start_to_finish: teacher at a blackboard (Default)
A primary teacher ([personal profile] start_to_finish) wrote2009-05-11 08:41 pm
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Curriculumn rewrite

OK, so this is a prime example of why it is that I want to completely re-write the ICT curriculum. What the hell! Basically, if you want to talk about representing data graphically, pictograms are one of the most fiddly things to generate using ICT resources. Also, they've only just started getting the idea of representing data graphically anyway. I'm not at all convinced they're ready to take that to another level - you could get them to generate a pictogram over a couple of lessons, I doubt you can make one in ICT. Frankly you'd be much better off postponing the module until Year 4 and then teaching them to use Excel to make graphs. In the mean time we can do the Year 6 creating hyperlinks module!

ETA OK, so there is software which has been (as far as I can tell) specifically written for this module - RM Starting Graph. Which is fine, and means that you can produce a pictogram but what they get out of it is (a) what pictograms are and how they work, which is good, but it's Maths and (b) how to use RM Starting Graph, which is not a transferable skill and a total waste of their time - I stand my my plan to do it in Year 4 and teach spreadsheets to do it with.

[identity profile] alexthai.livejournal.com 2009-05-11 07:52 pm (UTC)(link)
Interesting!

[identity profile] timscience.livejournal.com 2009-05-11 09:39 pm (UTC)(link)
If you still have to do it there are some online resources which seem to be designed for use with this module. Basically drag-and-drop build a pictogram stuff.

http://gwydir.demon.co.uk/jo/numbers/pictogram/info.htm

I have no idea if this is useful information, supremely insulting to ur l33t IT skillz, or not what you wanted at all. But it's there anyway.

dani_the_girl: (Default)

[personal profile] dani_the_girl 2009-05-12 07:14 am (UTC)(link)
Times out for me on the school network, unfortunately :(