What's Technology all about for Yr 7 students @ Bulli High School?

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TECHNOLOGY GLOSSARY (from the TM Syllabus)

Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander People(s)

The term describes people who are either Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander or are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander.

An Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person is someone who:

·         is of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent

·         identifies as an Aboriginal person and/or Torres Strait Islander person, and

·         is accepted as such by the Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander community in which they live.

abstraction

Abstraction is the process by which data and programs are defined with a representation similar in form to its meaning while hiding away the implementation details. Abstraction tries to temporarily ignore details so that the programmer can focus on a few concepts at a time. Algorithms must ultimately be broken down into simple instructions for a digital system to execute.

accessibility

The extent to which a system, environment or object may be used irrespective of a user’s capabilities or abilities. For example, the use of assistive technologies to allow people with disabilities to use computer systems, or the use of icons in place of words to allow young children to use a system.

advancing technologies

New technologies that are still immature or will be developed over the next five to ten years, which may deliver significant value and substantially alter the business and social environment.

aesthetics

Aesthetics is concerned with the visual impact or appeal of a product or environment and is influenced by social, emotional and demographic factors.

algorithm

A step-by-step procedure required to solve a problem. Algorithms may be presented in many ways, for example written instructions, flowcharts or using a computer programming language.

app

A software program designed for a specific purpose to run on mobile devices or on a personal computer. An abbreviation of the word ‘application’.

automate

In Digital Technologies, any process of transforming and manipulating data that does not require user intervention. For example, through the use of formulae in a spreadsheet, new sets of data can be processed and the results recalculated automatically, or a webcam can be turned on as a result of movement sensor input.

binary

The method a digital system uses to store and manipulate data. Binary (or base-2) is a numeric system that uses only two digits, 0 and 1, which can easily be presented within a computer as an on or off state. Binary can be used to represent: small to very large numbers, Boolean values (true or false), the colour values of a pixel on a screen, or the letters used when you type on a keyboard.

Some examples of binary numbers:

Decimal            Binary

0                      0

1                      1

2                      10

3                      11

10                    1010

bitmap

A digital image composed of a matrix of dots (pixels). Each pixel is represented by a number or set of numbers representing its colour (see pixel).

branching

An instruction in a computer program or algorithm that causes different actions to be performed depending on specified conditions. For example, in testing whether a light works, the following algorithm uses branching:

built environment

The manufactured artefacts and surroundings that provide the setting for human activity.

characteristics

When discussing materials the characteristics are the qualities used to determine their use and the way people work with them. They might include colour, hardness and strength.

When discussing food the characteristics are the nutritional qualities used to determine their use in preparing nutritious food.

components

Parts or elements that make up a system or whole object. At the simplest level a computer has two main components: the hardware and the software. The components of a computer system may include a central processing unit, hard disk, monitor, keyboard and mouse (see hardware).

computer-aided drawing (CAD)

Software used by designers, architects and engineers to create lines, shapes and planes that can be combined, moved, rotated, adjusted and rendered. Measurements and calculations can be included. CAD can be used to create two- and three-dimensional models and drawings, such as floor plans, interiors and garden designs, and to represent objects and structures. Also known as computer-assisted design.

computer-aided manufacturing (CAM)

A use of geometric design data (coordinates) to control computer numerically control (CNC) machine tools for manufacturing components and objects.

copyright

The protection provided to the creators of original works that offers a legal framework for the control and reproduction or transmission of their creations. Copyright protects written works, computer programs and artistic works such as: architecture, broadcasts, computer programs, drawings, films, music, paintings, photographs, sound recordings and videos.

criteria

A descriptive list of essential features against which success can be measured and evaluated.

customary

Relates to customs or practices associated with a particular society, place or set of circumstances.

data

Raw, unorganised facts and figures. Data is the facts or details from which information is derived. For data to become information, data needs to be put into context. A list of temperatures recorded in a city for the past ten years is data – it does not provide any information until it is analysed so that patterns are visible and conclusions can be drawn.

decompose

To break a complex problem or solution into parts that are easier to understand, design and implement.

design and production folio

Ongoing evidence of the application of a design and production process and the specific technologies used.

design process

The process of designing (see designing).

design thinking

Thought process involved in understanding and developing solutions to design needs and opportunities.

designed solution

A product, service or environment that has been created for a specific purpose or intention as a result of design thinking, and design and production processes.

