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Revision for the Bac Blanc
practice exams in March 2009:
- All of Section 1:
- All the social and ethical issues
- Be sure to know the definitions given in the very beginning of the IB
Programme Guide for ITGS - in the section called "Nature of the Subject",
definitions are given for information technology, social impact,
ethical considerations and what an information system is.
- Also, the section called "Methodologies for analysing social impact
and ethical considerations" has examples of the key questions we
have been asking when we look at an IT problem in a social context (such
as "What are the advantages and disadvantages for the stakeholders?").
- The following sections of Topic 2:
- 2.1.1 Systems fundamentals
- 2.1.2 Networks
- 2.2.1 Software fundamentals
- 2.2.2 Databases and spreadsheets
- 2.2.3 Word processing and desktop publishing
- 2.2.4 Images, sound and presentations
- 2.2.5 Modelling and simulations
- 2.2.6 Tutorials, training and wizards (assistants)
- 2.3.1 The Internet
- 2.3.2 Personal and public communications
- 2.4.1 Robotics
- 2.4.2 Artificial intelligence and expert systems
- Remember, when you study, always follow this order:
- start with the IB Programme Guide for ITGS
to see what the assessment statements are (i.e. "evaluate the social and
ethical issues involved in the use of software..")
- use the guide to help you grasp the difference
between each command term (define, identify, describe, outline,
explain, evaluate...)
- refer to any class notes you have
- see what the chapters in the book have to say
- double check that you have memorized all the IT vocabulary terms (this is what the flash cards are for) -
you should have around 300 by now and you should know them in both
directions: word to definition and definition to word.
Have a look at my compositions
groupées revision guide. It contains suggestions
for successful revision and test-taking skills.
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In January & February:
- Be sure to keep listening to the weekly podcast of
Digital Planet. Each story has the kind of structure we expect
you to use in your ITGS essays:
- an introduction to the IT theory (the technical
details behind the scenes)
- placing the technology in a social context (school,
hospital, business, bank...) with the appropriate stakeholders expressing
their varying viewpoints
- Bill Thompson is asked to give his evaluation at the
end
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ITGS Project work over the next few weeks:
As stated in class, the ITGS Project Report has some similarities
to the Extended Essay in the sense that the teacher can look over a first
draft before the final one is passed in. Rather than making the whole first
draft due on one day, it has been spread out as follows:
Dec 16th – first draft of first part of Project Report – write
the sections corresponding to Criteria G & H (identifying the problem
& feasibility study) Together, these should be about 400 to 500 words long.
Follow the ITGS Program Guide (SL project work described in general on pages
40 to 48 with criterion G described more specifically on page 45 and
criterion H on page 46). Also, follow the project checklist which you should
have in your logbook. Use the criteria names as your headings for each
section but without the letters G through K.
Jan 8th 2009 – first draft for Criterion I (planning
and developing the IT solution) – this is the section which is the longest
and which is worth almost a third of the marks. It should be about 700 words
long. Follow the guide and the checklist, please. I will also check
the log books for (I hope) the last time.
Jan 15th 2009 – first draft for Criteria J & K (testing
the product & social impact of the product) – these sections should be about
400 & 200 words long, respectively. Follow the guide and the checklist,
please, for both these criteria.
Jan 22nd 2009 – pass in the Product on CD or DVD. On
the CD, you need the full project, screenshots of all the major features of
the finished project, a Readme.txt file to explain how to open the
project and where to find the screenshots. If it is a web site, you should
have a full copy which can be opened and browsed from the CD without an
Internet connection. Follow the guide and the checklist concerning what to
put on the CD, please. You may not give in a USB key, memory card or any
other memory device.
Jan 29th 2009, Final report due + Logbook.
By this date, you should have given me everything I need for your IA in ITGS.
It is 30% of your grade so do a nice job and present everything nicely bound
in some kind of a folder to hold the report, the CD and the log book.
This marks the END OF THE PROJECT!
