
FOUNDATION levels:
Have you ever wondered how a toaster knows how to make your toast the same every time you want it? Amazingly, it is because it is digital. (Click here to see what is inside a toaster). Almost everything in our daily lives is digital. The are:
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What is a digital system? Digital means anything that uses a computer. A "system" is when more than one item combines to make something else. For example an iPad plus a printer is a digital system. The Internet and a smartphone is a digital system. As a class compose a list of possible digital systems.
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Teacher Directed Learning.
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Student Assisted /Guided Learning.
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Independent Student Learning.
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Data and information? Humans invented digital systems to be useful and functional. Like any tool, when you or I use a digital system we create data or information. Data and information can take many forms. It might be sound data for enjoying music. It could be video data. It might be image data for photos and so on.
As a class create a list of all the different types of data that we create in our daily lives. Can you match occupations with types of data? For example a film studio uses lots of sound and video data.
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Teacher Directed Learning.
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Student Assisted/Guided Learning.
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Independent Student Learning.
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This iPad app will allow you to make sounds to patterns you create.
Website: http://singingfingers.com/ Download the App
Play Letters and Numbers Trace Beat

Creating Digital Solutions. Our everyday lives are full of patterns and routines. Routines are patterns that humans and animals repeat knowing that they solve a problem. Think about how you got dressed this morning. Your routine would basically be the same as yesterday. Yet, if the weather was very different you would change your routine to add or change clothing to suit the weather. In this example think of the weather as a problem. As the weather changes your routine (pattern) is changed to achieve the best comfort. You have in fact, changed the routine to solve a problem. Another word for patterns and sequences is algorithm. Digital systems can be written to solve human problems. For example a weather App is a digital algorithm.
Routines, Patterns, Algorithms
