INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Grade 10 COURSE OUTLINE

Term 1

SECTION 1: COMPUTER FUNDAMENTALS (September - Mid October)

1. Explain the concept of Information Technology; Definition and scope of Information

Technology.

2. Distinguish among the major types of computer systems in terms of processing speed,
storage and portability;

3. Computer Components:

Explain the functions of the major hardware components of a computer system; Major
components: input, central processing unit, primary memory, secondary storage, output.

(a) Secondary storage devices: hard disk, magnetic tape, flash drive, memory card, and
optical disks (CD, DVD and BluRay).

(b) Units of storage: bits, bytes, kilobytes, megabytes, gigabytes, terabytes.

4. Explain how the major hardware components of a computer system interrelate; Input processing
output storage (IPOS) cycle.

5. Evaluate the relative merits of cloud storage and local storage; Definition of cloud and local
storage. Assessment criteria: capacity, cost, accessibility; security issues.

6. Select appropriate input/output devices to meet the needs of specified applications;

7. Software:

Explain the role of the different types of software in computer operation; System Software:
Operating System, Utilities. Application software: general-purpose and special-purpose; integrated
package; source: off the shelf, custom-written, and customized.

8. User Interfaces:

Discuss the relative merits of the various types of user interface; Hardware: touch screens,
specialized keyboards. Software: command line, menu-driven, graphical user, touch.

9. System Specification:

Evaluate the suitability of a given computer system for a specific purpose; Basic knowledge of
system specification needed for purposes such as: to run a video game, web browsing, graphic
design, video editing, and desktop publishing. Criteria: (a) Processing speed (CPU type and speed);
(b) Memory (RAM); (c) Secondary storage (capacity and speed); (d) Types of software; and, (e)
Input/Output devices.

10. Trouble Shooting:Troubleshoot basic computer hardware problems; Cable problems (for
example, loose cables). Monitor problems (for example, improperly adjusted monitor controls).
Printer problems (for example, changing printer cartridges). Battery problems (for example, loose
or dead battery).

INFORMATION PROCESSING FUNDAMENTALS (Mid- October to end of October)

11. Distinguish between data and information; Data as raw unprocessed facts; information as
processed data.

Sources of data and information (people, places and things).

Document types: turnaround document, human-readable and machine-readable forms;

hard copy, and soft copy.

12. Evaluate the reliability of information obtained from online sources; Evaluation of information
retrieved electronically for authenticity, currency, relevance, and bias.

13. Differentiate between validation and verification of data; Difference between validation and
verification.

14. Identify appropriate validation and verification checks given a particular scenario; and, Methods
of validation: range check, reasonableness checks, data type checks, consistency checks, presence,
format and length. Methods of verification: double entry and proofreading (to identify and correct
typographical and transpositional errors).

15. Select appropriate file organization for particular application. File access methods: sequential,
serial, direct and random. Application areas: archiving, payroll file, real time systems.

SECTION 2: COMPUTER NETWORKS AND WEB TECHNOLOGIES (November)

1. distinguish among types of networks; Types of networks (local area network, metropolitan area
network, wide area network, mobile network). (a) Concept of mobile network as radiobased
common carrier. (b) Overview of mobile networks: from 2G to current. (Knowledge of the inner
workings of mobile systems is NOT required) Wireless network technologies (for example,
Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, hotspot). Level of privacy (intranet, extranet, Internet).

2. explain the functions of the basic components of a network; Basic components and functions: (a)
Transmission media: (i) Wired: twisted pair, coaxial, fibre; and, (ii) Wireless: infrared, microwave,
satellite. (b) Switch, router, modem. (c) Network interface card/network adapter.

3. assess the importance of mobile communication technologies as a component of modern

communication networks; and, Suitability of mobile networks to various applications (for example,
education, commerce, and journalism).

4. explain the interrelationship among key Web technology concepts. World Wide Web. Hypertext
Markup Language. Hypertext Transfer Protocol. Hyperlinks. Web Server. Web Page. File Transfer
Protocol. Web Browser. Uniform Resource Locator. Upload and download. Email

Term 2

SECTION 3: SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC IMPACT OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS

TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

1. outline the concepts of computer security, cybersecurity and computer misuse; Computer
security and cybersecurity as related to the assessment and minimization of risk. – Elements:
vulnerability, threat, attack, countermeasure. Computer misuse by individuals and
groups/organizations.

2. assess the potential impact of computer systems misuse based on the main entities impacted;
Misuse: (a) Cyberbullying, copyright infringement, data theft, denial of service attacks, transmission
of viruses and malware, identity theft, online publication of obscene materials, phishing attacks,
software and music piracy, financial abuses, violation of privacy, propaganda, electronic
eavesdropping, industrial espionage; and, (b) Entity impacted: individual, organization,
government.

