ICT

Head of Department: Mr. Oxenham BA (Hons), MSc

 

Department Background

 ICT at Latymer is split into two parts.  Firstly, the technical team who deliver excellent hardware, software and service to the school community.  Secondly the delivery of ICT in the curriculum.

At Latymer the ICT is delivered through subjects.  ICT is seen as a tool in making work and studies more effective and to help solve problems. Important ICT theory and concepts are carefully embedded into the discrete provision and cross curricular tasks.  The ultimate aim is to provide students with the skills and e-confidence to survive in a changing world.  Students should be able to confidently and safely embrace new technology, new software packages and new interfaces with confidence and understanding.  Students study curriculum areas such as communicating information (via texts, images, movie and sounds), modelling, handling data, sequencing and evaluating the impact of ICT on society.

The ICT hardware/ software provision supports the industry standard curriculum tasks delivered throughout the various subject areas.  There is a range electronic teaching tools including interactive whiteboards, voting systems, tablets, visualisers, mobile classrooms, mobile devices, data-logging sensors.  Also there is a vast array of software packages and web-based productivity packages.

ICT has been rated as “Outstanding” at a recent OFSTED Subject Inspection which builds upon the previous “Excellent” at the 2005 Full Inspection and “Outstanding” at the 2008 reduced tariff inspection.  Click here to view the OFSTED ICT Subject Inspection for 2012.

ICT at Latymer also innovatively uses its Learning Platform (Fronter) and other Web 2.0 technologies to help enhance the learning experience and make effective learning episodes.


Year 7 - 9
 In Year 7, students learn to present to specific audiences using presentation software and word processing software.  They develop a modelling solution and incorporate the results using automated functions into a formal business report.  They use image manipulation software to develop a complex and professional logo which is then combined with a variety of sources to create a desktop publishing solution.  Students use video, sound and images in order to create an effective, usable and accessible websites.
    
In Year 8 students develop a level of rigour to their ICT use.  In ICT, they develop and design a CD Cover with particular attention to design criteria.  They use a high level of techniques in Photoshop to make the CD Cover of industry standard quality.  They are then able to prepare a template for future users.  Students explore the many aspects of Digital Literacy with specific focus on Digital Information Literacy and e-Safety.  To further develop software and collaboration skills, students use Creo/ Elements to build CAD/ CAM components for a mobile phone.  Finally, students are required to make decisions on the best packages to use in a scenario given.  Students plan, develop and implement a solution for that scenario.

In Year 9, the focus is on trying to develop an ICT System.  The ICT System involves a user friendly, multimedia touch screen interface which is dynamically linked to a database.  Finally, students prepare an interactive animation for young students on an aspect of e-Safety.

Students have access to a range of contexts via each of the subjects in Year 8 and 9.  Within these contexts students make decisions on their use of ICT software and techniques.