Information Technology Applications 2007

DatabasesDatabases

Mark Kelly, McKinnon Secondary College

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General ITA Advice

• Only two outcomes in each of units 3 and 4 in Information Technology Applications (ITA)

• But, the outcomes are bigger.• All outcomes have multiple tasks, except

Unit 4 Outcome 2 (U4O2)

• Each task is marked separately with its own marking scheme.

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U3O1

• Database outcome has 2 tasks…– Database information project [40 marks]– Project management report & record of

progress (created with software, not by pen) [10 marks]

• More info later.

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Tests

• U3O2 and U4O2 offer the option of assessing with a test – go for it!

• Good practice reading and answering questions in exam conditions.

• Tests are quicker to finish and usually easier to mark.

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Practical / theoretical

• Every outcome except U4O2 has a practical component, so you can balance theory and hands-on activities.

• Practice reinforces the theory and relieves kids with limited concentration spans.

• Different outcomes will need different amounts of practice time.

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Bleedin’ obvious, but…

• Aim for a variety of practical tasks that will appeal - even only occasionally – to each student’s preferred learning style.

• An unrelieved diet of lectures, or question-and-answer worksheets, or group work or anything will disadvantage kids.

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Get out of the lab

• Consider having one period purposely timetabled out of the computer room.– Lets other teachers get into computer facilities– Encourages you to investigate some richer

methods of approaching theory - creative pedagogical juices flow more freely with no computers to fall back on.

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More bleedin’ obvious stuff

• Undirected or vague instructions can waste valuable class time.

• E.g. Asking students to “browse the web and find some good websites” or “read up on databases” will be fruitless for most kids.

• Start with discussion or structured tasks to give kids a starting point, a structure and limits. Then they can explore by themselves more productively.

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More of the obvious

• Give specific aims and objectives that kids can easily tell whether they have been achieved or not.

• At the start of Unit 3, kids are just tall year 11s and many lack sophisticated study skills. Teach them skills e.g. note taking, how to create revision notes.

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Group work

• VCAA says none of the Unit 3 or 4 SACs can be done in groups, but group work is good while working towards some outcomes.

• Weaker students can learn valuable techniques from stronger team-mates students

• E.g. basic skills like highlighting key words in instructions, creating directory structures, organising notes and time, taking notes, designing output, testing solutions.

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Guys and Dolls

• Boys usually outnumber girls in mixed-sex IT classes

• Be sensitive to the needs of girls when creating tasks. Avoid scenarios that may be alienating or foreign to them.

• Include skilled and confident females in your case studies and scenarios.

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Girls• May be outnumbered, but they

often outperform the boys.

• Technical skills and interest in IT may be less developed but they often surpass boys in ‘administrative’ skills

• E.g. reading questions carefully, designing and evaluating, organising time, prioritising tasks, fulfilling criteria.

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Everyone Needs Help

• Identify and help girls who need to improve IT technical skills or general IT familiarity

• Identify and help boys with poor concentration, organisational skills or literacy skills.

• And vice versa

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For their own good

• You can structure your tasks to force certain desired skills.

• For example, students tend to skimp on design and leap into production

• Simply assign the first 2 periods to analysis and design and do not turn on the computers during the first two periods.

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• To prevent students doing design after finishing production, assess their design as soon as the allocated ‘design time’ has run out.

• Any design done after production starts will not count.

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More bleedin’ obvious stuff

• Always collect their instruction sheet and their work-in-progress at the end of each class.

• Makes it harder for them to work on tasks out of class time or to help students who were absent when the task began.

• Locking kids out of their SAC files is a pain, but is sometimes necessary.

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Warming Kids Up• You can get kids in ITA who:

– didn’t do IT units 1 and 2 – or any IT since year 7!– didn’t want to do ITA, but could not get into any other subject.

• You can get big differences in kids’ skill levels.• Do a survey or pre-test to gauge your class’ skill range.• Well before starting a SAC, tell kids exactly what software

tools they need to know, including what functions they need to be able to do (e.g. Excel 2003: VLOOKUP, IF, OR, SUMIF, cell protection)

• Accelerate weak kids’ skill development with work done by junior students e.g. year 10 IT database tasks.

