@ SECTION 1: COMPUTER FUNDAMENTALS AND INFORMATION PROCESSING GENERAL OBJECTIVES (On completion of this Section, students should: 1. develop an understanding of the fundamental hardware and software components and the interrelationship among them; 2. develop expertise in evaluating computer systems; and, 3. develop an understanding of basic information processing principles. ‘SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES CONTENT ‘COMPUTER FUNDAMENTALS Students should be able to: 1. explain the concept of Information Definition and scope of Information Technology; Technology. 2. distinguish among the major types of Major types: computer systems in terms of processing speed, storage and portability; (a) Super Computers (for example, Cray) (b) Mainframes {for example, IBM zEnterprise System) (c) Desktop systems. (d) Mobile devices (for example, laptops, notebooks, netbooks, smartphones, tablets and game consoles). (e) Embedded devices (for example, special-purpose systems suchas controllers in microwaves, car ignition systems, answering machines}. 3. explain the functions of the major Major components: input, central processing hardware components of a computer unit, primary memory (RAM and ROM), system; secondary storage, output. {a) Secondary storage devices: hard disk, magnetic tape, flash drive, memory card, and optical disks (CD, DVD and Blu- Ray) (b) Units of storage: bits, bytes, kilobytes, megabytes, gigabytes, terabytes.SECTION 1: COMPUTER FUNDAMENTALS AND INFORMATION PROCESSING (cont'd) ‘SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES CONTENT ‘COMPUTER FUNDAMENTALS (cont’d) Students should be able to: 4. explain how the major hardware —_Input processing output storage (IPOS) cycle. components of a computer system interrelate; 5. evaluate the relative merits of cloud Definition of cloud and local storage. storage and local storage; Assessment criteria: capacity, cost, accessibility; security issues. 6. select appropriate input/output devices Associate the following devices with suitable to meet the needs of specified applications: applications; (a) Input: Optical mark reader (OMR), character readers (OCR, MICR), mouse, joystick, bar code reader, document scanner, light-pen, touch terminals, voice response unit, Touch Screens (tablets, point of sale, ATM), keyboard, digital camera, biometric systems, sensors, remote control, sound capture, pointing devices, webcam. (b) Visual output: Printers (laser, inkjet, dot ‘matrix, thermal, plotters, 3D Printers), microfilm. (c)_ Audible output: speakers, headphones, earphones, 7. explain the role of the different types of System Software: Operating System, Utilities. software in computer operation; Application software: general-purpose and special-purpose; integrated package; source: off the shelf, custom-written, and customized. 8 discuss the relative merits of the various Hardware: touch screens, specialized types of user interface; keyboards. Software: command ine, menu-driven, graphical user, touch.SECTION 1: COMPUTER FUNDAMENTALS AND INFORMATION PROCESSING (cont'd) ‘SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES ‘COMPUTER FUNDAMENTALS (cont'd) Students should be able to: 9. evaluate the suitability of a given computer system for a specific purpose; 10. troubleshoot basic computer hardware problems; INFORMATION PROCESSING FUNDAMENTALS. Students should be able to: 11. distinguish information; between data and ‘CONTENT 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 speed); storage (capacity ond (d) Types of software; and, (e) Input/Output devices. 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). 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.SECTION 1: COMPUTER FUNDAMENTALS AND INFORMATION PROCESSING (cont'd) ‘SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES INFORMATION PROCESSING FUNDAMENTALS {cont’d) Students should be able te 12, evaluate the reliability of information obtained from online sources; 13. differentiate between validation and verification of data; 14. identify appropriate validation and verification checks given a particular scenario; and, 15. select appropriate file organization for particular application. ‘Suggested Teaching and Learning Activities CONTENT Evaluation of information retrieved electronically for authenticity, currency, relevance, and bias. Difference between validation and verification 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). File access methods: sequential, serial, direct and random, Application areas: archiving, payroll file, real time systems. To facilitate students’ attainment of the objectives of this Section, teachers/facilitators are encouraged to engage students in the teaching and learning activities below. 1. Organize students in groups to conduct a research on the major hardware components of a computer system. They should use a "show and tell” approach to present findings. 2. Arrange visits to local Computer Technology businesses to expose students to different system specifications needed, for example, running a video game, web browsing, graphic design, video editing, and desktop publishing. 3. Teachers should arrange for practical sessions ina computer laboratory. After demonstrations by the teacher and/or professional, students should be arranged in pairs to carry out activities such as attaching a monitor, keyboard, and mouse to the computer's system unit fixing loose cables, and changing printer cartridges. 4, Use avideo tutorial to illustrate the various types of user interfaces. Allow students to identify merits of using each interface. &. Ez |SECTION 1: COMPUTER FUNDAMENTALS AND INFORMATION PROCESSING (cont'd) 10. Organize students in groups and assign the task of collecting samples of the different categories of input and output devices. They should then set up an exhibition area and be encouraged to invite the school population to visit booths. Invite local software developers/software engineers/programmers to do guest lectures in which they explain the types of software and their role in computer operation. Allow students to mount a display on the major types of computers systems, using pictures and other relevant information, Encourage students to create a scrapbook with samples of information, data, sources of data and information, as well as different document types. Arrange visits to local archives, libraries and media houses to expose the students to the work of appropriate file organization and access. Engage students in activities during a class session to write scenarios for their colleagues to identify the appropriate data verification and validation checks that should be applied.