Information Technology
Information Technology should be understood to mean the assembly, deployment, and configuration of digital systems to meet user needs.
Often we use the phrase Computer Science and Information Technology to indicate the union of the two.
The Nature of Information Technology is the application of computer systems and the use of pre-existing software to meet user needs. It is the assembly, deployment and configuration of digital systems to meet user needs for specific purposes.
Technology has evolved rapidly in recent years with the emergence of multimedia computers, the internet and worldwide web, mobile Computing and web 2.0 applications, and will continue to evolve in the future.
Information Technology and Digital Literacy are two very interconnected strands, to the point where it is often hard to choose the strand into which a unit might fit. As it encompasses a very large amount and variety of different technologies, it would be a sisyphean task to attempt to list all the different skills that would be possible to acquire and develop. In our Skills Progression Map, we have tried to include the basic learning units and the main skill outcomes for each unit.
Click here to find out more about the Information Technology units and skills progression at Lime Tree.
Main Elements
handling and communicating information,
designing and creating resources,
evaluating and sensing fitness for purpose,
being aware of the implications of the pervasive use of technology in society.
What IT Involves
Using software for storing and manipulating data (sorting, searching and reordering), file systems (naming, categorising and organising), and the effective application of databases and spreadsheets for particular tasks.
Creating and presenting information within a variety of contexts with a sense of audience, fitness for purpose and drafting and redrafting as key considerations.
Designing and configuring systems for others to use including spreadsheets, databases, web- based interfaces such as quizzes, forum, wiki and profile pages.
Project planning and management including the identification of need, writing specifications, designing and creating products, evaluating their effectiveness and so identifying the further development to meets the needs of the user.
Security, safety, and etiquette online, in particular when using email, forums, virtual worlds and social networks.
The social, economic, ethical, moral, legal and political issues raised by the pervasive use of technology in the home, at work and for leisure.