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Revision for the Bac Blanc
practice exams in November 2008:
- All of Section 1:
- All the social and ethical issues
- Be sure to know the definitions given in the very beginning of the IB
Programme Guide for ITGS - in the section called "Nature of the Subject",
definitions are given for information technology, social impact,
ethical considerations and what an information system is.
- Also, the section called "Methodologies for analysing social impact
and ethical considerations" has examples of the key questions we
have been asking when we look at an IT problem in a social context (such
as "What are the advantages and disadvantages for the stakeholders?").
- The following sections of Topic 2:
- 2.1.1 Systems fundamentals
- 2.1.2 Networks
- 2.2.1 Software fundamentals
- 2.2.2 Databases and spreadsheets
- 2.2.6 Tutorials, training and wizards (assistants)
- 2.3.1 The Internet
- 2.4.1 Robotics
- 2.4.2 Artificial intelligence and expert systems
- In the following sections, only some of the concepts have been covered
so check your notes, previous podcasts, class discussions, etc. to see
what we have covered:
- 2.2.3 Word processing and desktop publishing
- 2.2.4 Images, sound and presentations
- 2.3.2 Personal and public communications
- There is only one section we have not formally studied at all, so this
one will not have any questions on this Bac Blanc:
2.2.5 Modelling and simulations
- Remember, when you study, always follow this order:
- start with the IB Programme Guide for ITGS
to see what the assessment statements are (i.e. "evaluate the social and
ethical issues involved in the use of software..")
- use the guide to help you grasp the difference
between each command term (define, identify, describe, outline,
explain, evaluate...)
- refer to any class notes you have
- see what the chapters in the book have to say
- double check that you have memorized all the IT vocabulary terms (this is what the flash cards are for) -
you should have around 200 by now and you should know them in both
directions: word to definition and definition to word.
Have a look at my compositions
groupées revision guide. It contains suggestions
for successful revision and test-taking skills.
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ITGS Project Work
Project Assignment #5:
- Beta testing: log books were checked on October 21st
to see how your beta testing is going. Continue with this.
A few comments to consider:
- some of you have only done one - you should be done your 2nd beta
tester and working on your end-user beta testing by now.
- don't forget the BEFORE screeshots and the AFTER screenshots -
label them carefully in your log book.
- some of you have not justified why a refinement was made (or not
made)
- be sure to include a description of HOW you did the testing
- did you email a questionnaire or did you sit down with your tester
and show him/her the product?
- Log books will be checked again in November to see how things are
going with the end-user testing.
- any comments I made about things which were missing in the past
should be added - please clearly label these.
- Once you are finished with your technical/design beta testing >
refinements > content beta testing (usually with client) > refinements
> end user testing > refinements, you may move on to the final
criterion (Criterion K) which is to evaluate the social
significance of your product. Things to think
ahead to:
- Think of ways you could observe your product in action so
that you can actually see it working and see that it has solved the
problem. To "observe" includes the idea of obtaining documents
which would "prove" that you made the observation (photo,
questionnaire, email from client or end user...)
- Your objective is to explain how your IT solution has had a
social impact. According to the guide, this could include any
one of the following: the economic, political, cultural, legal,
environmental, ergonomic, health or psychological effects of your IT
solution on the life of your client and / or end users.
- A second objective is to imagine the next step for your product.
What will happen to it in the coming months and years? Is it
going to die out and be placed in a drawer to rot? Or is it
going to take off and be useful after you have graduated? Again, try
to obtain some documentation for this - don't just make it pure
conjecture because this is not a guessing game.
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DST:
- On Saturday morning October 18th, you will have a DST in ITGS.
It will consist of the following:
- some Paper 1-type questions (short answers and perhaps some
multiple choice) This will represent between 45 minutes to an hour of
testing time.
- and two Paper 2-like essays. This will be 1 hours and 20 minutes
long.
- The revision will basically be everything we have covered so far.
Be sure to go over the program guide and be sure you know your vocabulary
terms and the social and ethical issues.
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To do for Week 5:
- A reminder was given in class on September 30th that the next time
your log books are checked will be Tuesday 21 October. That gives
you three weeks. What should you have in the log book by then?
