projects,
  including planning and monitoring tasks, time and
  resources.
• The project plans must be developed in the
  designing stage of the problem-solving
  methodology.

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In U3O1 kids must

• Use a relational DBMS RDBMS
• Create effective input screens interfaces
• Use functions to undertake mathematical
  calculations (i.e. calculated fields)
• Use macros / scripts to automate tasks
• Use queries / finds
• Report on data

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Task 1
A solution and information product in response to
a design brief. Students annotate the solution
and information product to indicate how the
identified decision-making needs are met (40
marks)
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Task 2

• A project management report that includes the
  management plan and a record of progress, created
  using software tools
• (10 marks)

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Which PM software tools?

• Cant do hand-drawn Gantt, PERT etc.
• The study design does not mandate Gantt or PERT
  but they make sense.
• Could use Word to do a timeline, job list with
  people times attached.
• As long as they show understanding of key PM
  ideas...

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Key PM ideas

• Identifying and ordering tasks
• Timelines
• Resource requirements
• Milestones
• Contingency plans
• Dependencies
• Monitoring progress

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Excel

• Excel for Gantt?
• Dependency arrows with Autoshapes gt Elbow
  Connector.
• Milestones with Autoshapes gt Flowchart gt Decision
• Works, but fiddly
• Excel cant do PERT!

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Specialist PM tools are best

• MS Project or Visio. Free to govt schools.
• OpenProj by Projity
• free open-source desktop replacement of Microsoft
  Project.
• Opens existing MS Project files.
• Versions with Windows, Linux Mac
• sourceforge.net
• openproj.org

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The Database software

• Must be relational
• But a loophole in the study design says it must
  utilise a relational database

But it does not say that the database product
created by the student must be relational! But
dont risk it!
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Teaching Grandmother how to suck eggs

• Q. So, what IS a relational database?

A. A database with 2 or more related tables. A
flat file database has a single table and often
suffers from inefficient repetition of data.
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Flatfile
Relational
No unnecessary data repetition Department
info easily modified in one operation.
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Which Database software?

• Access?
• commonly found at home
• reasonably approachable
• free to schools under MS licensing
• lots of support online

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Database software?

• Filemaker?
• rarely at kids homes 30 day free trial
• very approachable especially for macros /
  scripting (compared to VBA!)
• on the Software 4 Schools program (cheaper, but
  not free about 99 per concurrent licence)
• relatively less (but more passionate and
  generous) support online

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Database software?

• Open Office?
• Free to everyone
• Open source
• Similar to Access
• Apparently not fully mature yet
• http//www.openoffice.org/

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Database software?

• MySQL?
• Free to everyone
• Open source
• Powerful, commonly used in the real world
• Less fluffy and friendly than Access/FMP

www.mysql.com
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But definitely NOT

• Microsoft Works Database
• Appleworks, Clarisworks
• Excel spreadsheet
• They are not relational!

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Access-centricity

• Exam cannot ask software-specific questions
• dB terms should be neutral
• But in reality, non-Access kids must be
  bilingual
• Query find
• Report layout
• Macro script
• Key fields
• etc

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Protocols, please!

• Refer to the software as database management
  system (DBMS)
• E.g. Access, Filemaker.
• Refer to the product created with the software as
  a database.
• E.g. student records, music collection.
• The study design on the whole follows this
  naming scheme, but not always.

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The task...Show them how

• Give examples of what you want them to do
• Work log (6 marks) 

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Force the issue

• The project management task needs mythical
  workers to allow concurrency and dependencies
• Task 1 Project management (20 marks)
•  
• 1.1 Gantt chart (14 marks) 1 period time
  limited.
• Assume there are TWO other (mythical) people
  working on this project with you, so some tasks
  can be done at the same time. Using an
  appropriate software tool, create a Gantt chart
  showing 
• - the tasks involved in producing the solution,
  and their durations
• - which team member(s) are working on each task
• - task dependencies
• - project milestones

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Be ruthlessly specific
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Take the time it needs

• Relationships are hard at their age.
• Start simply flat file.
• Dont rush it.
• It needs time.
• Plan for it!
• Build slowly real life examples
• Let them explore at their own pace
• Bowden Tutorials
• Centennial
• Big outcome! 2 weeks!

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Sources of tasks

• VITTA
• Commercial products (e.g. QATs)
• From the Edulists (www.edulists.com.au)
• Roll your own...

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Remember

• Your assessment is your responsibility in the
  end.
• Even if its sold to you or given to you by an IT
  guru.
• If you roll your own task...
• Follow the rules in the study design
• Heed the advice in the Assessment guide
• Be careful with marking criteria

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Local issues

• When creating / modifying assessment tasks,
  consider your local circumstances such as
• the gender, age and experience of the students
• your and your students special interests and
  abilities
• your schools IT facilities
• your students access to IT at home
• your students English language skills
• They can offer opportunities or impose
  constraints when crafting your assessment.