• They can work on these tasks in their own time well before the SAC begins.

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I know nothing

• It may be best to assume that the students know nothing when starting new topics.

• Even if kids have extensive knowledge of some areas such as web authoring, they might know little or nothing about other areas such as designing good interfaces.

• Kids often over-estimate their actual skill level.• You can be confident that every student has

been exposed to the basics at least once• Use proficient students as peer mentors.

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ESL and others

• No dictionaries or electronic language translators allowed into the end of year exam.

• Up to you whether kids can use them during SACs.• Keep the language in questions and instructions

straightforward and unambiguous: simple sentences, appropriate vocabulary.

• Use IT terminology precisely – e.g. Mbps is very different to MBps, and ‘database management software’ is usually not the same as a ‘database’.

• Revise tasks as soon as you finish marking them. Next year, you won’t remember what needed fixing!

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Resources• Start by giving kids the study design.• It’s on the IPM (ITA) Lecture Notes site (vceit.com)• Tip - Photocopy a new copy each year for yourself, and

tick off key knowledge as you cover it.

ALSO• howstuffworks.com = how things work• webopedia.com = IT definitions• wired.com = current IT news and issues• Green Guide (Thursday Age) = local IT news, prices• Australian Personal Computer = in-depth analysis of

cutting-edge technology• Netguide = internet-related info in clear English

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Reading the Study Design• Warn kids that when the study design says

“including” it means that the terms following that word should be learned and can be examined.

• If the design says “for example”, the following terms are only examples to clarify the intentions of the dot point.

• Read the glossary! Key info lurks in there (e.g. privacy legislation)

• Also read Advice for Teachers. Pearls of wisdom are in there!

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Creating assessment tasks• Remember – the study design says what

needs to be taught, learned and assessed, but YOU decide how to do it.

• You implement the requirements of the study design and assessment guide as you see fit.

• If you choose to use assessment tasks created by others (even commercial offerings), remember that your assessment is still your responsibility.

• Make sure your tasks follow the rules in the study design and the advice in the Assessment guide – embarrassing otherwise.

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Local issues

• When creating / modifying assessment tasks, consider your local circumstances such as: – the gender, age and experience of the students; – your and your students’ special interests and abilities; – your school’s IT facilities;– your students’ access to IT at home; – your students’ English language skills; – class sizes and the number of ITA classes in your school; – whether students are also undertaking other programs such as

VET, VCE Software Design, Cisco Academy etc.

• They can offer opportunities or impose constraints when crafting your assessment.

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Distinguished Students

• It is VITAL that your assessment task can clearly differentiate your students’ performance

• You must be able to rank students’ achievement from lowest to highest.

• If tasks do not allow superior students to shine, you will seriously disadvantage them when study scores are calculated.

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Distinguished Students

• Every task should include an analysis task that lets you easily distinguish between “B” students and “A” students.

• VCE assessment tasks are not intended to let every student achieve equal results

• They should accurately measure the ability of each student.

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Level of Difficulty• It can be hard to tell how difficult to make

a task• One school’s “easy” task may be another

school’s “challenging” task.• Use the Assessment Guide to craft

assessment tasks that are neither unrealistically easy nor unnecessarily difficult.

• It tells you what level of performance is expected for a particular level of achievement.

• E.g. “to get 7 marks students must use VLOOKUP”; “to get over 2 marks, the database must be relational.”

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Recycling

• Be very careful when adapting assessment tasks used in the old Information Processing and Management course for re-use in ITA.

• Many key knowledge and key skill dot points are in both courses but there are big differences.– For example, networking in ITA does not include

topologies or protocols– The privacy and copyright legislation mandated in

IPM is no longer mandated in ITA (but is hinted at in the glossary)

• If re-using an IPM task, pull it apart and rebuild it according to the new ITA rules.

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TIMELINES and COURSE CONSTRUCTION

• In the new course, the areas of study and outcomes for each unit are united, making it easier to relate key knowledge and key skills.

