COMPUTER SCIENCE

Our aim at De Aston School is to bring computing to the forefront of the curriculum in order to give all learners a solid understanding of the technologically focused world they are living in today. We have created a free flowing curriculum for our learners which develops and builds on skills, knowledge and understanding year on year right through from year 7 to year 13.

We believe that information is powerful and are committed to ensuring that our learners understand that the technologies that are used to access and manipulate information are not only used skilfully but also safely in an ever changing world of ever progressive technological possibilities.

 

Head of Department:

Mr J Atherton

 

 

 

 

 

Pen, pencil, ruler and rubber, it would be very useful for the learners to have some cheap headphones available so that if we are working with sound on the computers they can fully take part in the experiences in the class room.

 

The computing department is always there to assist learners to help them achieve their goals at the school even when their class is over. Therefore, we run computer clubs at lunchtimes and afterschool to enable them to complete homework, print out resources, study, research, revise or complete work for other subjects.

Ms Olsen also runs an animation club which is particularly popular with the lower school on a Thursday afterschool.

 

Blogger:

The department uses Blogger to share information and links for homework and revision currently with year 7 and 8.

http://deaston7.blogspot.co.uk/

http://deaston8.blogspot.co.uk/

Twitter: Follow us: @DeAstonComp_IT

Intranet:

In addition to these pages the computing department has an intranet web site for the learners to use which is accessible from within the school network but can also be accessed using the schools Remote Desktop portal available on this website. The intranet has information and links to all the course content for all the computing programmes of study right through from year 7 to 13.

 

The main topics they will study in years 7 & 8 will be:

  • Esafety – Understand how to stay safe online and organised when using computers systems.
  • Programming – Understanding programming concepts with Scratch, an introduction to textual programming languages with python, designing and creating algorithms and drawing with python.
  • Binary & Logic – Understanding the binary number system, converting between number systems and being able to complete basic mathematics using binary numbers.
  • Hardware & Software – Understand about the key components and peripherals of a computer system, how networks are used to connect computer systems and the role of software in computing.
  • Data Handling – Understanding how sensors are used in computing and develop data handling skills with spreadsheets and databases.

 

 

The units of study for the course are as follows:

  • Unit 1 - Computer Systems: Assessed with 2 exams. The unit focuses on: Computer hardware and software, memory and storage and environmental concerns.
  • Unit 2 - Computational thinking, algorithms and programming: Assessed with 2 exams. The unit focuses on: Computational logic, algorithms, programming techniques and Data representation.
  • Unit 3 - Programming Project: Project/coursework assessed. The unit focuses on: Planning a solution, developing a solution, testing a solution and Evaluating the success of the solution.

For further information about the course and the specification please visit:

Course Specification

 

Unit 1

  • Systems Architecture
  • Memory
  • Storage
  • Wired and wireless networks
  • Network topologies, protocols and layers
  • System security
  • System software
  • Ethical, legal, cultural and environmental concerns

Unit 2

  • Algorithms
  • Programming techniques
  • Producing robust programs
  • Computational logic
  • Translators and facilities of languages
  • Data representation

Unit 3

  • Programming techniques
  • Analysis
  • Design
  • Development
  • Testing and evaluation and conclusions

For further information about the course and the specification please visit:

Course Specification

 

The units of study for the Level 3 BTEC in Information Technology course are as follows:

  • Unit 1 – Information Technology Systems: Externally Assessed Exam at the end of year 13
  • Unit 2 – Creating Systems to Manage Information: Externally Assessed Coursework Task
  • Unit 3 – Using Social Media in Business: Internally Assessed Coursework Task
  • Unit 5 – Data Modelling or Unit 6 – Website Development: Internally Assessed Coursework Task

For further information about the course and the specification please visit:

Course Specification