About the course
This course provides students with the opportunity to apply their information and communication technology skills while working in a team environment. Through a project-based approach,students will have opportunities to integrate common business software applications and apply multimedia techniques. Students will further develop their understanding of electronic business and e-commerce environments. The skills acquired in this course will prepare students for success in postsecondary studies and in their future careers.
Information and communication Technology: The Digital Environment
Course Credit
1
Course Price
$ 550.00
Course Developer
My Learning Oasis
Prerequisite(s) (Text)
None
Course Code
Department Head & Contact Information
BTA3O
Manisha Sharma (manisha@mylearningoasis.com)
Course Type
Open
Grade Level
Grade 11
Course Development Date
June 10th, 2021
Course Outline
Digital Literacy
In this unit students will be introduced to the various basic devices in a business computing environment. They will examine the functionality of peripheral devices, classify devices as input, output, or both types of devices. They will look at the basic functions of an operating system and compare some of the common ones for price, productivity, ease of use, flexibility, and general operations. They will be introduced to the basics of network computing and evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of some common networks versus stand alone pcs. Students will look at file management and basic techniques to secure a file and a folder. Students will explore how to use the Internet and other digitized information in doing research.
Expected Hours of Instructions: 28 hours
Productivity Software
In this unit students will be introduced to the advanced features of word processing software to produce common business documents. They will also explore the advanced features of spreadsheet software to perform a variety of tasks like Whatif analysis, Vlookup features, Pivot Tables, Budgeting, Payroll, Amortization. Students will also explore dedicated softwares for such features like accounting and Payroll, database management and more. Students will also explore design software to advertise, develop business cards, logos, letterheads, newsletters, memorandum and more.
Expected Hours of Instructions: 24 hours
Business Communication
Students will explore the various forms of communication and sift out the ones best suited for the business environment. They will investigate the accepted standards of business communication. Students will then analyze the differences and impacts of various modes of communication in the business environment, for instance, face to face versus, electronically written, versus virtual face to face. They will explore which mode is best suited for which issues. Students will learn how to set up such communication technologies to facilitate online communications, for instance, Zoom, MS BrightSpace etc. They will develop a digital portfolio illustrating their information and communication technology competencies and skills.
Expected Hours of Instructions: 24 hours
E-Business
In this unit students will explore the impacts of doing business online and the implications on employment, society, and the economy. They will study how to set up an online presence for the business, for instance, set up a domain, register a domain name, manage or pay to manage the website etc. They will explore e business best practices and ways to improve these practices. In this unit students will study how to create a business website, considering the important aspects such as ease of navigation, ease of finding appropriate information, ease of making a purchase, ease of communication through the website with the consumer and more.
Expected Hours of Instructions: 18 hours
Information and Communication Technology Ethics and Issues
In this unit students will explore the legal issues with doing business online. Such topics will include, but not limited to, privacy issues, disclaimers, copyright issues, etc. Students will look at how online business impacts the environment and society at large. They will look at ways to enhance the positive features of doing business online and ways to mitigate the negative features of doing business online.
Expected Hours of Instructions: 12 hours
Final Project
This is a real-life business venture which the student would have set up during the course of the semester. At this point, the student would have finished it so as to present to the class for 30% of the grade of the course. It will serve as the final exam of the course.
Expected Hours of Instructions: 4 hours
Total 110 hours
Resources
The course material (class notes and necessary handouts) will be provided by the teacher.
The students will be required to have:
● Access to a library or the Internet to do research
● Access to internet as well as electronic devices for note taking and communication for those taking the class online
Overall Curriculum Expectations
A. Digital Literacy
A1 describe the computer workstation environment, using proper terminology;
A2
apply appropriate strategies when organizing and managing electronic files and folders;
A3 demonstrate effective use of tools and techniques of electronic research.
B. Productivity Software
B1 demonstrate the use of advanced features of word processing software to produce common business documents;
B2 demonstrate the ability to use advanced features of spreadsheet software to perform a variety of tasks;
B3 manage information, using database software;
B4 demonstrate the ability to use the features of a variety of design software applications to perform specific tasks.
C. Business Communications
C1 communicate using accepted business standards and formats;
C2 demonstrate effective use of electronic communication tools;
C3 create a digital portfolio illustrating their information and communication technology competencies and skills.
D. E-Business
D1 demonstrate an understanding of e-business concepts and operations;
D2 evaluate the impact of e-business;
D3 design and create an e-business website for a target audience.
E.Information and Communication Technology Ethics and Issues
E1 demonstrate an understanding of the legal, social, and ethical issues related to information and communication technology;
E2 analyse privacy and security issues related to conducting business electronically;
E3 summarize health and environmental issues related to the use of information and communication technology.
Special Accommodations
Only Some students are able, with accommodations, to be part of a regular course curriculum and to demonstrate independent learning. These accommodations allow access to the course without any dilution of the knowledge and skills the student is expected to demonstrate. These required accommodations to facilitate the student’s learning will be identified in his or her IEP (see IEP Standards, 2000, page 11*).