• Time is short. There is considerable content to cover. A timeline is valuable – but remember your timeline should suit you, your students and school.

• You must complete each unit’s outcomes by the end of the semester, but you are free to introduce skills and theory content as you see fit.

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Timelines & Course construction

• You do not have to tackle key knowledge and key skills dot point in a rigid order.

• E.g. U3O1 is a big task, similar to IPM’s U4O1. You might realise your kids need HEAPS of time to prepare for databases, so you might assess U3O2 first, and then U3O1 afterwards.

• Introduce students to more complex or unfamiliar knowledge and skills very early to give them the opportunity to practise at leisure in their own time.

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Timelines

• Give time where it’s most needed: databases will probably be new to most kids and they’ll need much more class time for practice (compared to web sites, which they probably have worked on a lot in the past.)

• Also, consider which software kids will have at home. Unless you choose a free database, many kids are unlikely to have it at home for practising on. More details later!

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Timelines

• 2007: term 1 is 9 weeks. Term 2 is 11. 2008, term 1 is 8 weeks. Term 2 is 12. 2009, terms 1 and 2 are 10 weeks.

• Take these factors, as well as report writing and exams into consideration when planning semester 1.

• Beware of scheduling SACs near the end of the semester - don’t get caught out by a camp you forgot!

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Timelines

• Remember that year twelves’ term 4 is only a couple of weeks for most schools.

• In term 4 do not plan to introduce much – if any - new theory or assess an outcome

• It’s all revision and exam practice.

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A sample timeline

• The sample Unit 3 timetable below is a way of balancing theory and practice over 2 outcomes.

• I put outcome 2 first, because students will need lots of time preparing for outcome 1.

• My kids are familiar with websites and networking, so outcome 1 will be far less time consuming.

• The theory in the first 7 weeks includes material relevant to both outcomes.

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Week Theory Practice

1 Course intro. O1+O2 Characteristics of audiences

Write for known audience. Evaluation of existing websites

2 O2 Organisational goals Website design

3 O2 Types of information systemsO1+O2 Design tools for databases and websites

In virtual teams, create a simple site with no face-to-face collaboration.

4 O2 Design elements of onscreen info products Present teams’ sites to class – class evaluates them.

5 O2 Effective user interfaces. O1+O2 Formats and conventions

Revise team sites based on class evaluation. Present them again.

6 O1+O2 Testing solutions and user acceptance O1+O2 Producing, handling, manipulating infoO2 Managing files in virtual teams - naming

schemes, backups, SSL etc.

Task similar to outcome under realistic conditions – not in groups.

7 O2 Types of networks and NOSs. O2 Network cables and wireless

O2 Virtual teams & collaboration. O2 Evaluation criteria

Task similar to outcome under realistic conditions – not in groups.

8 DO OUTCOME 2

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Week Theory Practice

9 O1 Project management basics – Gantt, PERT. Purposes and applications of databases. END OF TERM

Gantt, PERT charts

10 O1 Types of decisions (Strategic, Tactical, Operational)

Databases

11 O1 Problem solving methodology

12 O1 Structure of databases (fields, tables etc)

13 O1 Naming conventions in databases

14 O1 Data types and formats

15 O1 Flat file and relational databases

16 O1 Data validation and processing Realistic database + project management task

17 O2 theory revision

18 DO OUTCOME 1

19 Revise unit 3 theory for exam Spreadsheet activities

20 Revise unit 3 theoryEND OF TERM

Give spreadsheet activities/practice task for holiday homework

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Databases In Context• U1O1 – On-screen info product• U1O2 – Databases• U1O3 – Group analysis of ICT issue• U2O1 – Programming• U2O2 – Networking• U2O3 – Collaborative prob solving• U3O1 – Databases (50% of U3 SAC)• U3O2 – Web, networks (50% of U3 SAC)• U4O1 – Spreadsheets (60% of U4 SAC)• U4O2 – Data security (40% of U4 SAC)

• So kids doing Unit 1 in 2007 will have database experience for Unit 3 in 2008. This might change the way you approach ITA in 2008.

• Most kids doing Unit 3 in 2007 will probably have no database experience.

