Mr. Damon's terminale IB
ITGS

Graduating Class of 2012

This page is to inform you of your homework, exam revision and any other information you will need.  The assignments will be listed in reverse chronological order so that the most recent work will be on top of the list.  When it says "To Do for Week 2", that means that what is listed must be completed for the second lesson.  

(See below the box for homework)

Want to build your ICT vocabulary for this class and keep up-to-date with computer and technology news?  Why not check out these links:

Suggested text book:

Podcasts:

News agencies and magazine web sites:

Web resources:

For bibliographical entries, you can use Citation Machine or EasyBib

 

 
How can I contact Mr. Damon if I have a question?
 

To Do Every Week:

  • Have a look at technology news on TV, in newspapers or on some of the sites listed above, notably the NPR Technology News podcast and the Digital Planet podcast.  Keep up-to-date on how information technology is being used to help businesses, hospitals, governments, schools, or the entertainment industry.  This will help you in your essay writing and class discussions because you will have a wide variety of real-life examples and you will build a collection of news items and vocabulary words
 

Need help getting organizedClick here for some suggestions.

   
   
 
   
 

New System

  • Starting in September 2011, I am trying out the school's new online homework system on the "Vie Scolaire" page.  I will leave this site up as a page of resources but the weekly homework should be on the school's site. 

 

   
  Welcome Back - September 2011
  • I hope everyone had a great summer. 
  • We will start the year by looking at ITGS-related stories over the summer.  Then we'll have an overview of what is left to do with the IA.  
   

 

Student-made Power Points about networks:

  • 3.3a, 3.3b, 3.3c, 3.3d, 3.3e, 3.3f, 3.3g, 3.3h, 3.3i, 3.3j
  • if clicking directly on the link does not open the file correctly, then right-click on the link and select the option that lets you download the file associated with the link.  Be sure that the file extension is the correct Power Point extension rather than .html or anything else.

 

   
 

Revision for the Testing Week in May 2011:

  • All of Strand 1:
    • All the social and ethical issues
    • Be sure to know the definitions given in the very beginning of the IB Programme Guide for ITGS - in the section called "Nature of the Subject", definitions are given for information technology, social and ethical significance and what an information system is.
    • Also, pay particular attention to the introduction of Strand 1 on page 20 of the guide, it contains methodologies for analysing social impact and ethical considerations and has examples of the key questions we have been asking when we look at an IT problem in a social context (such as "What are the advantages and disadvantages for the stakeholders?").  If you memorize those questions, you'll never sit there during an exam scratching your head and wondering "What should I say in this essay?"
  • The following sections of Strand 3:
    • 3.1 Hardware
    • 3.2 Software
    • 3.3 Networks
    • 3.9 Introduction to Project Management
  • For Strand 2, you are not expected to know everything.  However, Strand 2 contains real-life applications of the IT and the social and ethical issues.  Be familiar with the scenarios because these will give you ideas for what to focus on in your answers. 
  • The ITGS Analysis Triangle - be sure to be familar with this way of analyzing ITGS issues in their proper context.  You will not be given a copy of this triangle during the exams so be sure to hardwire a copy into your brain! 
  • Learn any notes we took in class, including all the terms we defined.

 

Remember, when you study, always follow this order:

  1. start with the IB Programme Guide for ITGS to see what the assessment statements are
  2. use the last two pages of the guide to help you grasp the difference between each command term (define, identify, describe, outline, explain, evaluate...)
  3. refer to any class notes you have
  4. double check that you have memorized all the IT vocabulary terms (this is what flash cards are for) - you should have several dozen by now and you should know them in both directions:  word to definition and definition to word. 

Have a look at my compositions groupées revision guide.  It contains suggestions for successful revision and test-taking skills. 
 

 

   
   
 

To do for Tuesday March 8th, 2011:

  • Read or reread the criteria and explanations concerning the ITGS Project (both in the ITGS Program Guide and on the ITGSopedia) Also, see the document icon below.
  • If you don’t have one, find a “client” for the IA project
  • For section 3.3 Networks, define the IT terms you were given and prepare a Power Point slide for each with a definition, an example and an image.


click on the document icon to get a Word document intro to the ITGS Project work - this document includes a model letter for introducing the project work to a potential client. 

