BTEC Level 2 First IT Teaching Resource Pack Unit 1 Unit 1 Communicating in the IT industry BTEC Level 2 First IT Software: Week Outcome/topic Content Learner activity Resources Assessment,

Unit 1 Communicating in the IT industry

BTEC Level 2 First IT

© Pearson Education Ltd 2010. Copying permitted for purchasing institution only. This material is not copyright free. 1

Unit overview Credits: 5 This is one of the two mandatory units in this qualification. It focuses on ‘soft’ skills and therefore has little technical IT content. The unit can be delivered on its own or combined with the other mandatory unit, Unit 2. There is also a considerable amount of overlap with Functional skills English, so it could be taught alongside that qualification.

The assessments for this unit are written and marked by the centre. You need to think of a vocational context for the assessments, possibly asking learners to imagine they work in an IT support department in a company where IT users make extensive use of spreadsheets . The grading criteria split logically into three groups aligned with the learning outcomes. P1–P4 cover the general communication methods. P5, M1 and D2 relate to LO2 and specialist communication channels. P6 and M2 focus on the social impacts of IT (LO3).

On completion of this unit, learners should: LO1 be able to communicate information to suit audience, purpose and content LO2 be able to use IT tools to communicate and exchange information LO3 understand the impact of IT on individuals, communities and society.

Unit contents The scheme of work for this unit (page XXX) links to the following resources to help you deliver Unit 1.

LO1 LO2 LO3

Lesson plan LP1 Activity sheet AS1, AS2, AS3 AS4 AS5 Stretch and support E1, 2, 3, 4 E5, 6, 7, 8 E9 PowerPoint PPT1 Interactive activity Video

All of these resources can be found on the accompanying AtWork CD-ROM, as well as an editable version of the scheme of work, answers to the activity sheet questions and questions in the student book.

Links to other units Many learners prefer units with more technical content so integrating this unit with others, such as Unit 2 Working in the IT industry, or with other qualifications such as Functional Skills English can be a better approach compared with dedicated lessons running throughout the year for this unit.

Much of the evidence required by the grading criteria for this unit can also be collected from other units. For example, a user guide produced for another unit (e.g. Unit 4 Business IT skills, Unit 16 Database systems, Unit 26 Developing computer games or Unit 27 Spreadsheet modelling) could be used as evidence for P3.

DRAFT

© P

earson Education Ltd 2010. C

opying permitted for purchasing institution only. This m

aterial is not copyright free. 1

Unit 1 C

omm

unicating in the IT industry B

TEC Level 2 First IT

Scheme of work BTEC First IT Unit 1: Communicating in the IT industry Broad aim: To enable learners to use IT to communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical personnel.

Tutor(s):

Academic year:

Number of weeks: 25

Duration of session: 90 minutes

Guided learning hours: 60

Credits: 5

SB = Student Book

AS = Activity Sheet

E = Extension for Stretch and support

R = Research

PPT = PowerPoint

IA = Interactive activity

V = Video

NS = Non-supervised individual study time

Week Outcome/topic Content Learner activity Resources Assessment, PLTS and Functional skills

Stretch and support

1 Introduction to the unit

LO1: Be able to communicate information to suit audience, purpose and content

Introduction to the unit, learning outcomes and grading

General communication skills: adapting content and style to audience; presentation skills

Whole class teaching and discussion: Introduce the unit and answer any learners’ questions. What makes a good presentation? What makes a boring one?

Activity: Learners do SB Activity: Video a presentation. The class gives positive and constructive feedback on: tone of voice, body language, ability to keep audience engaged.

Discussion: How can we ensure people understand what we say and what we mean?

Copies of the unit specification

Access to DVDs on presentation skills

Video camera

SB Activity: Video a presentation p. xxx

Access to the Internet, e.g. YouTube, to search for videos on ‘Tips on giving a presentation’

Assessment

P1

PLTS: EP, TW

2 LO1 General communication skills: use of technology such as multimedia and animation in presentations

Whole class teaching and discussion: Recap on the previous session. What technology can you use to help engage and interest the audience? What are the benefits and drawbacks of using technology?

Activity: Learners prepare another five-minute presentation (or improve on the one from the previous session). This time include some visual aids (e.g. pictures, animations or a short video).