• ITA has no prerequisites so several kids in ITA may not have done Unit 1 or 2. Welcome to the mixed ability classroom challenge.

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Protocols, please!

• Refer to the software as “database management system (DBMS)”– E.g. Access, Filemaker, OpenOffice Base.

• Refer to the product created with the software as a “database”.– E.g. student records, music collection.

• The study design – on the whole – follows this naming scheme.

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In U3O1 kids must

• Use a relational DBMS [RDBMS] (more soon)• Create effective input screens• Use functions to undertake mathematical

calculations (i.e. calculated fields)• Use macros / scripts to automate tasks• Use queries / finds• Sort data• Report on data

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Problem solving

• U3O1 needs to use all stages of the problem solving steps except for documentation:– Analyse the problem, plan the project– Design the solution– Develop the database– Testing– Implementation (e.g. packaging, delivering it)– Evaluation

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• Q. So, what IS a relational database?

Teaching Grandmother how to suck eggsTeaching Grandmother how to suck eggs

A. A database with 2 or more related tables.

A flat file database has a single table and often suffers from inefficient repetition of data.Normalisation is the process of removing this repetition by crafting relationships between tables.

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Flatfile

Name Department Boss Phone

Smith Sales Britney Lurgi 9123 456

Jones Sales Britney Lurgi 9123 456

Lennon Sales Britney Lurgi 9123 456

Sade Transport Tom Brick 9876 543

Masoch Transport Tom Brick 9876 543

STAFF TABLE

Name Department

Smith Sales

Jones Sales

Lennon Sales

Sade Transport

Masoch Transport

DEPARTMENTS TABLE

Department Boss Phone

Sales Britney Lurgi 9123 456

Transport Tom Brick 9876 543

+ No unnecessary data repetition

+ Department info easily modified in one operation.

Relational

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Pick a DBMS, (nearly) any DBMS

• 4D • Adabas • Adaptive Server Enterprise • Apache Derby • Corel Paradox • C-tree • Dataflex • Dataphor • DB2 • FileMaker • Firebird • Helix database • HSQLDB • Cloudscape • Informix • Ingres

•Intersystem Cache •Kx •Microsoft Access •Microsoft SQL Server •MySQL •Netezza •OpenOffice.org Base •Oracle •OpenLink Virtuoso •PostgreSQL •Progress •Rel (DBMS) •SQLite •SQL Anywhere Studio •Teradata •VistaDB

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Let’s narrow it down• 4D • Adabas • Adaptive Server Enterprise • Apache Derby • Corel Paradox • C-tree • Dataflex • Dataphor • DB2 • FileMaker • Firebird • Helix database • HSQLDB • Cloudscape • Informix • Ingres

•Intersystem Cache •Kx •Microsoft Access •Microsoft SQL Server •MySQL •Netezza •OpenOffice.org Base •Oracle •OpenLink Virtuoso •PostgreSQL •Progress •Rel (DBMS) •SQLite •SQL Anywhere Studio •Teradata •VistaDB

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Microsoft Access

• Free to state schools• Widely used• Lots of support• Many text books, tutorials etc• Powerful• Reasonably easy to learn• Kids can’t get it for free – a good chance

they won’t have it at home.

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Filemaker Pro

• Not free, but is discounted on the Software 4 Education list (once the Software Rolling Fund)

• Very approachable, easy to learn• Very short development times• Very popular• Very good support available• Kids can’t get it for free.

Strong chance they won’thave it at home.

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OpenOffice.org Data• 100% free to everyone

• Similar to Access (compatible file format)

• Seems fully featured and fully functional

• If we all adopted it as our standard tool, all schools can swap activities, tutorials, SACs etc

• Kids can get it for freefor use at home

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MySQL• Free• Industry standard (6 million installations)• Steeper learning curve• Good international support• Popular for web applications• More for programmers than casual

database developers• Not for beginners!

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But definitely NOT…

• Microsoft Works Database

• Appleworks, Clarisworks

• Excel spreadsheet

They are not relational!

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Teaching Databases

• Alien to kids – not the sort of thing they play with at home!

