Technologies · Year 1

Active learning ideas

Technology for Communication

Active learning helps Year 1 students grasp abstract tech concepts by turning invisible processes into tangible experiences. When they physically build models or role-play scenarios, they connect classroom ideas to real-world communication, making connections memorable and discussions more meaningful.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9TDE2K05

• 20–45 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Outdoor Investigation Session
• 25 min · Pairs

Role-Play: Long-Distance Calls

Pairs use toy phones or cupped hands to simulate calls to distant family. One student shares a daily event, like playground fun; the partner responds with questions. Debrief as a class on how voices travel without seeing each other.

Explain how a phone helps you talk to family who live far away.

Facilitation Tip

During Role-Play: Long-Distance Calls, walk around to listen for students using words like ‘vibrations’ or ‘signals’ to describe how sound travels through their string telephones.

What to look for

Give students a card with a picture of a phone. Ask them to draw one way the phone helps them talk to someone far away. Then, ask them to write one word describing how a video call is different from a written message.

• Remember
• Understand
• Analyze
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 02

• Outdoor Investigation Session
• 35 min · Small Groups

Compare Stations: Video vs Text

Set up two stations: one for acting video calls with gestures and faces visible, another for passing written notes. Small groups rotate, recording one pro and con for each method on charts. Share findings whole class.

Compare how a video call is different from sending a written message.

Facilitation Tip

At Compare Stations: Video vs Text, set a timer so each group has exactly three minutes at each station to focus observations before rotating.

What to look for

Ask students: 'Imagine you want to tell your friend about a new toy. How would you use technology to tell them? Would you call them, send a picture message, or something else? Why?' Listen for their reasoning about different communication methods.

• Remember
• Understand
• Analyze
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 03

• Outdoor Investigation Session
• 45 min · Small Groups

Design Challenge: New Tech Tool

Individually sketch a new device for communicating with friends, like a watch that draws pictures. Then in small groups, build prototypes from recyclables and test by sharing messages. Present one feature to class.

Design a new way for people to communicate using technology.

Facilitation Tip

During Design Challenge: New Tech Tool, provide only recycled materials and clear success criteria to keep solutions simple and grounded in real-world constraints.

What to look for

Hold up pictures of a phone, a tablet showing a video call, and a piece of paper. Ask students to point to the technology that lets them see the other person while they talk. Then ask them to point to the technology that only uses words.

• Remember
• Understand
• Analyze
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 04

• Outdoor Investigation Session
• 20 min · Whole Class

Relay Race: Message Chain

Whole class lines up; teacher whispers a message to front. Each passes it via pretend phone, video mime, or written note. Compare accuracy at end and discuss best method.

Explain how a phone helps you talk to family who live far away.

Facilitation Tip

During Relay Race: Message Chain, stand at the finish line with a stopwatch to model timing, then invite a student to take over for the next round to build ownership.

What to look for

Give students a card with a picture of a phone. Ask them to draw one way the phone helps them talk to someone far away. Then, ask them to write one word describing how a video call is different from a written message.

• Remember
• Understand
• Analyze
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness
• Decision-Making

A few notes on teaching this unit

Start with hands-on builds to confront misconceptions directly. Use short, focused discussions after each activity to consolidate observations before moving on. Avoid over-explaining—let students articulate their discoveries first. Research shows that when students test ideas themselves and then explain outcomes, their understanding shifts from magic to mechanism.

Students will confidently explain how different technologies carry messages, identify strengths and limits of each method, and describe why some communication feels faster or clearer than others. They will use accurate vocabulary to compare voices, pictures, and text in their reflections.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Role-Play: Long-Distance Calls, watch for students saying phones work by magic without any connection.

  Ask students to adjust the string length and tightness, then ask them to explain how vibrations travel differently when the string is loose or missing. Use their trials to introduce the idea of a ‘path’ for signals.

• During Role-Play: Long-Distance Calls, watch for students assuming video calls show everything perfectly like being together.

  Add a deliberate delay or muffled sound for one call, then ask students to describe what feels different. Use their words to build a shared list of limits, such as no touch or no shared objects.

• During Relay Race: Message Chain, watch for students believing all messages arrive instantly no matter the method.

  Give each student a stopwatch and have them time how long it takes to pass a paper note versus a pretend email message. After timing, ask the group to vote on which felt faster and why, then discuss processing steps.

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Methods used in this brief

• Outdoor Investigation Session