Course Profile Introduction to Information Technology in Business, Grade 9 or 10 open, Public

Course Overview

Course Profiles are professional development materials designed to help teachers implement the new Grade 9 secondary school curriculum. These materials were created by writing partnerships of school boards and subject associations. The development of these resources was funded by the Ontario Ministry of Education. This document reflects the views of the developers and not necessarily those of the Ministry. Permission is given to reproduce these materials for any purpose except profit. Teachers are also encouraged to amend, revise, edit, cut, paste, and otherwise adapt this material for educational purposes.

Any references in this document to particular commercial resources, learning materials, equipment, or technology reflect only the opinions of the writers of this sample Course Profile, and do not reflect any official endorsement by the Ministry of Education or by the Partnership of School Boards that supported the production of the document

Acknowledgements

Writing Partnership Lead Board: Toronto District School Board

Course Profile Writing Team: Laura Pinto, Toronto District School Board

Avanell Scherer, Hamilton (Writing Team Leader)

Sharon Stephanian, Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board

Internal Reviewers: Cheryl Ende, Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (ESL)

Sheila Harrington, Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (Special Education)

Project Team Co-ordinator: Madeline Dennis, Toronto District School Board

Identifying Information

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Course Type: Open

Ministry Course Code: BTT

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Description/Rationale

This course introduces students to the use of information technology in the business environment. Students will learn how to use information technology in a work environment, perform electronic research, communicate electronically, and use common business software. They will also explore possible future occupations in information technology. This course will prepare students for a world of business and communication that relies increasingly on electronic technology, an area also undergoing continuous change. Students will be able to transfer the skills and understanding acquired in this course to activities in other courses and outside of the classroom. They will establish a foundation for using information technology throughout secondary school, and will develop the ability to apply new technologies in their search for employment. A broad understanding of the effects of technology on business will also be developed. Through a variety of activities, students will have opportunities to develop interpersonal skills, to interact with people from the business community and organizations within the school, and to develop a personal portfolio of information technology skills and competencies.

Unit Titles (in sequence)

The units address multiple strands and expectations from across the course. This is to encourage students to transfer the skills to different situations, and to develop confidence in using the skills in an integrated manner outside the classroom. Unit 1 provides a basic understanding of equipment and the environment which is an essential reference point upon which to build. Unit 2 introduces the software that will be used throughout the course. Therefore, it is recommended that Units 1 and 2 be introduced early in the course to ensure that students develop the required groundwork knowledge and software application skills. One of the first things a teacher may want to do is assess the students= skills and competencies in word processing, databases, and Internet search engines to determine how much of Unit 2, Activity 1, Parts A, and C, and Activity 2 need to be focussed on early in the course. In order to complete Unit 1, students need to have only basic skills and competencies in word processing, databases, and Internet search engines.

Since the units have been designed so an integrated approach to the learning of information technology takes place, each unit will require the teaching of expectations from several strands within the course. For example, in Unit 1, students will begin to develop a Reference Manual of Information Technology Terminology (IMV.01, IM1.01-.03, Unit 1, Activity1, Part A) using a database. Consequently, it is suggested that the teacher begin by assessing students= database skills. If, for example, the teacher finds that the majority of students do not have basic database competencies, the teacher will begin by teaching what a database is and how it works (SAV.02-.03, SA2.01-.03, Unit 2, Activity 1, Part C), and then have students apply these skills to create a database for their terminology manual. A second example of integration of expectations from one strand to another is the development of information technology skills and competencies. For each activity that students complete, they are required to reflect on the information technology skills and competencies (COV.02, CO2.01-.05, Unit 5, Activity 3) they have developed, and keep a record of these for their portfolios. A third example involves the placement of legal/ethical issues (ECV.03, EC3.04-.05, ERV.03, ER3.01, ER3.04) and ergonomics (IMV.03, IM3.01-.05) in Unit 1. Although students will continue to investigate legal and ethical issues in Units 3 and 4, they will be using the Internet much sooner and must understand about copyright, etc. This integrated approach allows students the opportunity to practise and refine their information technology skills as they apply those skills to new and real situations. In addition, ongoing activities that apply to every activity have been designed to take place on a regular basis.

Units 3 and 4 may be taught at any point in the course as complete units or in parts. Students learn best when the work they are doing has real-life applications. Therefore, teachers may want to teach parts of these units where they best fit. Note: Unit 3, Activities 3 and 4 should be taught consecutively.

Unit 5 has been placed last because students will be assessing and compiling their work from the whole course for their portfolios. However, Unit 5, Activity 3 begins during the first week of the course and continues throughout because students need to assess their information technology skills and competencies on a regular basis. Unit 5, Activity 1 should also begin early and be repeated on a continuous basis. It is designed in such a way that it can easily be used as a warm-up activity once a week for a 10-week period.