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Distinguished Students 1

• It is VITAL that your assessment task can clearly
  differentiate your students performance
• You must be able to rank students achievement
  from lowest to highest.
• If tasks do not allow superior students to shine,
  you will seriously disadvantage them when study
  scores are calculated.

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2007 ITA Exam Question A20
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Distinguished Students 2

• Include an analysis task that lets you easily
  distinguish between B students and A
  students.
• VCE assessment tasks are not intended to let
  every student achieve equal results
• They should accurately measure the ability of
  each student.

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Level of Difficulty

• It can be hard to tell how difficult to make a
  task
• One schools easy task may be another schools
  challenging task.

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Level of Difficulty

• Use the Assessment Advice CD so tasks are neither
  too easy nor too difficult.
• It tells you what level of performance is
  expected for a particular level of achievement.
• E.g. To get 7 marks students must apply
  validation rules
• To get over 2 marks, the database must use at
  least 3 different field types.

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Timelines

• 2008, term 1 is 8 weeks. Term 2 is 12.
• Take these factors, as well as report writing and
  exams into consideration when planning semester
  1.
• Beware of letting SACs get too close to the end
  of term 2 - dont get caught out by a GAT, exam
  period or camp you forgot

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A sample timeline

• The sample Unit 3 timetable below is a way of
  balancing theory and practice over 2 outcomes.
• The theory in the first 7 weeks includes material
  relevant to both outcomes.
• Details are on the VCAA VCE IT Implementation CD

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Databases In Context

• U1O2 Databases
• U3O1 Databases
• So kids who did Unit 1 in 2007 have database
  experience for Unit 3 in 2008.
• But not all doing ITA did U1
• Welcome to the mixed ability classroom challenge.

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Choose...

• Use the same RDBMS in year 11 (and earlier)?
• Unless you deliberately want to expose kids to
  basic concept across different platforms
• Which is not such a bad idea...

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Problem solving

• U3O1 needs to use all stages of the problem
  solving steps except for documentation
• Analyse the problem, plan the project
• Design the solution
• Develop the database
• Testing
• Implementation
• Evaluation

Dont get me started on the PSM vs the SDLC!
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Teaching Databases

• Start from scratch you have to!
• Lots of home study for some kids
• Build knowledge step by step.

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• Discuss what databases do (store, arrange,
  search, and report large quantities of data)
• Introduce fields and records. Use a
  spreadsheets rows and columns as a comparison.
• Introduce field types

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• Start with flat file database a list.
• Create a simple table that youll develop as you
  go.
• Start with name, address, date of birth, school,
  schools phone number. Create several records
  with the same school.
• Make common mistakes that you can correct as you
  introduce concepts, e.g. full name or full
  address in one field, phone number in a number
  field.

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• Then expose the prpblems how will they sort by
  surname? Create firstname and surname fields.
• How you can find people in the same suburb?
  Divide address into street/suburb/postcode.
• Stress the need to design fields in advance

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• Get kids to predict what would likely happen if
  you entered dates or states in any format.
• Introduce limited lists, drop-down lists, field
  formatting etc.
• Why enter a DOB instead of peoples ages?
  Introduce calculated/computed fields. Use kids
  existing knowledge of Excel formulas.
• Introduce security hierarchical access levels.

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• Point out the increasing duplication of data
  (e.g. repeated school phone numbers) in a single
  table.
• Ask kids to predict the consequence of a school
  changing its phone number.
• Demonstrate using two tables, one with student
  info and one with school info, and how to look up
  data.
• Most database concepts relate well to
  pen-and-paper equivalent processes.

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• Demonstrate how duplication is removed and school
  data can be easily modified once rather than
  dozens of times.
• Ease into terms like relationships, relational
  database, flatfile, normalisation, key
  field etc

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• Having covered data entry into tables, you can go
  on to introduce...
• Input forms / layouts
• Reports / layouts
• Queries / finds
• Sorting
• Validation rules
• Macros / scripts

Tip Want kids to use barcodes in their
output? Google for the Free 3 of 9 font
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They soon get it
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Then

• Kids will then be ready for structured activities
  with your chosen DBMS

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Commercial Support

• There are umpteen texts about Microsoft Access in
  bookshops and education publishers have
  truckloads of workbooks for students.
• Greg Bowden does some nice Access and Filemaker
  Pro PDF animated activities.
• Centennial Media have CD tutorials with screen
  movies and voiceovers. They include the latest
  versions of Access Filemaker.
• http//www.cmtraining.com.au

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Still Scared of Databases?

• Most schools have a resident database guru you
  can ask for help. Perhaps your reporting manager
  or timetabler.
• Theyll be grateful for the human contact. Not
  many people want to talk to database gurus ?

• The VITTA resources will soon be swollen with
  database tutorials and assessment tasks.
• Tune in to the ITA mailing list for ongoing
  questions, answers and contributions.
• Practise, practise, practise!

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Thanks
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Thanks
Mark Kelly McKinnon Secondary College McKinnon mai
lbox_at_vceit.com IT Lecture Notes vceit.com