BTN- Behind the News

Subject:  Digital technology

Year Level: 4-7

Strand: Digital Technologies Processes and Production Skills

Sub-strand:  Implement simple digital solutions as visual programs with algorithms involving branching (decisions) and user input (ACTDIP011)

Implement digital solutions as simple visual programs involving branching, iteration (repetition), and user input (ACTDIP020)

Link to the resource: http://www.abc.net.au/btn/

Cross curricular priorities and general capabilities: 

  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures
  • Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia
  • Sustainability
  • Literacy
  • Numeracy
  • Information and communication technology (ICT)
  • Personal and social capability
  • Ethical understanding
  • Inter-cultural understanding

Links to learning areas: English, Humanities, Society.

A classroom activity using this resource:

This resource is great for getting students to find out what is happening all around the world; there is a weekly news video posted pitched to the younger generation. This helps open students minds to the world around them, making them think and become aware of worldwide issues. Students can watch BTN as a whole class or individually, then answer and discuss the topics being raised.

BTN is on a variety of social media sites and therefore students can use these to discuss topics with others and find out further information. The website holds weekly polls where the results are shown in the next weeks addition, this gets students voicing their opinion safely on-line, as well as seeing the perspectives of others around the world. There is a weekly live Q&A session which students can also participate in, this would involve students searching the website and opening other links from the site in order to further their knowledge. If there is a particular topic students are interested in they can then do some research on-line and then share this information with the rest of the class.

This is an amazing resource to get students voicing their opinions in a variety of ways, and to gain interest in the news and the world around them.

How to use this resource:

  • Go the the website http://www.abc.net.au/btn/
  • Follow the links provided on the page
  • Explore and interact with a variety of interesting and engaging activities

Splash-ABC

Subject:

Design and Technologies

Year Level:

Foundation to Year 2

Strand:

Design and Technologies knowledge and understanding

Sub strand:

Food and fibre production

Link to the resource

splash.abc.net.au/media/-/m/31158/growing-vegetables-and-natives?source=primary-science

Cross curriculum priorities and general capabilities

Sustainability, Personal and social capability, critical and creative thinking

Links to other learning areas

Science, English, Mathematics

A classroom activity using this resource

Splash is a great resource that is linked to the Australian Curriculum and has a range of resources ready for teachers to use. This film show students how a class turned a bare patch of ground into a productive garden patch. As a class, students could watch this clip and plan their own garden and how they can turn it into vibrant production whilst still learning about the care of plants and the different types of plants used and the reasons. This can be linked to more lesson for Science, English and even Mathematics as students can monitor and graph their results. It can also be a great learning resource for other classes and the site provides questions to think about before viewing the video.

The Splash website has many other videos, games and resources for all years and subjects.

How to use this resource

To use this resource, students or teachers need to enter the URL into the web browser and begin their search. The search can be narrowed down to a specific year or subject and has similar components to YouTube.

At the bottom of the video it provides teachers with links to the Australian Curriculum, giving examples on the content descriptors for the year group.