• Databases can be super-dull. Appeal to kids’ interests when creating practice databases (e.g. let them catalogue their MP3 library rather than different types of beans in a supermarket)

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Teaching Databases

• Start from scratch and build knowledge step by step.

• Discuss what databases do (store, arrange, search, and report large quantities of data)

• What databases would students likely be in already? (e.g. CASES, Medicare, employee database at work, doctor/dentist, website registrations, learner’s permit, tax office, VASS etc)

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• Start with the concept of a flat file database – a list. Create a sample table that you’ll develop as you go. Start with name, address, date of birth, school, school’s phone number. Create several records with the same school.

• Make common mistakes that you can correct as you introduce concepts. Put the full name in one field, and the full address in one field. Use different date formats.

• Introduce fields and records. Use a spreadsheet’s rows and columns as a comparison.

• Introduce field types – e.g. text, number, date/time, Boolean (true/false), memo (in Access), container (in Filemaker). Explain the reason for having different field types (efficient storage)

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• Ask kids how you will sort people in the table by surname. Revise the table to create firstname and surname fields.

• Ask how you can find people in the same suburb. Revise the table to divide address into separate fields for address, suburb, postcode.

• Make it clear that database fields need to be planned in advance and not made up as you go along!

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• Get kids to predict what would likely happen if you entered dates or states in any old format. Mention how onscreen formatting advice (e.g. “Date (ddmmyyyy)”, drop-down lists and field formatting can help.

• Show how a calculated/computed field can use the date of birth to calculate a person’s age in years.

• Introduce security – database passwords that allow variable levels of access; how databases save each change as it’s made.

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• Point out the increasing duplication of data with the school phone numbers. – Ask kids to predict the consequence of a school

changing its phone number.

• Show the alternative approach of having two tables, one with student info and one with school info, and how the tables are related.

• Demonstrate how duplication is removed and school data can be easily modified once rather than dozens of times.

• Introduce the terms ‘table’, ‘relationships’, ‘relational database’, ‘flatfile’, ‘normalisation’.

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• From here on you can explain key fields, and why people have unique IDs (e.g. CASES ID) or customer numbers.

• Having covered data entry into tables, you can go on to introduce database – Input forms / layouts– Reports / layouts– Queries / finds– Sorting– Validation rules– Macros / scripts

Tip

Want kids to use barcodes in their output?

Google for the

“Free 3 of 9” font

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Advanced

• You can demonstrate a multi-table real-life database such as a commercial system with tables for …– Client data– Supplier data– Inventory– Sales

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Then

• Kids will then be ready for structured activities with your chosen DBMS…

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Tutorial SourcesDon’t bother copying these down. I’ll post them to the IPM

mailing list. Tip - Google for “openoffice tutorials”• Tutes for OpenOffice [OO] – all except for OO Data!

– http://www.tutorialsforopenoffice.org/

• OO Data tute– http://www.euclideanspace.com/software/information/relational/e

xample/

• A pretty site that might have OO Data tutes soon…– http://www.learnopenoffice.org/

• OO forums and support…– http://support.openoffice.org/index.html

• OO Flash tutorials…– http://k12edcom.org/?q=node/11

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Commercial Support

• There are umpteen texts about Microsoft Access in bookshops and education publishers have truckloads of workbooks for students.

• Greg Bowden did some nice Access 2000 and Filemaker Pro 3 texts a few years ago.

• Centennial Media have nice CD tutorials where a talking head demonstrates onscreen how things are done. They cover Access 2003 & Filemaker 7 and 8.– http://www.cmtraining.com.au

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Still Scared of Databases?

• Most schools have a resident database guru you can ask for help. Perhaps your reporting manager or timetabler.

• They’ll be grateful for the human contact. Not many people want to talk to database gurus

•The VITTA resources will soon be swollen with database tutorials and assessment tasks.• Tune in to the IPM mailing list for ongoing questions, answers and contributions.• Practise, practise, practise!

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Thanks – now I’m off OS

Cheerio!Mark Kelly

McKinnon Secondary College

IPM / ITA Lecture notes – vceit.com