Digital Technologies NCEA NZC Level 1 Course Outline 2

Guide to aid teacher planning — designed to be printed or viewed in A3, Landscape.

Purpose
This example Course Outline has been provided to support teachers to understand how the new subject Learning Matrix and NCEA Achievement Standards might be used to create a year-long programme of
learning.

Duration
Significant Learning Learning Activities and Assessment Opportunities
Total of 32 weeks
Prioritise user experience in Usability and mātāpono Māori
design — practise manaakitanga by To focus the learning, this topic will explore the user interface of some common smartphone apps. 3 weeks
applying relevant design Explore elements of usability such as consistency, human response time, short term memory, spatial memory, and patience.
principles, mātāpono Māori, and
usability principles Explore how mātāpono Māori has been considered, if at all, in the interface design.

Understand that digital technologies Explore usability heuristics, using Jakob Neilsen’s “10 Usability Heuristics for User Interface Design”. Identify some positive and negative examples of
and the concepts that underpin them the heuristics in selected smartphone apps.
are influenced by the people that create
them and the contexts in which they are In order to evaluate usability of a human-computer interface, it is useful to identify or design tasks for a user to attempt. Explore tasks that might help
developed to identify usability issues in selected smartphone apps.

Understand that digital technologies Carry out user tests using chosen tasks to identify usability issues in multiple interfaces using the think-aloud protocol. Classify usability issues
and the concepts that underpin them against Neilsen’s heuristics. Practise evaluating interfaces in terms of mātāpono Māori and suggest improvements. Use the results of the user tests
have an impact on people, societies, to evaluate and suggest improvements to the given interface by comparing and contrasting the evaluated interfaces.
and cultures
Learning covered supports development of skills and knowledge towards AS 92006 (1.3) Demonstrate understanding of usability in human-computer
Be aware of relevant occupational interfaces.
safety and health practices

Understand the nature of computation Game Programming

and apply appropriate reasoning about Through a range of learning activities, learners learn about: 10 weeks
the behaviour of basic programs ● input and output
● constants, variables, and data types
Apply basic computational thinking skills ● conditional statements
(decomposition, abstraction, pattern ● Boolean logic
recognition, algorithms, logic, and ● loops
evaluation) to write and debug ● collections.
computer programs
Class activities help learners learn to decompose problems into discrete parts, and to design algorithms using different methods of representation
Understand that the cost (or such as flowcharts or pseudocode.
computational complexity) can differ
between two iterative algorithms for the Explore what makes a good game (rules, challenging, difficulty levels, mastery, a story).
same problem size
Learners design and develop a series of increasingly complex games. They document their code with comments, follow programming ‘best practice’
Demonstrate learner agency and

Course Outlines up to date as at 22/12/2023. Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga cannot guarantee status or content of linked pages beyond this date.
 persevere when things fail which may be specific to their chosen programming language.

Anticipate and find solutions to Learners follow an organised testing process and document that they have tested their program works on a range of inputs and conditions relevant to
problems their program.

Be aware of relevant occupational Learning covered supports development of skills and knowledge toward AS 92004 (1.1) Create a computer program.
safety and health practices

Follow a technological process to Introduction to Animation

design, develop, and document digital Overview and history of animation. 3 weeks
outcomes
Review examples of animation in the world around us.
Use appropriate standards and
conventions for digital technologies Relevant context — comparing two types of animation with similar messages, for example, two different advertising animations using different
domains techniques.

Apply appropriate tools and use Students will learn basic techniques in animation:
information from testing to improve the ● drawing (brushes, stroke weight, smoothing, colour)
quality of digital technologies outcomes ● shapes
● layers
Understand how compression enables ● text
widely used technologies to function ● transformation
● keyframes, motion, and shape tweens.

Learners will be given a series of increasingly complex animations to recreate — each one introducing a new basic technique from the list above.

Understand that digital technologies Te Tukanga Hoahoa Whakaaro

and the concepts that underpin them Explore Te Tukanga Hoahoa Whakaaro. 1 week
are influenced by the people that create
them and the contexts in which they are Te Tukanga Hoahoa Whakaaro is a design thinking process that was introduced in the Kia Takatū ā-Matihiko | Digital Readiness programme in 2017.
developed The resources from this three-year initiative have been taken offline now, but an Internet search can uncover video and infographics explaining the
process. It is a design thinking concept that is grounded in a te ao Māori worldview and uses the creation story of Ranginui and Papatūānuku and the
Follow a technological process to innovative efforts of their children in their attempts to separate their parents as an analogy for a creative process.
design, develop, and document digital
outcomes There are six stages in the process:
1. Te Pō | Empathise and Define
Work collaboratively and engage in 2. Te Wehenga | Ideate
talanoa, wānanga, and kōrero to share 3. Te Ao Mārama | Prototype
perspectives and values 4. Te Whakaata | Reflect
5. Te Ao Tangata | Test
Recognise that new and innovative 6. Te Whakaahua | Iterate
solutions to existing problems are
developed through kotahitanga, and Students compare this with the Design Thinking Bootleg from the Institute of Design at Stanford.
creative and critical thinking
Students explore other design processes to find similarities and differences (cyclical vs linear, for example) to understand that there is no ‘one’ design

Course Outlines up to date as at 22/12/2023. Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga cannot guarantee status or content of linked pages beyond this date.
 thinking process.

