YEAR 10 CT EXAMINATION AREAS TO BE TESTED

The following are some of the Examination Areas to be tested

Digital Activism Unit

• IT technologies used for activism
• How the technologies work or the way they have been used by stakeholders in past
• The impact of using those technologies
•  Concerns and issues resulting from using the technologies

Digital Entertainment Unit

• Review of some entertainment Information technologies tools in use
• Examine how the technologies work/function in particular sectors of entertainment
  
• The impact of using  information technologies in entertainment
  
• Issues resulting from using the information technologies in entertainment and solutions to some related problems

Online Business Unit (The case study material and research will be used in the examination)

• Review of some of the online business information technologies as stated in case study material and other researched information.
• Examine how the different technologies function as used in running an online businesses.
• The impact of using different information technologies in running an online business.
• Issues resulting from using the online business information technologies and solutions to some of the related problems

  N/B
-All the three sections will be tested
-The CT exam will be 1 hr 30 mins
-The following command terms will be used in each of the questions
            a) identify
            b) Describe
            c) Explain
            d) Evaluate

Critical Thinking
These trigger words in explain and Evaluate often signal critical thinking. The bold words are the key terms in the various criteria.
Identify / Define- Requires a brief response or just a list.
Describe- shows a technical process step by step, using an example is recommended 
Explanation - Because, as a result of, due to, therefore, consequently, for example
Evaluation - My opinion, overall, although, despite, on balance, on weighing up

Online Business : https vs http

 (20 Minutes)
a) Use the following links to get notes on :

http://www.instantssl.com/ssl-certificate-products/https.html

http://webdesign.about.com/od/ecommerce/a/aa070407.htm

• The differences between http and https
• How does SSL work
• Why Is a SSL Certificate Required?

Answer these questions in Pairs (15 minutes)

Answer the following question from the scenario below.
In the case study Carmen is creating an e-commerce website to sell her products. She is looking into getting either a HTTP or HTTPS site but does not know which one would be better for her type of site.
a) Explain why Carmen should use HTTPS for her website.

b) Describe the duties Carmen has as the owner of a HTTPS site and what she should do to ensure it is secure.

Online Business Unit

Read the article in the link below and make short summary notes in your exercise book. The article is more than 8 pages and it is titled , "How Creating an Online Business Works". 

http://money.howstuffworks.com/online-biz-do-it7.htm


Using the link following, make brief notes on the different examples of online businesses.
http://www.bizarnet.ro/web_design/modeleafaceri_en.asp

Proceed to click the topic that follow at the end of the page make notes summary.


Read the article following and discuss with a friend the issues raised.
http://thenextweb.com/entrepreneur/2011/05/25/the-9-types-of-online-business-models-which-one-do-you-use/

Attempt the activity in the link below
http://virtonomics.com/ 


Further Reading. Read the following articles
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/small-business-matters/san-francisco-retailer-builds-loyalty-through-digital-receipts/1396 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/click_online/8941048.stm

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/02/business/02stream.html?scp=1&sq=shopper%20who%20can%20t%20have%20secrets&st=cse&_r=0

 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15341910
 

Evalaute Stage: Digital Entertainment Unit

The product/solution should be evaluated against the design specification in an objective manner based on testing, and also evaluate its impact on life, society and/or the environment. Ensure you explain how the product/solution could be improved as a result of these evaluations.

Your own performance at each stage of the design cycle must be evaluated and suggest ways in which your performance could be improved.

Moderation feedback on Evaluate stage:

This criterion was covered well by most students, particularly self-evaluation at the different stages of the design cycle.  However, more detailed testing against specifications was required in a number of cases. Also, some students failed to suggest modifications to their product/solution in response to feedback from clients. Students should be encouraged to analyse the feedback they receive. 

What affected most student's achievement was a lack of appropriate product testing. Students generally limit this to obtaining feedback, yet this is not always directly linked to the design specifications. Appropriate testing methods should be described in the investigation stage, while evidence of success should be included in the evaluation. Students should the base an objective evaluation of the product on the results of testing. Feedback could be used more effectively when evaluating a product's impact.

Ensure that students respond to feedback from clients by suggesting modifications and improvements to their product/solution.