Access to the Internet to find suitable visual aids for use in the presentation

Access to a projector and whiteboard

Assessment

P1

PLTS: EP

E1

DRAFT

© P




BTEC

Level 2 First IT U

nit 1 Com

municating in the IT industry


Stretch and support

3 LO1 Interpersonal skills: methods for communicating interpersonally

Whole class teaching and discussion: Recap on the previous session.

How does your body language give away what you are thinking and feeling?

Activity: SB Activity: Positive language.

Role plays in pairs: one learner talks on a subject of their choice, the listener acts disinterested and bored. Repeat the activity, with the listener engaged and interested. Discuss how they felt in each situation.

Discussion: When giving a presentation, how can you engage the audience and check that they understand the information you are presenting?

Complete AS2.

Some learners give the presentations they prepared in session 2 using the techniques discussed to engage the audience and check they understand.

DVDs on body language and interview techniques

Access to the Internet, e.g. YouTube for videos on ‘Power of body language’, ‘Learn to speak body’, ‘Public speaking tips: body language’ and ‘How to tell if someone is lying with body language’ (These videos could be used as discussion starters.)

SB Activity: Positive language p. xxx

AS2 Positive and negative language

Assessment

P1

PLTS: TW

FS: English – speaking and listening

ICT – present information in ways that are fit for purpose and audience

E2

4 LO1 The key aspects of effective written communication

Whole class teaching and discussion: Introduce the topic of written communication. Discuss its relevance and importance.

Activity: Learners prepare different documents (e.g. memo, formal letter, email) using an inappropriate tone. In small groups, identify any problems with the documents. Redraft one document in a more appropriate tone.

Learners bring a print-out of an assignment from a unit which is complete or nearly complete. Swap assignments with a partner and check for errors.

Activity: Do AS3 individually or in pairs.

Discussion. Why is it easier to spot errors in other people’s work than your own?

Access to the Internet for examples of documents

Completed (or nearly completed) learner assignments

AS3 Proofreading

Assessment

P2, P3

PLTS: TW

FS: English – writing

DRAFT

© P




Unit 1 C

omm




Stretch and support

5 LO1 Communicate in writing

Whole class teaching and discussion: Recap on the previous session. How can you take good notes?

Activity: Give a short presentation on a relevant topic and ask learners to take notes. In pairs, learners compare what they wrote in their notes.

Short presentation to give to the class

Access to the Internet to find information and advice on ‘How to take good notes’

Assessment

P2, P3

FS: English – writing, speaking and listening

6 LO1 Communicating to different audiences, such as technical and non-technical

Whole class teaching and discussion: Recap on the previous session. How do we modify our language and use of terminology when talking to people with different levels of technical skill and knowledge? How do we know what their level of skill and knowledge is?

Activity: Role plays in groups of three: A user has a technical problem and phones a help desk to get advice. The technician finds out the problem and provides help to the user. The third person observes the conversation and comments on the appropriateness of the help for the user’s level of technical knowledge.

Activity: Learners complete AS1 in groups. They could adapt the presentations they prepared in earlier sessions.

AS1 Presenting to different audiences Assessment P2, P3

PLTS: TW


E3

DRAFT

© P




BTEC

Level 2 First IT U

nit 1 Com



Stretch and support

7 LO1 Communicating to different audiences in writing

Whole class teaching and discussion: Recap on the previous session. How to write material for technical and non-technical audiences. What makes a good manual?

Activity: In a software program, learners look up Help for a task they do not know how to do in (e.g. the SUM function in Excel). In pairs, they review the Help text, bearing in mind it is aimed at non-technical IT users. They consider how they could improve the text to make it easier for non-technical users to understand.

Learners look at examples of technical manuals, and identify what makes some manuals better than others, bearing in mind the intended audience.

Access to Microsoft Office 2007

Examples of technical manuals (both good and bad), e.g. some IT equipment comes with poorly translated manuals which don’t quite make sense

Assessment

P2, P3

PLTS: TW, CT

FS: English – reading

8–9 LO1

P1, P2, P3, M1

Assessment 1

Introduction to the assignment brief

Assignment work

Whole class teaching: Introduce the assignment and explain how to complete each task. Answer learners’ questions about the assignment.