@ SECTION 2: COMPUTER NETWORKS AND WEB TECHNOLOGIES GENERAL OBJECTIVES (On completion of this Section, students should develop an awareness of: 1. basic networking concepts, including mobile networks; and, 2. Internet and Web Technology concepts. ‘SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES Students should be able to 1. distinguish among types of networks; 2. explain the functions of the basic components of a network; CONTENT Types of networks (local area network, ‘metropolitan area network, wide area network, mobile network). {a) Concept of mobile network as radio- based common carrier. (b) Overview of mobile networks: from 26 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). Basic components and functions: (2) Transmission media: (i) Wired: twisted pair, coaxial, fibre; and, (ii) Wireless: infrared, microwave, satellite. (b) Switch, router, modem. (c) Network interface _card/network adopter.SECTION 2: COMPUTER NETWORKS AND WEB TECHNOLOGIES (cont'd) ‘SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES Students should be able to 3. assess the importance communication technologies as a component of modern communication networks; and, of mobile 4. explain the interrelationship among key Web technology concepts. Suggested Teaching and Learning Activities CONTENT Suitability of mobile networks to various applications (for example, education, commerce, and journalism). 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. To facilitate students’ attainment of the objectives of this Section, teachers/facilitators are encouraged to engage students in the teaching and learning activities below. 1. Engage students in a debate on the importance of mobile communication technologies to our daily lives, for example, the pros and cons of mobile technology in the fields of education, commerce, and journalism. 2. Engage students in a matching activity where they match the functions of the basic components of a network. 3. Engage students in role play activities where they illustrate how the different networks operate. 4, Invite someone with expertise in computer networks and web technologies to address the class and explain some of the concepts. &. Ez |@ SECTION 3: SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC IMPACT OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY (ICT) GENERAL OBJECTIVES On completion of this Section, students should be able to: 1 develop an understanding of the various elements of computer security, and data misuse and the impact on individuals and organizations; maintain safe and secure computing environments; and, assess the impact of technological advancements on different fields, disciplines and jobs. ‘SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES IMPLICATIONS OF MISUSE AND CYBERSECURITY Students should be able to: 1 outline the concepts of computer security, cybersecurity and computer misuse; assess the potential impact of computer systems misuse based on the main entities impacted; CONTENT Computer security and cybersecurity as related to the assessment and minimization of risk. Computer Elements: vulnerability, threat, attack, countermeasure, misuse by individuals and groups/organizations. Misuse: (a) (b) 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, Entity impacted: organization, government. individual,SECTION 3: SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC IMPACT OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY (ICT) (cont’d) SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES IMPLICATIONS OF MISUSE AND CYBERSECURITY (cont'd) Students should be able to: 3. describe suitable countermeasures to mitigate effects of identified threats; IMPACT ON JOB SKILLS AND CAREERS Students should be able to: 4. assess the effect of automation on job security; 5. describe the roles of various personnel in computer-related professions; and, CONTENT 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). Job loss vs productivity gains in skilled and unskilled job categories. Network Engineer, Computer Programmer, Computer Support Specialist, Computer Systems Analyst, Administrators (Network, Systems and Database), Software Developer, Web Developer, Social Media SpecialistSECTION 3: SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC IMPACT OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY (ICT) (cont’d) SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES CONTENT IMPACT ON JOB SKILLS AND CAREERS (cont'd) Students should be able to: 6 assess the impact of information and Economic implications of ICT on Education, communications technology on select Medicine, Business, Law Enforcement and fields. Recreation. For example: (2) 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 3: SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC IMPACT OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY (ICT) (cont’d) ‘Suggested Teaching and Learning Activities To facilitate students’ attainment of the objectives of this Section, teachers/facilitators are encouraged to engage students in the teaching and learning activities below. 