From the
University of Strathclyde
in Glasgow
|
From the
|
| |
|
The National Qualification course in Computing requires students to have an understanding of binary. In particular at Intermediate 2 level, candidates should be aware that:
"...Ultimately, all data is stored and processed as binary. The candidate should know this and have some understanding of the binary system. The candidate would not, however, be expected to carry out any calculations relating to different number systems."
(Unit specification, Computer Systems, Intermediate 2, page 19.)
At Higher level
"Candidates will be expected have a knowledge of binary to allow them to appreciate the internal representation of data. Candidates should be able to describe this internal representation for... graphics... text... [and] number."
(Unit specification, Computer Systems, Higher, page 21.)
The resources collated on the Pupil Resources page were selected because they all appeared to meet one or more of the aspects detailed in the National Qualification learning outcomes. They were also chosen because they represent a range of learning and teaching methods. Different approaches to learning suit different people. Which resource suited best suited you? I would be very interested to hear which resource you liked best. If you'd like to help, send an email to me at d.d.muir@strath.ac.uk saying which was your favourite and why. If you are under 18 years of age, remember to check with your parents, guardians or teacher before sending an email to a stranger.
Unfortunately I will not be able to reply to any questions, but all contributions will be acknowledged by email. I may use some of your comments when reporting on these pages, but if so they will be non-attributable quotes (that is, I will not store or report your name or your email address).
Final note: One of the suggested activities on the Pupil resource page involves the creation of a spreadsheet to convert numbers from decimal to binary and back again. This would have been a good exercise for the General Purpose Packages section of the old Higher Grade Computing. As far as I can see, there is no need to do anything like this with spreadsheets in the new courses (neither Computing nor Information Systems) ...and this is progress? Bah! Humbug!!
This page was first created on 24 March, 2001.
It was last updated on
9 June, 2003 11:39 AM
by David Muir
Please e-mail comments to d.d.muir@strath.ac.uk
Opinions expressed in this web page are not necessarily those of the University of Strathclyde. The use of any copyright terms or material is not a challenge to the ownership of those materials.
If you think any part of this web page contains discriminatory and/or offensive material, please e-mail d.d.muir@strath.ac.uk
Go
back to the title page