Assessment Criteria

Levels	Task Specific Descriptor
0	The student does not reach a standard described by any of the descriptors given below.
1-2	The student evaluates the product/solution or his or her own performance. The student makes some attempt to test the product/solution.
3-4	The student evaluates the product/solution and his or her own performance and suggests ways in which these could be improved. The student tests the product/solution to evaluate it against the design specification.
5-6	The student evaluates the success of the product/solution in an objective manner based on the results of testing, and the views of the intended users. The student provides an evaluation of his or her own performance at each stage of the design cycle and suggests improvements. The student provides an appropriate evaluation of the impact of the product/solution on life, society and/or the environment

 

Create Stage:Digital Entertainment Unit

You will start creating the product/ IT solution by following your Plan and taking into consideration the chosen design. The Created product should show
- Thorough competence in the use of IT tools
- Fully justified any modifications to the original design in Journal
- Original and outstanding solution with many IT techniques applied.

The process journal should be used frequently to document progress in this stage.This should be done at the end of each class and any time you have done some work at home or at school. Ideas in the journal could include:

Appropriate quality: Ensure that the best possible product / solution is produced, taking into account the resources available, the skills and techniques used. Also, show how the product/solution addresses the identified need.


Moderation report comments extract;

• The monitoring team felt that despite a lack of creativity in some of the products/solutions, students had worked conscientiously on this stage. 
• The comparatively strong students included detailed journals, mentioning problems they faced and how they overcame these problems. However, there was a lack of evidence to show what they had achieved during each of their ‘create’ sessions. Screen shots or photographs illustrating the progress being made could have achieved this.

• Ensure students document the create process with clips and photographs that illustrate their progress at significant stages. 

Levels	Task Specific Descriptor
0	The student does not reach a standard described by any of the descriptors given below.
1-2	The student considers the plan and creates at least part of a product/solution.
3-4	The student uses appropriate techniques and equipment. The student follows the plan and mentions any modifications made, resulting in a product/solution of good quality.
5-6	The student competently uses appropriate techniques and equipment. The student follows the plan and justifies any modifications made, resulting in a product/solution of appropriate quality using the resources available.

 

Plan Stage: Digital Entertainment

In this stage you will develop a detailed Plan that shows:

• A logical sequence of work that describes how each of the skills and techniques will be applied; describes the duration of time for each sequence and resources to be used
• logical steps to take that leads you to creating your chosen product 
• Justification of any modifications to the design
• An evaluation of the plan in terms of how realistic, logical, achievable the plan is.

A Gantt chart and the creation plan are recommended to be used.
The Gantt chart should be realistic, simple and very neat and in one page.
Creation Plan should give details of what skills/techniques will be used, what resources will be used and for what purpose, when they will be used and some evaluation of their use.

Note: Feedback on Plan stage from Moderation report

The plans were essentially well documented and provided a link between the final proposed design and the realization of the final product/solution. Most plans included logical sequential steps and timings. Students should be encouraged not only to list resources but also say how they may be used.

The evaluation of the plan is necessary for students to reach the higher-level descriptors. It is required to determine whether the plan is feasible or realistic, could be followed by others and has undergone any modifications since the design stage. 

Assessment Criteria

Levels	Task Specific Descriptor
0	The student does not reach a standard described by any of the descriptors given below.
1-2	The student produces a plan that contains some details of the steps and/or the resources required.
3-4	The student produces a plan that contains a number of logical steps that include resources and time. The student makes some attempt to evaluate the plan.
5-6	The student produces a plan that contains a number of detailed, logical steps that describe the use of resources and time. The student critically evaluates the plan and justifies any modifications to the design.

 

Design Stage: Digital Entertainment

In this stage you will generate several feasible designs for your product that meet the design specification and then evaluate each design against the design specification. After all the good quality designs have been generated, one design should selected, justify your choice and evaluate this in detail against the design specification.
The designs can be drawn on paper or designed using an appropriate software but submitted in hardcopy and softtcopy where possible.
Note below the feedback extract from the moderation report on Design Stage

The comparatively good students produced very clear and well-annotated design proposals. However, overall students did not show a wide range of ideas, which is necessary to reach the higher band levels. Again, ideas were mostly pencil drawings and may have been improved by including samples from various sources that could be used as part of their product/solution. 

At the design stage, students are encouraged to develop their initial drawings with clips or screen shots from sources that may visually enhance their ideas/solutions.

Levels	Task Specific Descriptor
0	The student does not reach a standard described by any of the descriptors given below.
1-2	The student generates one design, and makes some attempt to justify this against the design specification.
3-4	The student generates a few designs, justifying the choice of one design and fully evaluating this against the design specification.
5-6	The student generates a range of feasible designs, each evaluated against the design specification. The student justifies the chosen design and evaluates it fully and critically against the design specification.