Digital
Studies (KS3)
“Online life and offline life is just life”—Kate Robinson
We live in a society where the Computer is ubiquitous, a time where generations of children have never known a world without the Internet.
Digital tools impact on every aspect of our lives and we all must learn to thrive and embrace these tools and the new and exciting opportunities they allow, whilst understanding their power and impact on those around us.
In Digital Studies we explore a range of modules such as citizenship and eSafety, app development and the creation of Digital Media. Every module is a project, allowing students to understand the theoretical concepts as well as processes such as planning and design, before implementing these ideas into a final product. Each project will incorporate collaboration and problem solving, working to ensure students understand how products are created and evaluated in a modern world.
Whilst we want all students to create something they are proud of, in Digital Studies we focus on the repeatable processes, rather than an unrepeatable result. By understanding how to construct these products, and how it can apply to situations outside of the classroom, Digital Studies facilitates students in gaining skills they can use when they move on through the school, graduate to further education and go out into the wider world.
1st and 2nd Forms
In 1st and 2nd Form we consider the impact that the Digital world has on our lives and our place within it. Topics covered would include Digital Citizenship, creation of products using Digital Tools and the AWS GetIT competition.
3rd Form
In 3rd Form we consider how the media is used to represent groups and communicate a message to an audience before working collaboratively to transmit our own message to an audience. We then consider how robotics are used in the modern world to simplify our lives and solve problems that our generation faces. Finally we consider the impact the phone and web applications have on our lives and the process that we go through to develop applications.
The topics in 1st-3rd form are designed to prepare students for either the GCSE & A-Level in Computer Science or the BTEC Creative Digital Media.