Activity: Learners work on the assignment.

NS – Further non-supervised time will be needed to complete the assessment.

Assessment task 1 as set by the centre

Assessment P1, P2, P3, M1


E4

Provide support as required.

10 LO2: Be able to use IT tools to communicate and exchange information

IT communication channels: documents and presentations

Whole class teaching and discussion: Why it is important to have documents that communicate clearly? What problems can arise if this is not the case?

Activity: Provide learners with documents and presentations that are examples of good and bad communication (perhaps copies of learners’ work from previous years’ with names removed). In small groups learners identify communication errors. Each group thinks of five golden rules for making documents that communicate well.

Examples of documents and presentation slides which communicate well and some that do not, e.g. poor spelling, bad grammar, poor layout

Assessment P4

PLTS: TW FS: English – reading

DRAFT

© P




Unit 1 C

omm




Stretch and support

11 LO2 IT communication channels: web pages, email

Software: other, e.g. email software

Whole class teaching and discussion: Recap on the importance of well-formatted documents.

Activity: Learners prepare for the lesson by selecting a website with a layout that they dislike (NOT the content) and one with a layout that they like. In the lesson, a selection of learners present their choice and say why they do and don’t like the layout of the websites.

Internet access to show examples of poorly and well-designed websites

Websites such as www.websitesthatsuck.com

Assessment

P4

PLTS: RL

12 LO2 IT communication channels: specialist communication channels

Whole class teaching and discussion: Explain the purpose, benefits and drawbacks of a blog. How can you communicate using a blog? How is this different from other methods?

Activity: R – Learners do AS4 individually.

Learners create a blog on a subject of interest to them. They will update their blog over several weeks. Ask them to explain the purpose of their blog and how they have used it to communicate information effectively

Access to the Internet – blogging websites, e.g. http://blogger.com

AS4 Specialist communication channels

Assessment M1

PLTS: CT


E5

13 LO2 Software: specialist software for the visually impaired

Link to Unit 17 Website development

Whole class teaching and discussion: Introduce the topic and the activity.

Activity: Learners do SB Activity: Tools for the visually impaired.

Discussion: Do we consider the visually impaired when creating material for public use (e.g. websites)?

SB Activity: Tools for the visually impaired p. xxx

Access to the Internet to research the RNIB web access centre – which provides advice on how to make websites suitable for the visually impaired

Assessment P3, P4

PLTS: IE

E6

14 LO2 IT communication channels: video conferencing


Activity: Learners participate in a video conference. Split the learners into two or more groups in different rooms and get them to choose a topic for the conference – this can be a discussion related to another unit or perhaps a debate about some issue of interest.

Discussion: Did the use of video conferencing make the discussion easier or harder than if everyone was in the same room? What are the benefits and drawbacks of video conferencing?

Video cameras

Video conference software

(You may need to check with your IT support department that sufficient network bandwidth is available for video conferencing.)

Assessment

P5, M1

PLTS: RL


E7

DRAFT

© P




BTEC

Level 2 First IT U

nit 1 Com



Stretch and support

15 LO2 Software tools: proofreading tools


Activity: Learners bring in a piece of work (e.g. a partially complete assignment for another unit). They use a spelling and grammar checker to proofread the document, highlighting changes made. (This can be used as part of the evidence for Assessment activity 1, task 2, covering P4.)

Existing documents for proofreading

Access to a word-processing program with a spelling and grammar checker

Assessment

P4


E8

16 LO2 Safety: personal information; viewing digital content; uploading digital content; respect towards others; data protection regulations

Whole class teaching and discussion: Explain and discuss the dangers of IT communication, ease of copying, interception by others (e.g. emails), the Data Protection Act.

Activity: R – In small groups, learners research one risk associated with IT communications, e.g. plagiarism, loss of personal data, spam emails, phishing emails. Each group feeds back to the whole class on their findings.

Access to news websites such as the BBC news website to find examples of the risks of IT communication

Magazines such as PC Magazine or PC Pro may have relevant articles

Assessment P5

PLTS: TW

17 LO2 Safety: securing data

Whole class teaching and discussion: What methods of securing data are there?

