VELS+and+Australian+Curriculum

ICT and the VELS/ Australian Curriculum



Within the curriculum of VELS (Victorian Essential Learning Standards) there is scope for ICT to be embedded into all domains. Due to the Arts domain being creative and exploratory in nature, the key learning area of ICT supplements and complements these same skills. Within the ICT domain the dimensions of //ICT for visualising thinking //, //ICT for creating // and I//CT for communicating (VELS, 2007) //are included. These thinking skills are important within curriculum. In order to promote student engagement planning and purposeful tasks through a technological medium are required in an everyday world. Using software such as __[|Inspiration]__  encourages students to plan and collaborate on tasks such as essay writing and scaffolding larger more in depth assessment tasks. As discussed through other section of this Wikispace, there are many solutions for using ICT for creating and communicating. Promoting higher order thinking skills is fundamental to enriching a student’s education.

With the implementation of AusVELS (National Curriculum) there is a central focus on supporting different cultures. Many cultures have dance as an integral part of their history particularly indigenous cultures. Aboriginal dance is the foundation of many of their storytelling and historical folk tales. Dance and History collaborate through a cross curriculum approach in order to educate about the dreaming stories which are pivotal in understanding aboriginal culture. Being able to use these stories as a tool for stimulus material engages students through the idea that these issues and stories still apply in modern time. As Australia becomes an increasingly multicultural society student’s need to be aware and understanding of the stories and values of other cultures. As a dance educator, it is important that students understand where dance has come from. The origins of tap and jazz dancing come from the plantations of African slaves in the united state of American during the 1800s, whilst hip hop and krumping derived from the African American communities in New York in the 1970s and 2000s respectively. These forms of dance are prevalent amongst pop culture today. These common forms of dance have been further enhanced through music videos and films such as Step Up, Stomp the Yard and You got served. Using dance as a mode to teach periods in history are integral ways to engage and empower student learning, particularly boys.