Unit	Unit Title	Activity Title	Approximate Time
1	Information Technology Groundwork	$ Information Technology Reference Manual and Infrastructure $ Exploring Legal and Ethical Issues in Technology $ The Ergonomically Correct Workplace $ Navigating Through the Desktop	8 hours 3 hours 2 hours 8 hours
2	The Power of Application Software in Business	$ Determining Software Competencies Through Readiness Exercises $ The Internet Information Hunt $ Unlocking the Mysteries of Desktop Publishing $ Using Information Technology to Plan an Upcoming Event	12 hours 3 hours 4 hours 8 hours
3	E-communication: Presenting with Purpose and Pizzazz	$ Making the Most of an Electronic Presentation $ Does E-mail Need A Stamp? $ Investigating Electronic Communication $ Dazzle Your Audience	8 hours 4 hours 4 hours 8 hours
4	Gathering and Assessing Information Using Electronic Media	$ Techniques for Powerful Research Using Electronic Tools $ Caveat Lector a.k.a. Let the Reader Beware $ Internet Connections and Computer Viruses $ Shrinking the World: Cultures and Customs on the WWW	6 hours 6 hours 2 hours 6 hours
5	Careers in Information Technology	$ Information Technology Careers Scrapbook $ A Pathway to Jobs on the Internet $ My Personal Portfolio (ongoing) $ Investigating Information Technology Programs in Your School	4 hours 3 hours 8 hours 3 hours

Time: 110 hours

Unit Descriptions

Unit 1: Students will create an electronic information technology reference manual of terms, and explain the key infrastructures related to information technology. Through investigation, students will develop an understanding of key information technology infrastructures, explore legal and ethical issues related to technology, understand the importance of ergonomics, navigate through the desktop, and have their data entry skills assessed. Students= overall performance for this unit will be evaluated using the Unit 1 Assessment Rubric.

Unit 2: Students will enhance and/or develop their basic software application skills using specific application software, investigate web-page design software and Internet search engines, and assess their data entry skills on an ongoing basis. Each student will track his/her development using Software Competencies Checklists. Document production will focus on the creation of correctly-formatted business documents in a culminating project that will require students to plan, make decisions, and create documents integrating the software applications. Documents created will be stored in files and folders that are logical and useful. Students= overall performance for this unit will be evaluated using the Unit 2 Assessment Rubric.

Unit 3: Students will complete readiness and remedial exercises and use electronic tools to enhance and/or develop their communication skills, develop an understanding of what e-mail is and how it works, investigate a variety of topics related to electronic communication, and apply their new, electronic-communication skills to create an electronic presentation. Students= overall performance for this unit will be evaluated using the Electronic Presentation Rubric (Unit 3, Appendix B).

Unit 4: Students will enhance and/or develop their ability to gather information from a variety of electronic sources; develop evaluation criteria to evaluate the electronic information gathered with respect to validity, bias, usefulness, confidentiality, and the degree to which it is up to date; develop an understanding of Internet connections; investigate dangers that are associated with transmission of information; apply research and critical thinking skills developed in researching the business and communication etiquette of a designated culture; and apply their research findings to a variety of formats to be shared with classmates. Students= overall performance of this unit will be evaluated using the Unit 4 Assessment Rubric.

Unit 5: Students will assemble a scrapbook consisting of different information technology job advertisements, use the Internet to access a variety of web sites related to locating job advertisements, use appropriate software to produce a desktop-published document that will provide Internet advice for the Ajob hunter,@ explore the information technology options in their school, and revise their information technology growth plans based on this newly-acquired information. Using copies of the exemplary work and information technology Skills and Competencies Checklists that students have collected throughout the course, they will determine their level of achievement and organize their portfolios accordingly. Students= overall performance for this unit will be evaluated using the Unit 5 Assessment Rubric.

Course Notes

This course includes three ongoing activities (Reference Manual of Information Technology Terminology, Information Technology Skills and Competencies, and Developing/Enhancing Data Entry Skills) that are outlined in Unit 1, Appendix A. The course also serves as a cross-curricular platform that can support information technology objectives in all courses. The development of activities and projects can be linked to business, school, and community initiatives.

For students with physical disabilities, specific software and hardware are commercially available.

The activities have been designed so they can be achieved even if a school has only basic equipment available, but complete delivery depends on access to both specific technology and the local school infrastructure. Where unique situations exist (e.g., access to special equipment such as satellites, digital cameras, video conferencing) appropriate modifications should be built into the activities.

Many expectations throughout the course afford students the opportunity to work with mentors or act as mentors for other students. The career unit will provide students with opportunities for job shadowing and is an ideal vehicle for ATake Our Kids To Work@ day. In addition, students may need to obtain information from guidance and co-operative education departments.

Health, safety, legal, and ethical issues that are relevant to information technology are addressed in this course. Students will also have opportunities to develop good team and interpersonal skills while dealing with conflict management through partner, small, and large group activities. Cultural differences and customs are also addressed in several activities.

Environmental awareness, as it relates to information technology, will be addressed in a practical and ongoing manner. Students will be encouraged to proofread all work prior to printing, and will practise fine paper recycling of copies to be discarded. The environmental concerns related to the disposing of printer toner, ink, and/or ribbons will also be addressed.

Students will be required to create a portfolio, or personal folder, in which they will add samples of their exemplary work as the course progresses. The portfolio, although evaluated throughout, will be examined for completeness at the end of the course. The materials from this portfolio will enhance any portfolio the student develops as part of his/her yearly educational plan.