1. Using a screenshot of a student's offensive comment about a teacher/peer on social media as stimulus, engage students in a discussion on cyberbullying. Allow students to observe short clips about various forms of computer systems misuse (for example, hacking ond identity theft) then engage in discussions on cybersecurity. Encourage students to write a report to be placed on the school’s notice board to describe the threats associated with each specific vulnerability discussed in class. Have students classify countermeasures into appropriate categories: physical or software related, Have students derive definitions of physical and software counter measures, based on classifications. Engage students in a poster-making competition in which they illustrate good personal security practices. Engage students in a web quest where they explore different scenarios that will culminate in obtaining authentic and reliable online sources. Engage students in a debate where they explore the implications of companies utilizing automated kiosks to transact business. Have students discuss the effects of job loss versus productivity gained in skilled and unskilled categories. Engage students in a project where they visit/research various businesses to determine the extent to which technology is being used in different positions, Have students conduct research on cybersecurity and then present their information in a panel discussion format. (Students should be able to pose questions to the pane! members)« SECTION 4: WORD-PROCESSING AND WEB PAGE DESIGN GENERAL OBJECTIVES (On completion of this Section, students should: 1. have hands-on experience in the use of Word-Processing and Web Page Design in the development of computer-generated documents; and, 2. beable to express their aptitude and creativity in design. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES WORD-PROCESSING Students should be able to: 1. create a document using content from a range of sources; 2. use appropriate document formatting features; 3. use appropriate editing features to structure and organize a document; CONTENT Importing text (combining documents). Typewritten text, images and other objects. 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. 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)SECTION 4: WORD-PROCESSING AND WEB PAGE DESIGN (cont'd) SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES WORD-PROCESSING (cont'd) Students should be able to: 4, use the review feature of @ word processor to enhance document readiness; 5. appropriately use features that allow the protection of a document; 6 generate table of contents for a document; use mail merge feature in the preparation of a document for a variety of situations; 8. create a fillable electronic form for online use; ‘WEB PAGE DESIGN CONTENT Spell and grammar check, thesaurus, word count, language setting, comments, and track changes. Automatic save and backup copy, edit restrictions — password protection. Auto table of content. Creation of primary documents and data files in mail merge application. Field names. Use of content controls, such as check boxes, text boxes, date picker, drop-down lists, and ‘command buttons. 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; 10. create simple web pages using a variety of design features; (The use of HTML coding is not required.) &. Ez | 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, Choosing an appropriate design for a page. Inserting and deleting text and graphics. Wrap text with image. Create home page with hyperlinks.SECTION 4: WORD-PROCESSING AND WEB PAGE DESIGN (cont'd) SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES WEB PAGE DESIGN (cont'd) Students should be able to: 11. insert hyperlinks within different locations of a typical web page; and, 12. evaluate a website for accuracy, user Friendliness and effective display. ‘Suggested Teaching and Learning Activities ‘CONTENT Link to another web page. link to a location within the web age. Link to an email address. Link to user-created files. Considerations for publishing a website: Verify that all the hyperlinks work correctly, Use a test audience. Verify that all content is up-to-date. To facilitate students’ attainment of the objectives of this Section, teachers/facilitators are encouraged to engage students in the teaching and learning activities below. 1. Have students compare and contrast different types of word processors. 2. Encourage students to create newsletters/brochures/business cards/advertisements for Clubs and Departments within their school. 3. Arrange for students to perform the duties of the School Secretary for the Week, for example, students should prepare: notices for parent conferences, gate/corridor passes, and letters seeking sponsorship for a school activity. 4. Organize students in small groups to develop and create club or school web pages using a word processor or free online web services. Investors and/or Stakeholders should be invited to critique as students give their presentations. 5. Demonstrate how to add the Developer tab in different productivity tools to access Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) (for example, Microsoft Excel or Word). 6. Share examples of fillable forms where users order items online. &. Ez |@ SECTION 5: SPREADSHEETS GENERAL OBJECTIVE On completion of this Section, students should develop expertise in the use of a spreadsheet package in the development of computer applications. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES CONTENT Students should be able to: 1. explain the purpose of aspreadsheet; Purpose of a spreadsheet: @ 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 Common features: workbook, worksheet, notions commonly associated with column, row, cell (cell address, range, label, spreadsheets; value), formula, function. 3. _use basic pre-defined systems Including sum, average, date, max, min, count, functions; counta, countif, viookup, pmt, if 4, create advanced arithmetic formulae; Formulae including addition, subtraction, ‘multiplication, division, and use of brackets. 5. replicate (copy) formulae into other Relative addressing, absolute addressing, cells; ‘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)SECTION 5: SPREADSHEETS (cont'd) SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES Students should be able to: 8 perform charting operations; and, 9, Manipulate one or more worksheets. ‘Suggested Teaching and Learning Activities CONTENT Select appropriate chart types: Column charts, Bar charts, line graphs, pie charts. Labelling charts: graph titles, labels on axes, data labels. 