- anything that was missing from before (look through the checklist and
at my comments to see what you haven't done yet)
- the beta testing phase: technical testing with questionnaire
completed > evidence of refinements made with before and after screenshots
> content testing with questionnaire completed > evidence of refinements
made with before and after screenshots
- if you have time, you could do the final end-user testing, too.
That will depend on how far along you are.
- If you have not completed your first two questionnaires, you are
behind schedule.
- If you have not made an appointment with your first two beta testers
to test your product then you are behind schedule.
To do for the beginning of September 2008:
- Be sure you are up-to-date on your IA project work (see pink box below).
- EE candidates should be in contact with me about their progress - a
meeting should be set up both before and after the deadline at the end of
September for the penultimate draft.
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ITGS Project Work
Project Assignment #4:
- By the end of the 3rd week in September, you should have already
shown me your "finished" product. Obviously, it will most likely be
modified after the beta testing.
- Testing: you need to send by email information concerning
the testing process:
- Who will be your technical beta tester? Why was that person
chosen?
- When will you show them your product and get them to fill out the
questionnaire concerning technical aspects?
- What questions will you put on the questionnaire?
- After refinements, who will be your content tester (often it's the
client but it does not have to be)? Why was that person chosen?
- When will you show them your product and get them to fill out the
questionnaire concerning content?
- What questions will you put on this second questionnaire?
- After the second wave of refinements, who will be your end user
tester (if you did not already use your client for beta testing, the
client can go here)?
- What questions will you put on this last questionnaire?
- As said in class,
- Don't forget to always go back and look at the criteria in the
guide, step by step.
- Use the
checklist - don't just guess what you are supposed to be
doing in the project - find out. It's all on there.
- If you see that something is missing from parts of the project
which we should have all already finished (such as explaining how
each program was used to help complete the project), add it to your
logbook now. It's not too late!
- Reminder: Log books checked on September 18th.
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To do for Friday 4 April 2008:
- If you have not done so, bring back your exams. They do not need to be signed.
- Anyone doing an EE with me, should look at the new
extended essay page and you should be
working on your primary source(s). Please email me your ideas on
what kind of a primary source or sources you are considering using
for your EE.
- For the project, be sure to have done project
assignments 1 and 2 below:
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ITGS Project Work
Project Assignment #1:
- Get a notebook to use as a logbook. It must be big
enough to be able to paste A4 sheets into it.
- On the inside make a title page: write your name, "ITGS
Project Logbook", the school's name and leave a space for your
candidate number, which you will get in 2009.
- Print and paste the
ITGS Project checklist into the pages after the title page.
- Do the same for the pages in the ITGS Programme guide which
explain the criteria for the project.
- READ the section in the guide which explains the ITGS Standard
Level project. This section includes an explanation of what the
IB expects from you and the criteria you will be assessed on.
Project Assignment #2:
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Who is your
client? Remember, the client is
the person you are helping. He or she must be an adult and must be
someone you can keep in contact with easily.
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What is the problem
that you hope to solve? In your description of the situation,
be sure to indicate the social context
such as school, hospital, business, hotel...But remember DO NOT talk
about a solution yet (web page, film, database) - you will have plenty
of time for that later.
-
What evidence
suggests that this problem really exists? This question is to
make sure you are not just making up the problem in your head. The
evidence can be through conversations (say the names of the people) or
through emails.
Project Assignment #3:
- Using the calendar we made using Excel in class as a source of
ideas, make a first draft of an ITGS Project Calendar. You need
one column for the date (or the week) and another column for what
project tasks you will do. If you want, you could have a third
column showing other important deadlines such as extended essay stuff.
- To find out what to put on your calendar, look at the checklist.
- General guidelines to keep in mind when making your calendar:
- You should be done the first working version of your product
(film, web site, etc.) by mid June this year.
- Your project work (including the report) should be all done by
January of your Terminale year.