3. describe suitable countermeasures to mitigate effects of identified threats; Physical measures:

backup and recovery procedures; hardware firewall, intrusion detection systems, biometrics.
Software measures: effective passwords and authentication systems, encryption of data, firewall,
biometrics, antivirus and malware detection. Personal Security practices. Some practices include: -
verifying authenticity of email from companies or individuals, assessing website URLs for
authenticity, limiting access to open Wi-Fi networks, securing mobile devices, protection in an
online environment (for example, social media). IMPACT ON JOB SKILLS AND CAREERS Students
should be able to:

4. assess the effect of automation on job security; Job loss vs productivity gains in skilled and
unskilled job categories.

5. describe the roles of various personnel in computer-related professions; and, Network Engineer,
Computer Programmer, Computer Support Specialist, Computer Systems Analyst, Administrators
(Network, Systems and Database), Software Developer, Web Developer, Social Media Specialist.

6. assess the impact of information and communications technology on select fields. Economic
implications of ICT on Education, Medicine, Business, Law Enforcement and Recreation. For
example: (a) Impact on Education in terms of: access to information, reach (distance teaching),
collaborative teaching and learning, plagiarism; online tutoring. (b) Impact on Medicine in terms of:
access to information (for both medical personnel and patients), telemedicine, eHealth (online
access to health services), implications for the quality of healthcare, increase in self-diagnosis, easy
access to medical expertise in distant location (for example, teleradiology). (c) Impact on Business
in terms of: E-commerce, Electronic Point of Sale (EPOS), telecommuting Email. (d) Impact on Law
Enforcement in terms of: E-surveillance, finger printing, Biometrics. (e) Impact on Recreation in
terms of: Music and gaming.
 SECTION 4: WORD-PROCESSING AND WEB PAGE DESIGN GENERAL OBJECTIVES

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES CONTENT WORD-PROCESSING Students should be able to:

1. create a document using content from a range of sources; Importing text (combining documents).
Typewritten text, images and other objects.

2. use appropriate document formatting features; Formatting features: font types and sizes, colour,
underline, bold, italics, superscript and subscript, tab stops, bullets and numbering, line spacing,
justification (left, right, centre, full), highlight, uppercase, word wrap, page size, margins, page and
section breaks, page numbers, headers, footers, footnotes and endnotes.

3. Use appropriate editing features to structure and organize a document; Drag and drop editing:
perform block operations on selected areas of text within a document. Use search and replace
functions appropriately to edit a document. Use of tables, table styles, shading, borders, row and
column insertion, split cells, split tables, text direction and cell margins, cell size. Use of columns
(one, two, three, left and right columns, column breaks).

4. Use the review feature of a word processor to enhance document readiness; Spell and grammar
check, thesaurus, word count, language setting, comments, and track changes.

5. Appropriately use features that allow the protection of a document; Automatic save and backup
copy, edit restrictions – password protection.

6. Generate table of contents for a document; Auto table of content.

7. Use mail merge feature in the preparation of a document for a variety of situations; Creation of
primary documents and data files in mail merge application. Field names.

8. create a fillable electronic form for online use; Use of content controls, such as check boxes, text
boxes, date picker, drop-down lists, and command buttons. WEB PAGE DESIGN This section
provides students with hands-on experience in the use of web design tools to create a simple
website. Students should be able to:

9. Plan a website structure and organization of page; Reasons for the website. The intended
audience. Number of web pages desired (no more than 3 pages). Content of each page. Layout of the
web page.

10. Create simple web pages using a variety of design features; (The use of HTML coding is not
required.) Choosing an appropriate design for a page. Inserting and deleting text and graphics.
Wrap text with image. Create home page with hyperlinks.

11. Insert hyperlinks within different locations of a typical web page; and, Link to another web
page. Link to a location within the web page. Link to an email address. Link to user-created files.

12. Evaluate a website for accuracy, user friendliness and effective display. Considerations for
publishing a website: Verify that all the hyperlinks work correctly. Use a test audience. Verify that
all content is up-to-date.

SECTION 5: SPREADSHEETS

1. explain the purpose of a spreadsheet; Purpose of a spreadsheet: a spreadsheet is a table

consisting of cells (columns, row locations) that hold accounting or financial data and simulates the
traditional spreadsheet. It captures displays and manipulates data.

2. use appropriate terminologies and notions commonly associated with spreadsheets; Common
features: workbook, worksheet, column, row, cell (cell address, range, label, value), formula,
function.

3. use basic pre-defined systems functions; Including sum, average, date, max, min, count, counta,
countif, vlookup, pmt, if.

4. create advanced arithmetic formulae; Formulae including addition, subtraction, multiplication,

division, and use of brackets.

5. replicate (copy) formulae into other cells; Relative addressing, absolute addressing, naming of
ranges. Effect of move, copy, delete operations on formulae.

6. manipulate columns and rows; Insert, delete and modify columns and rows.

7. manipulate data in a spreadsheet; Numeric Data formatting (currency, accounting, percentage,

comma, decimal places). Sorting data (primary field, secondary field, ascending vs descending
order). Filtering data (multiple criteria, complex criterion). Pivot Table (create one and two
dimensional pivot tables, create frequency distribution from data and create pivot chart)
8. perform charting operations; and, Select appropriate chart types: Column charts, Bar charts, line
graphs, pie charts. Labelling charts: graph titles, labels on axes, data labels.

