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Australian Curriculum

VITTA Position Statement – National Information Technology Curriculum

With the implementation of the Australian National Curriculum in its early stages, there is much debate about the status of Information Technology within this framework. It is widely acknowledged that technology is integrated into most aspects of our daily lives and so it is in education, with software tools and web 2.0 technologies incorporated into most curriculum areas. VITTA recognizes the importance of integrating learning technologies across the curriculum and works actively to support teachers of all disciplines in this endeavor. VITTA also supports the integration of Information Technology in the National Curriculum as an inter-disciplinary tool to enable richer learning, engagement and collaboration.

There has been some discussion concerning the place of the discipline of Information Technology in secondary education. Some commentators would prefer that Information Technology subjects were not taught in secondary school at all. VITTA is strongly opposed to this view.

Arguments can be made that the students of today are very technology savvy and that the interdisciplinary nature of technologies means that students not aware of the application of these tools are being introduced to their use daily by their classroom teachers. Although well intentioned, educators of other disciplines are not focusing on the specific technologies being used nor have they the expertise to broaden the horizons of students interested in technology.

VITTA believes that the implementation of secondary school Information Technology curricula is key to addressing demands for employment in the Australian digital economy sector. The teaching of Information Technology ensures that the discipline is kept rich and foremost in the minds of students making choices for their future career paths. VITTA strongly believes that an innovative and engaging Information Technology curriculum (such as the VCE Information Technology study) should be strongly considered a candidate for a National Information Technology study.