Activity: Learners think of an organisation that deals with/processes personal information and produce a poster for display in the office, explaining the importance of data security and advising on precautions that should be taken.

Large sheets of paper

Marker pens

Access to the Internet for research and to find images and diagrams to add to posters

Assessment P6

FS: English –writing

18–19 LO2

P4, P5, D1

Assessment 2


Assignment work

Whole class teaching: Introduce the assignment and answer learners’ questions about the assignment.

Activity: Learners work on the assignment. They need to produce a word-processed document, a presentation and a web page.

NS – Further non-supervised time will be needed to complete the assessment.


Examples of user guides

To cover D1 provide an example of a technical document for the learners to evaluate.

Assessment P4, P5, D1

PLTS: IE, CT


20 Mop up Additional support and finishing off time for any aspect of the unit

Activity: Learners work on final completion of any outstanding parts of the assessment work (Assessment tasks 1 and 2).

DRAFT

© P




Unit 1 C

omm




Stretch and support

21 LO3: Understand the impact of IT on individuals, communities and society

The impact of IT on society

Whole class teaching and discussion: What impact has IT had on society – locally, nationally and globally?

Activity: Learners do SB Activity: Life before computers as homework.

R – Learners do SB Activity: Broadband access.

In small groups, learners complete AS5.

R – In small groups, learners investigate one aspect of the impact of IT on society: changes in employment; communications; shopping; legal issues; negative impacts. Each group feeds back to the whole class.

NS – Research the positive and negative impacts of IT on society (for debate in Session 22).

SB Activity: Life before computers

SB Activity: Broadband access AS5 Impact of IT

Access to the Internet for research, e.g. BBC news website, technology section

Magazines such as .net and PC Pro are likely to have relevant articles.

Assessment

P6

PLTS: TW, IE


E9

22 LO3 Abuse of IT Whole class teaching and discussion: Introduce the topic. Organise a class debate on the motion ‘This house believes that the negative impacts of IT on society outweigh the positive ones’. Allocate speakers for and against the motion so they can prepare before the debate.

Assessment P4

PLTS: EP


23–24 LO3

P6, M2

Assessment 3


Assignment work

Whole class teaching: Introduce the assignment and explain how to complete each task. Answer learners’ questions about the assignment.

Activity: Learners work on the assignment. They need to produce a presentation on the impact of IT.


Assessment

P6, M2

PLTS: EP, IE


25 Mop up Additional support and finishing off time for any aspect of the unit

Activity: Learners work on final completion of any outstanding parts of the assessments for this unit.

The timings in this scheme of work reflect the time the learner is engaged in learning for the unit with the tutor (Guided Learning Hours, GLH) only.

Guided Learning Hours (GLH): all the times when a tutor, trainer or facilitator is present to give guidance. This includes lessons, lectures, tutorials and supervised study in, for example, learning resource centres and workshops. It also includes time spent by staff assessing learner’s achievements.

DRAFT

© P




Unit 1 C

omm



Lesson plan – Week 1 Aims To enable learners to understand what makes a good presentation and to be able to prepare and give a five-minute presentation.

SB = Student Book

This is a 90-minute lesson.

Learning outcomes ● All learners will be able to identify what makes a good presentation. ● Most learners will be able to give a presentation which demonstrates some good features. ● Some learners will be able to give a presentation which demonstrates good communication skills and fully engages the listeners.

Timing/ content

Tutor activity Learner activity Resources Individualised activity/differentiation

Assessment, PLTS and FS

15 mins Welcome to the session and aims of the lesson written on the board. Register.

Introduce the unit, look at the learning outcomes and grading. Introduce the topic of general communication skills.

Learners settle and read the aims. They listen to the introduction, taking notes and asking questions as necessary.

Whiteboard/Interactive whiteboard

PC

Copy of the unit specification (paper-based or electronic)

Projector

Direct questions to quiet learners to ensure that everyone is drawn into the discussion. Ask directed questions to check understanding.

Assessment

P1

10 mins Presentation and discussion on what makes a good presentation, giving some practical examples of good and bad techniques and asking learners for further ideas.

Learners take part in the discussion, giving ideas of good and bad presentation techniques. Write up the ideas on the whiteboard.