9. Manipulate one or more worksheets. Use of one or more worksheets to solve problems involving
some of or all of the functions and operations listed above. Linking of two or more worksheets to
solve problems. Suggested Teaching and Learning Activities To facilitate students’ attainment of the
objectives of this Section, teachers/

GRADE 11

SECTION 6: DATABASE MANAGEMENT OBJECTIVES

1. explain the concept of a database; Definition of database: (a) repository of information; and, (b)
collection of tables that are related to each other. Purpose of database.

2. use terminology commonly associated with a database; Database terminology: table, row
(record), column (field), primary key, secondary key, candidate key, foreign key. Data types:
numeric; text; logical; date /time; currency.

3. create a database; and, Table structure with at least three data types and populated with at least
25 records. Modify a table structure: adding new fields, deleting fields, changing field definitions.
Establish primary keys. Establish relationships: show the joins between tables (one-to-one and one-
to-many).

4. manipulate data in a database. (a) Forms: (i) Use of form wizard only; (ii) select suitable fields;
and, (iii) use of sub-form. (b) Queries: (i) more than one criterion; (ii) use of select; (iii) use of
calculated field; and, (iv) two or more fields involving the use of relational and logical operators. (c)
Reports: (i) use of report wizard; (ii) use of sorting, grouping, statistical and summary features, for
example, count, sum, and average; (iii) report generated to screen, printer and file; and, (iv)
renaming of report title.

SECTION 7: PROBLEM-SOLVING AND PROGRAM DESIGN

1. outline the steps in problem-solving; Steps in problem-solving: (a) define the problem; (b)
propose and evaluate solutions; (c) determine the most efficient solution; (d) develop the
algorithm; and, (e) test and validate the solution.

2. use the divide-and-conquer approach to decompose large everyday problems into smaller tasks;
Basic treatment of the structured approach for solving complex problems. Note: It is not necessary
to give a detailed treatment of the approach. Simple illustrations can be provided to help students
recognize that most problems involve multiple tasks and that they should understand how to
approach such problems in a structured manner.

3. define a problem by decomposing it into its significant components; The components are: input;
process; and output. A defining diagram (IPO Chart) may be used to delineate the components.

4. distinguish between variables and constants; Variables as an area of storage whose value can
change during processing; the value of a constant never changes. Data types: integers, floating point
(real), characters, Boolean, string.

5. explain the concept of algorithms; Definition of algorithms. Characteristics: finite number of

steps, precise, unambiguous, flow of control from one process to another, terminate.

6. represent algorithms in the form of flowchart and pseudocode; and, Use of flowchart symbols:
input/output, process, decision, directional arrows, start/stop. Pseudocode – Use of read, input,
store, write, print, output, display, conditional branching (if-then, if-then-else, nested conditions);
loops (for, while, repeat). Use of relational operators: , =, <=, > =,< >. Logical operators: AND, OR,
NOT; use of truth tables. Arithmetic operators: +‚ –‚ *, /, MOD, DIV. 7. test algorithms for
correctness. Desk checks/dry run: construction and use of trace tables to verify results. Trace tables
consist of variable names (identifiers) as column headings and values in the cells, one row for each
pass.

 SECTION 8: PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES CONTENT Students should be able to:

1. Distinguish between low-level and highlevel programming languages; Low-level language

(Machine or Assembly). High-level language (For example, Visual Basic, Pascal, C).
2. Describe the sequence of steps in implementing a program; Steps in implementing a program: (a)
create source code; (b) translate and/or link (on some systems this step is transparent to users); (c)
execute/run program; and, (d) maintain program.

3. Perform checks and tests on programs to verify correctness; Errors: syntax, logic, runtime.
Testing (test data). Debugging techniques.

4. Declare variables and constants using elementary data types; Data types: integer,
real/double/float, character, string and Boolean/logical.

5. Translate algorithmic statements into high-level language syntax; and, Assignment statements;
input/output operations using standard input/output (reading data entered via keyboard,
displaying data on monitor). Syntax for arithmetic, logic and relational operators. Syntax for
conditional branching (for example, if-then, if-then-else, nested if-thenelse or case). Syntax for
Iteration (Loops): for, while, repeat.

6. Effectively document programs. Importance of documentation. Features of internal

documentation (use of mnemonic, variable names, use of comments, indentation, effective use of
white space). Features of external documentation (user manual).

 I am recommending that you do sections 1 - 4 and either section 5 or 6 at grade 10

(depending on whether the SBA demands that they learn spreadsheet first or
database first).
 Start your SBA at grade 10, the first morning of class in September.
 To cut down on the time needed to cover sections 1 - 3, give most of it as projects
and presentations, because the students do not need in-depth teaching since most of
the content would have already been taught before between grades 7 - 9.
 Spend most of the time teaching the new content in the SBA, especially web page
design and Information Processing.
 Ensure that all that is left for Grade 11 is the programming and the Database or
Spreadsheet (Section 5 or 6, 7 and 8); otherwise you will be in serious trouble
(LOL).
 Finish teaching by the end of December in Grade 11; use the second term for past
paper practice and completion of SBAs.