 

   
 

Revision for the Bac Blanc practice exams in February 2011:

  • All of Strand 1:
    • All the social and ethical issues
    • Be sure to know the definitions given in the very beginning of the IB Programme Guide for ITGS - in the section called "Nature of the Subject", definitions are given for information technology, social and ethical significance and what an information system is.
    • Also, pay particular attention to the introduction of Strand 1 on page 20 of the guide, it contains methodologies for analysing social impact and ethical considerations and has examples of the key questions we have been asking when we look at an IT problem in a social context (such as "What are the advantages and disadvantages for the stakeholders?").  If you memorize those questions, you'll never sit there during an exam scratching your head and wondering "What should I say in this essay?"
  • The following sections of Strand 3:
    • 3.1 Hardware
    • 3.2 Software
  • The ITGS Analysis Triangle - be sure to be familar with this way of analyzing ITGS issues in their proper context.  You will not be given a copy of this triangle during the exams so be sure to hardwire a copy into your brain! 
  • Learn any notes we took in class, including all the terms we defined.

 

Remember, when you study, always follow this order:

  1. start with the IB Programme Guide for ITGS to see what the assessment statements are
  2. use the last two pages of the guide to help you grasp the difference between each command term (define, identify, describe, outline, explain, evaluate...)
  3. refer to any class notes you have
  4. double check that you have memorized all the IT vocabulary terms (this is what flash cards are for) - you should have a few dozen by now and you should know them in both directions:  word to definition and definition to word. 

Have a look at my compositions groupées revision guide.  It contains suggestions for successful revision and test-taking skills. 
 

 

   
   
   
   
 

Revision for the Bac Blanc practice exams in November 2010:

  • All of Strand 1:
    • All the social and ethical issues
    • Be sure to know the definitions given in the very beginning of the IB Programme Guide for ITGS - in the section called "Nature of the Subject", definitions are given for information technology, social and ethical significance and what an information system is.
    • Also, pay particular attention to the introduction of Strand 1 on page 20 of the guide, it contains methodologies for analysing social impact and ethical considerations and has examples of the key questions we have been asking when we look at an IT problem in a social context (such as "What are the advantages and disadvantages for the stakeholders?").  If you memorize those questions, you'll never sit there during an exam scratching your head and wondering "What should I say in this essay?"
  • The following section of Strand 3:
    • 3.1 Hardware
  • The ITGS Analysis Triangle - be sure to be familar with this way of analyzing ITGS issues in their proper context.  You will not be given a copy of this triangle during the exams so be sure to hardwire a copy into your brain! 
  • Learn any notes we took in class, including all the terms we defined.

 

Remember, when you study, always follow this order:

  1. start with the IB Programme Guide for ITGS to see what the assessment statements are
  2. use the last two pages of the guide to help you grasp the difference between each command term (define, identify, describe, outline, explain, evaluate...)
  3. refer to any class notes you have
  4. double check that you have memorized all the IT vocabulary terms (this is what flash cards are for) - you should have a few dozen by now and you should know them in both directions:  word to definition and definition to word. 

Have a look at my compositions groupées revision guide.  It contains suggestions for successful revision and test-taking skills. 
 

 

   
 

To do for Tuesday 28 September:

  • Read the pages in the 2012 ITGS guide which were given in class.
  • Learn the definitions of the terms listed in class from those pages.
  • Keep learning the social & ethical issues we have been discussing in class.  Feel free to have a look at the ITGSopedia pages which have articles and links releated to each issue. 
  • Keep working on your article analysis which is due on Wednesday.
  • General work to be spread out over the coming weeks:  keep your eyes open for people who have a specific need in terms of IT help.  Who in your surroundings could benefit from a little help from the world of technology?   Be prepared to share your ideas orally in class.

 

   
   
  Recommended Outing - September 11th or 12th:
  • This weekend is the Festival du Jeu Vidéo at the Porte de Versailles Expo center from 10:00 to 19:00.  Check out the official web site here.  Tickets are less than 10€ and are available at the door or in advance from ticket agencies such as the Fnac. 
  • There is a series of conferences on Saturday and one which would be interesting for ITGS is at 14:00 called "the History of Video Games".  There are also opportunities to meet the men and women who create the games.

 

   
   
 

At the beginning of the year:

  • Be sure you have iTunes on your computer and subscribe to the two podcasts at the top of this page (NPR technology news and Digital Planet).  Contact me by email if it does not work - see my How to Contact Mr. Damon page. 
  • You will need an ITGS notebook, binder or folder.  It is up to you to decide how you want to organize your papers.  There will be notes, photocopies, homeworks and quizzes to keep organized. 
  • Each student should have a USB key.  Be sure your name is on the outside somewhere.  We need to know whose is whose.  Also, if you lose it, we know who to return it to.  If you are buying a new one, I do not recommend the U3 Smart drives in class.  For the moment, they are not compatible with Mac or Vista.  Also, 2 or 4 Gb is enough - do not spend more than 25€ for this.

     

  • Copy onto your USB drive the IB Programme Guide for ITGS.  You should also have the Academic Honesty guide and the Extended Essay guide on the USB drive.  I recommend that you create a folder for each subject.
 
   

 

© A.W. Damon 2011

 

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