Investigate and consider possible digital Animation Design

solutions for authentic contexts or Reinforce the idea of animation as a tool to communicate a message. 6 weeks
issues
Exploration of manaakitanga and kaitiakitanga as lenses that can be used when thinking about creating something for people to use.
Follow a technological process to
design, develop, and document digital Overview of the technological design process (scoping a project, relevant implications, designing and refining ideas, communication, and evaluation
outcomes of design).

Prioritise user experience in design — Exploration of design tools (story boards, etc).
practise manaakitanga by applying
relevant design principles, mātāpono Te Pō
Māori, and usability principles Identify and research a group or club within the school who could benefit from an animation, develop a short proposal:
● Brainstorm groups/clubs.
Apply appropriate tools and use ● Research the chosen club and their needs (for wanting the animation).
information from testing to improve the ● Consider how the design will impact manaakitanga and kaitiakitanga.
quality of digital technologies outcomes ● Students identify and describe the need or opportunity, potential users of the animation, and basic requirements of the animation.

Recognise that new and innovative Te Wehenga | Te Ao Mārama

solutions to existing problems are Design ideas:
developed through kotahitanga, and ● Generate a wide range of design ideas. These might include elements of the overall animation design such as storyboards and character
creative and critical thinking sketches.
● Use research into the chosen group to inform design ideas.
Understand how digital technologies ● Use feedback to refine ideas to develop into a concept.
impact on end users by considering the
following mātāpono Māori: kotahitanga, Te Whakaata | Te Ao Tangata | Te Whakaahua
whanaungatanga, manaakitanga, Develop design through reflecting on te ao Māori concepts, integrating evidence from testing ideas (possibly through prototyping):
wairuatanga, kaitiakitanga, and tikanga ● Describe how manaakitanga or kaitiakitanga are reflected in the designs.
● Develop the concept using feedback and user perspectives.
Anticipate and find solutions to ● Apply design principles to improve the design.
problems. Final design:
● Reflect on how the proposed outcome addresses the purpose and meets the requirements of the club/group (fitness for purpose).
Evaluate the fitness for purpose of ● Reflect on how te ao Māori concepts (manaakitanga, kaitiakitanga) contribute to fitness for purpose.
digital technologies outcomes by
considering manaakitanga, Learning covered will provide opportunities to collect evidence towards AS 92007 (1.4) Design a digital technologies outcome.
kaitiakitanga, and the outcomes’ social
and physical environments
Follow a technological process to Animation Development
design, develop, and document digital Building on the learning earlier in the year, students will follow a technological process to develop an animation. 7 weeks
outcomes
Students learn about managing timeframes and about effective feedback and testing strategies.
Use appropriate standards and Based on their design, learners will now develop the animation they have designed. They might:
conventions for digital technologies ● describe the purpose, specifications, and user requirements for the animation
domains ● break the animation into components and use an iterative process to develop their animation

Course Outlines up to date as at 22/12/2023. Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga cannot guarantee status or content of linked pages beyond this date.
 ● use a range of basic animation techniques in appropriate software
Apply appropriate tools and use ● consider usability and design principles in their development
information from testing to improve the ● consider te ao Māori concepts when developing their animation
quality of digital technologies outcomes ● test their animation to see that it works
● trial their animation with end users and use feedback to improve their animation and to ensure fitness for purpose against the original
Understand that digital devices can specifications and user requirements
collect, store, and share data, and ● export their completed animation using appropriate parameters for file type, compression, etc.
consider the related ethical issues
Learning covered supports development of skills and knowledge toward AS 92005 (1.2) Develop a digital technologies outcome.
Work collaboratively and engage in
talanoa, korero, and wānanga to share
perspectives and values

Use appropriate strategies to manage

time and resources for completing a
project

Evaluate the fitness for purpose of

digital technologies outcomes by
considering manaakitanga,
kaitiakitanga, and the outcomes’ social
and physical environments

Prioritise user experience in Usability and mātāpono Māori

design — practise manaakitanga by ● Return to learning and experience from across the year in the application of usability heuristics/mātāpono Māori in preparation for the external 2 weeks
applying relevant design assessment task.
principles, mātāpono Māori, and ● Generate screenshots (as allowed) of an interface they have reviewed to take into assessment.
usability principles
Learning covered supports development of skills and knowledge towards AS 92006 (1.3) Demonstrate understanding of usability in human-computer
Understand that digital technologies interfaces.
and the concepts that underpin them
are influenced by the people that create
them and the contexts in which they are
developed

Understand that digital technologies

and the concepts that underpin them
have an impact on people, societies,
and cultures
Be aware of relevant occupational
safety and health practices

Course Outlines up to date as at 22/12/2023. Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga cannot guarantee status or content of linked pages beyond this date.