designing

A process that typically involves identifying and defining, researching and planning, producing and implementing, and testing and evaluating to create a designed solution that considers social, cultural and environmental factors.

digital citizenship

An acceptance and upholding of the norms of appropriate, responsible behaviour with regard to the use of digital technologies. Digital citizenship includes appropriate online etiquette, literacy in how digital technologies work and how to use them, an understanding of ethics and related law, knowing how to stay safe online, and advice on related health and safety issues, such as online predators and the permanence of data.

digital footprint

Traces of data left behind by a person using a digital system. A person’s digital footprint includes all information actively provided by that person, such as interactions on social networks, online purchases, emails and instant messages. It also includes passive information, such as logs of software installed and used on a computer, metadata associated with files, a user’s internet protocol (IP) address, a device being used to access a webpage, and a user’s browsing history stored as cookies or by internet service providers.

digital information

The nature and forms of information stored digitally, and processes that transform digital data into information for various purposes and meanings, including structures, properties, features and conventions of particular forms of digital information and appropriate methods of storage, transmission and presentation of each form.

digital solution

A result (or output) of transforming data into information or action using digital systems, skills, techniques and processes to meet a need or opportunity.

digital system

Computer hardware and software components (internal and external) used to transform data into a digital solution. When digital systems are connected, they form a network.

digital technologies

The term digital technologies refers to electronic tools, systems, devices and resources that generate, process or store data, and may include applications, games, microcontrollers, mobile devices, multimedia, networks, robotics.

engineering

A practical application of scientific and mathematical understanding and principles as a part of the process of developing and maintaining solutions for an identified need or opportunity.

environment

The surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal or plant lives or operates. An environment may also be natural, managed, constructed or digital.

evaluate

Assessing performance against predetermined criteria.

fibre

Plant or animal-based materials that can be used for clothing or construction. Animal-based (protein) fibres include silk and wool. Plant- based (cellulosic) fibres include bamboo, cotton, hemp and timber.

food and fibre production

A process of producing food or fibre as natural materials for later use in the design and development of a range of products.

function

A term used in programming to describe a self-contained sequence of instructions that performs a specific task or tasks and is designed to be able to be reused throughout the program. Functions often accept some kind of input, perform some process on that input, and return a result that can be used by other parts of a program. Most programming languages allow for user-defined functions, but will also provide pre-defined functions.

general-purpose programming language

A coding or programming language used to write computer software. It uses letters, numbers and symbols arranged in a prescribed format (language) to instruct a computer how to carry out specific tasks. Also known as text-based programming.

graphical representation technique

A technique used to communicate ideas and plans, for example sketching, drawing, modelling, making patterns, technical drawing and computer-aided drawing.

hardware

The collection of physical components that constitute a computer system, all of which are tangible objects. Hardware includes both internal components (eg computer data storage, graphic cards, motherboard) and external components (eg monitor, keyboard, mouse) of the system, as well as any peripheral devices (eg cameras, printers) that can be connected.

health

A state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity (World Health Organization 1948).

healthy eating

Dietary patterns that aim to promote health and wellbeing, including types and amounts of foods and food groups that reduce the risk of diet-related conditions and chronic disease (National Health and Medical Research Council 2013).

Indigenous

Internationally recognised term for the first people of a land. In NSW the term ‘Aboriginal person/Peoples’ is preferred.

Indigenous cultural and intellectual property

Includes objects, sites, cultural knowledge, cultural expression and the arts, that have been transmitted or continue to be transmitted through generations as belonging to a particular Indigenous group or Indigenous people as a whole or their territory (see intellectual property).

Industry 4.0

Industry 4.0 (the ‘fourth industrial revolution’) refers to the current trend of improved automation, machine-to-machine and human-to-machine communication, artificial intelligence, continued technological improvements in advanced manufacturing technologies.

information system

The combination of digital systems, people and processes that collect, manage and analyse data.

input

Data or information put into a digital system to activate or modify a process.

intellectual property

Non-material assets such as forms of cultural expression that belong to a particular individual or community. Intellectual property rights refer to the rights that the law grants to individuals for the protection of creative, intellectual, scientific and industrial activity, such as inventions (see Indigenous cultural and intellectual property, and copyright).

iteration

A repetition of a process in computer programming where each repeated cycle builds towards a desired result. An example of an iterative process with code designed to add the numbers from 1 to 9 is shown below.

sum = 0

for number = 1 to 9 sum = sum + number

land management

A process of developing land and monitoring its use in a sustainable way, usually for purposes of producing food and providing fibre for clothing and housing. Includes providing protection for flora and fauna, and preventing and controlling weeds (see water management).

managed environment

An environment coordinated by humans for a purpose, for example a farm or orchard.

material

A substance from which something can be made. Materials can be manipulated and are used to create products or environments.

microcontroller

A microcontroller is a small computer built for the purpose of dealing with specific tasks, such as managing the engine in a car, displaying information in a microwave control panel or receiving information from a television’s remote control. Microcontrollers process data inputted by users (eg keypad) or sensors (eg light).