- Note that the last section of the report asks you to comment on
the impact of your product on the end users (the people who benefit
from it). In order to see an impact, there needs to be enough
time for people to use your product for a while. Keep that in
mind when making your calendar
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For the Mock Exams (Bac Blanc):
Examination Revision List
How to prepare for the the Bac Blanc
exam.
- The first things to know are found in the IB Programme Guide which you
obtained from Miss Burchill.
- Memorize the list of Social and Ethical Issues from
Section 1.
- Memorize the list of Command Terms at the end of that
guide. The most frequently used ones are Identify, Outline,
Describe, Explain, Discuss, Evaluate.
- You should have flash cards to
help you learn those words & definitions by heart.
- Otherwise, the best preparation is being aware of how IT is used
all around us. (See next point.)
- Reveiw any ideas and uses of IT discussed in class.
- how computers work, internet, databases,
applications, operating systems, etc. (everything up through section
2.2.2.)
- issues of privacy, storing and accessing data
- Visit the news web sites (found at the top of
this page) on a regular basis to improve your technical vocabulary
and your awareness of how IT is used today. When you read the
articles, think of how they can be connected to the ITGS Social and
Ethical Issues.
- Go back over the notes you have taken in class
- Go through the
Computer Confluence web site and look at the sections in any of
the chapters concerning material we have covered - remember, though, some
sections go beyond the ITGS program:
- How It Works (usually has a nice Flash movie)
- Key Terms (gives vocab but not the same as the
ITGS guide)
- End of Chapter Materials > Review Questions
- Online Study Guide (good multiple choice
questions with answers given at the end)
- IT puzzles (crossword puzzles - fun but time
consuming)
Don't forget the page about how to do well on the exams:
Mr. Damon's compositions groupées guide.
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To do for Tuesday 11 December:
- Bring back exams. They do not need to be signed.
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Revision for BB 1 in November 2007:
- All the social and ethical issues in Section 1 of the ITGS guide
- Section 2.1.1 Systems Fundamentals
- Section 2.1.2 Networks
- Anthing we have listened to in the podcasts or discussed in class (see
your notes).
Have you seen my compositions
groupées revision guide? Have a look at some of my suggestions
for successful revision and test-taking skills.
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To do for Tuesday 16 October:
- Listen to the Digital Planet podcast from 8 October 2007 (with
stories about Russia using open source software in classrooms and GPS in
the African rainforest). The best way to listen is through iTunes
but it is possible to get it directly from the
BBC Digital
Planet web page. Be careful: this web page may change
because they update it every week.
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First Assignment:
- If you have not done so, find an article and start to highlight the
following
- IT terms (these are the technical vocabulary terms: The
guide says "Information technology is the
acquisition, processing, storage, manipulation and dissemination of
digital information by computing or telecommunications or a combination of
both."
- Social and ethical issues ("Social
impact includes the economic, political, cultural, legal, environmental,
ergonomic, health and psychological effects of IT on human life. Ethical
considerations refer to the responsibility and accountability of those
involved in the design, implementation and use of IT.")
- Stakeholders (those who stand to gain or lose from this
technology)
- Once you have finished highlighting the three things above, send the
article to me. Most of you have already done so.
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At the beginning of the year:
- Be sure you have iTunes on your computer and subscribe to the two
podcasts at the top of this page. Contact me by email if it does not
work - see my How to Contact Mr. Damon page.
- You will need an ITGS notebook, binder or folder.
It is up to you to decide how you want to organize your papers.
There will be notes, photocopies, homeworks and quizzes to keep organized.
- Each student should have a USB thumb drive. Be sure your
name is on the outside somewhere. If ever I collect them, I need to
know whose is whose! Also, if you lose it, we know who to return it
to. If you are buying a new one, I do not recommend the U3 Smart
drives in class. For the moment, they are not compatible with Mac or
Vista. Also, 1 or 2 Gb is enough - do not spend more than 25€ for
this.

- Copy onto your USB drive the IB Programme Guide for
ITGS. You should also have the Academic Honesty guide and the
Extended Essay guide on the USB drive. I recommend that you create a
folder for each subject.
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