Whiteboard, flip chart or ‘Smart’ board Ask directed questions to check understanding.

Assessment P1

15 mins Ask learners to prepare a 5-minute presentation on themselves (no visual aids are allowed). Support as required

Prepare presentations Access to computers with PowerPoint

Video cameras

Assessment

P1


35 mins Organise learners to give their presentations keeping to a strict five minutes each

Brief feedback session after each presentation, allowing only constructive comments.

Learners give their presentations. The listeners complete a checklist on each presentation and give constructive feedback.

Checklist for listeners to complete on tone of voice, body language, ability to keep audience engaged, etc.

Video camera

Some learners may be shy about giving a presentation. Let the more confident ones do their presentations first.

Assessment

P1


DRAFT

© P




BTEC

Level 2 First IT U

nit 1 Com


Timing/ content

Tutor activity Learner activity Resources Individualised activity/differentiation

Assessment, PLTS and FS

10 mins General feedback and discussion on the presentations, focusing on the positive points and how we can ensure people understand what we are saying.

Learners take part in the discussion, giving constructive feedback and suggesting ideas.

Direct more difficult question to more able learners, easier ones to less able learners. Direct questions to quiet learners to ensure that everyone is drawn into the discussion.

Assessment

P1

PLTS: RL

5 mins Summary of lesson with questions to check understanding

Learners ask and answer questions.

Direct more difficult questions to more able learners, easier ones to less able learners.

Assessment P1

DRAFT


Unit 1 Communicating in the IT industry BTEC Level 2 First IT

Stretch and support E1 Including multimedia in presentations Learners may be able to produce their own animations or graphics, to support their presentations, possibly from another unit they are studying, rather than just downloading something from the Internet.

E2 Lip reading and signing The unit content mentions lip reading and signing. There is also some content in LO2 to do with disabilities (see E6), so you could introduce a theme on disability and how IT can help overcome some disabilities (also links with LO3). Invite a trained signer into the class to teach learners a few words of sign language.

E3 Dealing with non-technical users Arrange for learners to shadow help desk staff, either in your school/college or in external organisations, to get an idea about the sort of problems they deal with and how they cope with non-technical users.

E4 Achieving M1 To achieve M1, learners will need to explain why they are using a specialist channel, as opposed to a more traditional form of communication.

E5 Using blogs in education Blogs can be used to help and support learners. Learners can record their progress and difficulties on the course and their peers can comment and provide help and support. Look into setting up a blog for this unit or maybe the whole qualification. Learners may also want to try running their own blog, but make sure it is used mainly for educational purposes.

E6 Website accessibility Ask learners to check websites they have created or commonly used against the RNIB accessibility criteria. (Google ‘RNIB web access centre’.)

E7 Video conferencing Support: Some learners may be shy or embarrassed about using video conferencing. They may find it helpful to prepare what they are going to say beforehand and try a dry run. You could also try to use video conferencing for a more ambitious project like doing a joint assignment with another school or college.

E8 Using Autocorrect If learners find there are certain words that they commonly misspell, they can use the Auto-correct feature in Microsoft Word to correct them automatically (links to Unit 9 Customising software).

E9 The digital divide Stretch: Learners could research the ‘digital divide’ and what can be done about it. There is plenty of material on the Internet on this topic, but also encourage learners to come up with their own ideas.

DRAFT



Presenting to different audiences Work in a small group of three or four. Each person will prepare and give a presentation on an IT-related subject. Half of the members of the group will prepare their presentation for a technical audience (for example, to other IT students). The other half will prepare their presentation for a non-technical audience (for example, students on a course that is not related to IT).

The presentation can be on a subject of your choice, perhaps about something you have covered recently on your course in another unit.

Once you have prepared your presentations, give them to the rest of the group. It will be useful if one group member videos your presentation so you can review it afterwards. The other members of the group should use this form to give you feedback on the presentation.

Presenter’s name

Topic of presentation

Audience (tick) Technical Non-technical

Constructive comments

Use of technical terminology

Suitability for audience

Modulation of voice to make presentation more interesting

Overall comments

When using this form, make sure your comments are constructive. For example, it is not helpful to say ‘The presentation was boring.’ It would be constructive to say ‘The presentation could have been more interesting if John had used some pictures or diagrams.