Description: English: Arduino Uno Date: 14 April 2014, 13:49 Source: ARDU-UNO-03-Front Author: oomlout

model

A mathematical, conceptual or physical representation that describes, simplifies, clarifies or provides an explanation of the structure, workings or relationships within an object, system or idea. Models can provide a means of testing and predicting behaviour within limited conditions. Models may be physical or exist in digital form.

multimedia

The use of digital technologies to present combinations of text, graphics, video, animation and/or sound in an integrated way. Where there is facility for a user to interact with multimedia, the term ‘interactive multimedia’ may be used. Examples include interactive games, media-rich websites, electronic books (eBooks) and animated films.

nutritious foods

Foods that supply the nutrients needed by a body to grow, develop and maintain health.

output

A result of something (physical or virtual), such as power, energy, action, material or information produced by a person, machine or a system.

peripheral device

A digital component that can be connected to a digital system but is not essential to the operation of the system, for example digital camera, printer, scanner.

personal protective equipment (PPE)

Equipment used or worn by a person to minimise risk to the person’s health or safety, for example apron, ear muffs, face shield, gloves, goggles, hard hat.

pixel

A physical point in a bitmap image or on a display device that corresponds to the smallest addressable element within the bitmap. On a computer screen a pixel represents a single dot or point (see bitmap).

preferred futures

A selected future identified by a student, used to inform the creation and evaluation of solutions.

producing

Actively realising (making) designed solutions, using appropriate resources and means of production.

product

The tangible end results of natural, human, mechanical, manufacturing, electronic or digital production and processes.

production process

A technologies context-specific process used to transform technologies into a product, service or environment, for example the steps used for producing a product.

programming language

Programming languages in common use are designed to solve a wide range of problems. They include procedural, functional and object-oriented programming languages, including scripting and/or dynamically typed languages (see general-purpose programming language).

project

An individual or collaborative problem solving activity undertaken by students that is planned to achieve an articulated aim.

project management

The process of planning, organising, controlling resources, monitoring timelines and activities, and completing a project to achieve a goal that meets identified criteria.

properties

Distinctive characteristics of a material that can be identified, tested and used to help people select the one most suitable for a particular use.

protocol

A set of generally accepted standards or 'rules' that govern relationships and interactions between and within information systems.

prototype

A trial product or model built to test an idea or process to inform further design development. Its purpose is to see if and how well the design works and is tested by users and systems analysts. A prototype can be both a physical object or exist in digital form (see models).

pseudocode

An informal high-level description of a computer program, process or algorithm. It is intended for humans to understand the flow of operations without necessarily needing to understand a programming language (see structured English).

real-world problem

A question raised for inquiry, consideration or solution in a context that students can relate to through their knowledge, social experience or environmental familiarity.

resources

Materials, data, systems, components, tools and equipment used to create solutions for identified needs and opportunities, and the knowledge, understanding and skills used by people involved in the selection and use of these. Resources can also include energy, finance and time.

sampling and quantisation

In digital signal processing, sampling and quantisation are two steps used in the conversion of an analog signal to a digital signal.

sensor

A sensor is a device that detects and responds to some type of input from the physical environment. The specific input could be heat, light, moisture, motion or pressure. The output is generally a signal that is converted to human-readable display at the sensor location or transmitted electronically over a network for further processing. For example a motion sensor used on automatic doors and light sensors to automatically control garden lights.

services

A system supplying a public need, such as transport, communications, or utilities such as electricity and water. Services are a less tangible outcome of design and production processes (compared to products) but are still designed to meet a need or want.

simple machines

Any of the basic mechanical devices for applying a force: the lever, the wheel and axle, the inclined plane, the wedge, the pulley and the screw.

structured data

Data with a high degree of organisation, such that it can easily be analysed and processed using algorithms. The organisation of the data takes on a form that captures the properties and behaviours of the source the data represents.