It is likely that IEP for many or all courses will reflect the same accommodations. The instructions and accommodations are geared to meet the diverse needs of learners. The three types of accommodations that are going to be used are:
i) Instructional accommodations - changes in teaching/learning strategies facilitated by different styles of presentation; methods of organization; the use of technology and multimedia.
ii) Environmental accommodations - Certain classroom settings and preferential seating may benefit these students.
iii) Assessment: assessment procedures that enable the student to demonstrate his or her learning, such as Multiple Intelligence Theory, giving more time to complete tasks (see page 29 of the IEP Resource Guide, 2004, for more examples).
For students who require accommodations for only the mathematics courses, the assessment and evaluation of their achievement will be based on the appropriate course curriculum expectations and the achievement levels outlined in this document. The IEP box on the students’ Provincial Report Cards will not be checked, and no information on the provision of accommodations will be included.
* Taken from: Ministry of Education, Ontario. Extracted from The Ontario Curriculum, Grades
11 and 12: Business Studies, 2006; (Pg: 21-22) Date of extraction: Sunday, March 14, 2021
Program Considerations For English Language Learners
Students from a variety of cultural and linguistic backgrounds. For many of these students, English is not their spoken language. They may be coming from highly sophisticated educational systems, while others may have come from regions where access to formal schooling was limited. These students offer a rich addition to the classroom experience by way of their background knowledge and experience. All teachers will assist with their English- language development. In mathematics the teachers will include appropriate adaptations and strategies in their instructions and assessments to facilitate the success of the English language learners in their classrooms. Some of these strategies and adaptations are: modification of some or all of the course expectations so that they are challenging but attainable for the learner at his or her present level of English proficiency, given the necessary support from the teacher.
Teaching/Learning Strategy
The key learning strategy at My Learning Oasis Elite Private School is Constructivism. This format facilitates learning by many techniques, most or all of which will be adopted in the classroom. The most dominant of these is group learning. The facilitator places students of different backgrounds in the same group so that they can feed off each other. Each may bring to the table a different reasoning strategy to facilitate problem-solving. Now, each student becomes a learner and a teacher at the same time, as he/she has to communicate his/her solution.
This builds the students' knowledge base and by default, increases their confidence to speak in a crowd, albeit a small group at the beginning. The famous educationalist, Vygotsky, proved that by placing students in a group they function at the upper level of their zone of proximal development, each one scaffolding the other.
This strategy is further enhanced by the teacher asking leading questions as opposed to giving the answer outright, then allowing for group discussion. The students are encouraged to make connections between what they have learnt and their life experiences, then share with the group. The effect of this strategy is intrinsic motivation and learning. Each student develops an expanded appreciation of the topic at hand by seeing how it applies in different settings around the world by way of listening to their group members. This Constructivist approach will be further accentuated by implementing “fish-bowling”. There are many ways to implement this technique. The one that will mostly be used will be by dividing up the larger problem (technical, mathematics, science, or otherwise) into smaller bits and have each student thoughtfully master one part. That student then teaches the group and facilitates a discussion reflection about the strategy (computational or otherwise) used in the solution.
Each student in turn does this. The above techniques enable students to reflect on the material learnt, make real life connections, and develop problem solving skills. One important by-product of the technique of Constructivism is that each student develops an appreciation of each other’s culture. This cultivates healthy people’s skill, which is not only important for the professional world but for life itself.
Constructivism lends itself well to students whose first language is not the language of instruction and who is new to the class. While other strategies will be used for students having difficulty with the English Language, this technique will definitely be used to enhance their English skill.
Assessment And Evaluation
At My Learning Oasis, course facilitators do not wait for a quiz or exam to determine how well a student is doing. Here, evaluation is an on-going exercise. The pedagogical techniques (refer to Teaching and Learning Strategies) used at My learning Oasis are perhaps the best techniques suited for on-going assessment, hence, they being an integral part of our delivery methodologies. Concrete assessments are made through projects and assignments. However, the evaluation is based on “our flavor” of the Mastery Teaching technique. This ensures that the emphasis is on the quality of learning and NOT grading. Students' projects and homework will continuously be evaluated and re-evaluated with appropriate guidance to meet the school’s and Ministry’s expectations.
At My Learning Oasis, we will work with the students until the projects meet a minimum of a B-grade, unless in extreme circumstances where the willful negligence of the students force lower grades. While this is a lot more taxing on the facilitator, it does not matter because My Learning Oasis is a Learner-centered institution NOT a Grade-Centered nor a Teacher-Centered institution. Four categories of knowledge and skills are outlined in the achievement chart - knowledge and understanding, thinking, communication, and application. Student’s work is assessed and evaluated with respect to these categories, and that achievement of particular expectations is considered within the appropriate categories. A final grade will then be recorded for this course and if that grade is 50% or higher, a credit is granted to the student and recorded for this course. The final grade for this course will be determined as follows:
● For material evaluated throughout the course, seventy percent of the grade will be assigned. This portion of the grade should reflect the student's consistency in his/her level of achievement throughout the course, although special consideration should be given to more recent evidence of achievement.
● Thirty percent of the grade will be based on a final evaluation, which is administered towards the end of the course
Final Exam 30%
Grading for all course work, projects, presentation, participation, interim quizzes and exams 70%
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