AS1

DRAFT



Positive and negative langauge One possible career path for you in the future is as an IT support technician, dealing with problems that users have with their computers. Spoken and written communication skills are very important in this job. It is important when dealing with users to use language which is positive and encouraging. For each of the situations given in the table below, reword the text so it uses positive language positive.

Negative language Positive language

When answering the phone:

‘IT helpdesk, what’s the problem?’

When the user explains what problem they are having:

‘OK, stop now. I know what you are doing wrong.’

When the user apologises for calling with such a simple problem:

‘Yeah, I would have thought you would know how to do that by now!’

When the user is having problems following the instructions you are giving them:

‘Can you listen more carefully? I haven’t got all day.’

When the user cannot follow what you are saying:

‘Look, is there anyone else there who knows what they are doing? This is hopeless.’

After giving a set of instructions to fix the problem:

‘I’ve got to go now. Call me back if that doesn’t work.’

At the end of the call the user thanks you for your help:

‘Yeah, well try not to make the same mistake next time.’

AS2

DRAFT



Proofreading Proofread these paragraphs of text and see if you can find all the errors.

There are eight errors in each paragraph. Underline each error, then write the correct word for each error.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

AS3

Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi hotspots can be found in many different palaces, from cafés, to railway station to campsites, allowing you access to the internet form almost anywhere. It many cases acess is free, although some places make a charge. Using a secured network is safer than and unsecured one, but when using public hotspots you should not send any sensitive information such as passwords or other security information. With a secured Wi-Fi network you will need to know the access code in order to log on to the network. Once you have entered the security code Windows will remember it for the next tiem you want to use that Wi-Fi network.

‘Phishing’

With so many people finding managing their bank accounts on line easy and convenient, there as been in increase in activities by criminals hoping to fool online banking users into giving away their security access details. The most common method used is know as ‘phishing’. With this method criminals obtain email addresses for as many people as possible, using a variety of methods, and then send an email to all the addresses. The email appear to be from a bank and ask the recipient to follow a link within the email. The link takes them to a website which may look like the online banking log-on page of the bank in question but is actually controlled by the criminals. If the user then enters their actual bank log-on details into the bogus page, then these details can be used by the criminals to log on to the real online banking site and transfer money out of the person’s account. Although banks regularly remind there customers that they would never send a email requesting them to enter their log on details, people still fall for this type of fraud.

DRAFT



Specialist communication channels

A specialist communication channel is a method of communication which is a little ‘out of the ordinary’, so it does not include email or communication by phone or letter.

In this activity you will research the nature and purpose of different specialist communication methods, some of which you can try out for yourself.

Twitter 1. Twitter is sometimes called a ‘micro-blogging site’. What does this mean?

2. What is the purpose of Twitter?

3. What sort of people use it and what do they use it for?

4. How can you connect to Twitter?

5. How is Twitter different from social networking sites like Facebook?

Blogs 1. What is a blog?

AS4

You can create you own Twitter account if you want, or become a follower of other people on Twitter (many famous people have Twitter accounts).

DRAFT

2 © Pearson Education Ltd 2010. Copying permitted for purchasing institution only. This material is not copyright free.



2. How do you create a blog and what do people use them for?

3. How are blogs different from Twitter?

4. Could you use a blog to help you with your course? How could it help you?

Podcasts 1. What is a podcast?

2. What are podcasts used for?

3. How are podcasts different from blogs?

Wikis 1. What is a Wiki?

2. What are wikis used for?

3. How are wikis different from blogs?

There are a number of websites which allow you to create your own blog free of charge. Find one and, with a group of your classmates, create a blog about your course and communicate with each other using the blog.

DRAFT



Impact of IT IT has had a big impact on our society. Many of these impacts have been positive, but there have been negative impacts too.

Working in a small group, discuss each of the developments in IT that are listed in the table below. Decide what the positive benefits have been and what negative drawbacks are.

IT development Positive impacts Negative impacts

Email

Online shopping

Online banking

Smart phones

Laptop computers

Netbook computers

MP3 music

Social networking websites like Facebook

IM programs like MSN Messenger

Search websites like Google

Information sites like Wikipedia

AS5

DRAFT



Student book answers LO1: Just checking 1. List three things you need to consider about your audience when talking to them.