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. To facilitate students’ attainment of the objectives of this Section, teachers/facilitators are encouraged to engage students in the teaching and learning activities below. 1. Teachers should engage students in using feedback on class activities towards completing their SBA. 2. Encourage students to complete exercises that use functions and formulas to effect a more efficient and effective solution. 3. Demonstrate examples of locating text and data on a spreadsheet so that data is not lost if rows or columns are inserted or deleted. 4, Encourage students to practise pasting versus moving various types of charts to a new sheet; inserting titles and axes labels. Students should also practise pasting charts to a word- processed document and adjusting the chart on the page. 5. Encourage students to practise entering test data for their programs to see the results and reinforce these concepts from Sections 7 and 8,@ SECTION 6: DATABASE MANAGEMENT GENERAL OBJECTIVES (On completion of this Section, students should develop expertise in the design of a database management system in the development of computer applications. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES Students should be able to: 1. explain the concept of a database; 2. use terminology commonly associated with a database; 3. create a database; and, 4, manipulate data in a database. CONTENT Definition of database: (a) _ repository of information; and, (b) collection of tables that are related to each other. Purpose of database. Database terminology: table, row (record), column (field), primary key, secondary key, candidate key, foreign key. Data types: numeric; text; logical; date /time; currency. 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). (a) Forms: (i) Use of form wizard only; (i) select suitable fields; and, (iil) use of sub-form. (b) Queries: (i) more than one criterion; (i) use of select; (iii) use of calculated field; and, (iv) two or more fields involving the use of relational and logical operators.SECTION 6: DATABASE MANAGEMENT (cont'd) SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES ‘CONTENT Students should be able to: (c) Reports: (use of report wizard; (il) use of sorting, grouping, statistical and summary features, for example, count, sum, and average; (ii) report generated to screen, printer ‘and file; and, (iv) renaming of report ttl. ‘Suagested Teaching and Learning Activities To facilitate students’ attainment of the objectives of this Section, teachers/facilitators are encouraged to engage students in the teaching and learning activities below. 1 Highlight various paper-based databases of which students may be aware and discuss advantages of digitizing these paper-based records. From the discussion, have students generate definitions of a database and terminologies associated with a database. Engage students in exercises where they create database tables and practise changing the general properties of database tables. Engage students in activities where they practise manipulating table-editing features such as sorting, inserting and deleting records and fields. Engage students in activities where they use given criteria to create simple queries that will pull specific records from a table or tables. Engage students in activities where they create presentable reports based on tables and/or queries that can be distributed. Students should also practise generating additional report details such as summary options.@ SECTION 7: PROBLEM-SOLVING AND PROGRAM DESIGN GENERAL OBJECTIVES (On completion of this Section, students should: 1. develop the cognitive skills to solve problems; and, develop competence in applying a structured approach to solving problems on the computer. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES Students should be able to: 1. outline the steps in problem-solving; use the divide-and-conquer approach to decompose large everyday problems into smaller tasks; 3. define a problem by decomposing it into its significant components; 4, distinguish between variables and constants; CONTENT ‘Steps in problem-solving (a) define the problem; (b) propose and evaluate solutions; (0) determine the most efficient solution; (d) develop the algorithm; and, (e) test and validate the solution, 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. The components are: input; process; and output. A defining diagram (IPO Chart) may be used to delineate the components. Variables as an area of storage whose value can change during processing; the value of constant never changes. Data types: integers, floating point (real), characters, Boolean, string.SECTION 7: PROBLEM-SOLVING AND PROGRAM DESIGN (cont'd) SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES Students should be able to: 5. explain the concept of algorithms; 6. represent algorithms in the form of flowchart and pseudocode; and, 7. test algorithms for correctness. ‘Suggested Teaching and Learning Activities CONTENT Definition of algorithms, Characteristics: finite number of steps, Precise, unambiguous, flow of control from one process to another, terminate. 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. 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 To facilitate students’ attainment of the objectives of this Section, teachers/facilitators are encouraged to engage students in the teaching and learning activities below. 1. Provide students with simple everyday scenarios which would allow them to practise the steps in problem-solving and logical thinking. Examples of scenarios include giving directions to a particular location; or determining which mode of transportation (for example, airplane, bicycle, vehicle, walking) is best suited for travelling to a specific location based on weather conditions; or determining which of three groups of CSEC® subjects (for example, languages, sciences, arts) should be chosen given that a favourite subject is included in two of the groups. &. Ez |