● Any three from: their level of technical knowledge, their age, their culture or country of origin, any disabilities they may have.

2. List three things you can do to improve PowerPoint® presentation slides. ● Any three from: Include diagrams, animations and videos. Keep diagrams and charts simple.

Don’t have too much text on each slide. Use a slide template consistently. Make sure text size and colours are legible.

3. Explain, with an example, the difference between facts and opinions. ● A fact is based on some research which proves the statement to be true. For example, a PC

magazine might test the performance of various computers and so be able to say which was the fastest. An opinion is just what you think and is not based on any test or research, so for example you might say, ‘My PC is faster that my friend’s.’

4. Give an example of how you can show you are listening when someone is talking to you. ● Nodding in agreement.

5. Before sending a business email, what methods can you use to check it is correct and makes sense? ● Spell and grammar check it and proofread it carefully.

LO2: Just checking 1. List two Windows® tools that people with visual impairments might find useful.

● Any two from: the magnifier, the narrator, adjustable mouse pointer.

2. When a word in Word® 2007 is underlined in green, what does this mean? How can you deal with this problem? ● It indicates that the grammar checker considers there to be a grammatical error. You can right

click on the underlined word to see the explanation and suggested solution.

3. Explain the difference between a blog and a wiki. ● A blog is a website in which a person or group provides a commentary or diary about a subject of

interest. A wiki is different because it is designed to allow a group of users to collaborate and share information in a quick and simple manner.

4. List the eight Data Protection Principles. ● Data may only be used for the purposes for which it was collected. ● Data must not be passed on to other people without the consent of the person whom it is about. ● People have a right of access to the information held about them. ● Personal information may be kept for no longer than is necessary and must be kept up to date. ● Personal information may not be sent outside Europe unless the person whom it is about has

agreed. ● All organisations that process personal information must register with the Information

Commissioner’s Office.

DRAFT

2 © Pearson Education Ltd 2010. Copying permitted for purchasing institution only. This material is not copyright free.



● Organisations that keep personal information are required to have adequate security measures in place.

● People have the right to have incorrect information about them corrected.

5. What method can you use to secure data sent over a wireless network link? ● encryption

LO3: Just checking 1. Give two examples of jobs that have been changed by IT.

● administrators (who used to keep paper-based records), typists (who used to type letters on a typewriter)

2. How has IT made copyright difficult to enforce in some circumstances? ● Electronic copies of music, books and films can be downloaded from the Internet. They can be

copied much more easily than the traditional versions of these media.

3. Why are some people in the UK unable to connect to broadband Internet? ● Because they live too far from a telephone exchange and it is too expensive for telephone or

cable companies to lay cables to areas where not many people live.

4. Describe three ways in which IT systems can be abused. ● Any three from: cyber bullying, spam, phishing, denial of service attack.

Final page: Just checking 1. Give three examples of major impacts IT has had on the society we live in.

● Changes to jobs and employment structure ● Changes to entertainment (e.g. how we listen to music and watch films) and the way people

spend their free time ● Legal impacts related to copyright of media such as music and films

2. What are the issues associated with personal information and IT? ● A large amount of personal information is stored in computerised files which can be copied and

misused much more easily than paper-based records.

3. What kind of spelling errors will a spelling checker fail to spot? ● Where the word is correctly spelt but it is the wrong word in the context

4. When giving a presentation, how can you check everyone is following what you are saying? ● Ask questions to check understanding.

5. What can you do to make note taking easier? ● Be prepared by having paper and pen ready. ● Pick out the key points. ● Use diagrams, abbreviations and symbols. ● Use a highlighter pen to identify important points. ● Review and file your notes after the lesson.

DRAFT



6. Explain what the WEEE directive is. ● It is a regulation which states that manufacturers of electrical equipment must provide a way for

the purchaser to dispose of the equipment that the new purchase is replacing.

DRAFT

Documents

BTEC Level 2 First IT Teaching Resource Pack Unit 1 Unit 1 Communicating in the IT industry BTEC Level 2 First IT Software: Week Outcome/topic Content Learner activity Resources Assessment,