United Kingdom · National Curriculum Attainment Targets
Year 8 Computing
A comprehensive exploration of computational thinking and systems design for Year 8 students. This course bridges the gap between basic block coding and text based programming while investigating the physical and ethical infrastructure of the modern internet.
Computational Thinking and Logic Gates
Students master the core principles of decomposition and abstraction while exploring how physical hardware processes information using logic gates.
Learning to break down intricate challenges into manageable sub problems to simplify the design process.
Understanding how AND, OR, and NOT gates form the basis of all digital computation.
Python: From Blocks to Text
Transitioning from visual programming to text based syntax using Python to create dynamic and interactive programs.
Exploring how computers store different kinds of information and how to manipulate data using Python syntax.
Implementing flow control using if statements and loops to make programs smarter and more efficient.
Data Representation and Binary
Investigating how computers represent images, sound, and text using only ones and zeros.
Mastering the conversion between base 2 and base 10 number systems.
Understanding pixels, resolution, and sample rates in the digitization of media.
Networks and the Global Web
Examining the hardware and protocols that allow computers to communicate across the globe.
Comparing different ways to connect computers, including Star, Mesh, and Bus networks.
Learning the rules of communication, such as TCP/IP, and how data travels in small chunks.
Cybersecurity and Digital Defense
Identifying digital threats and developing strategies to protect personal data and infrastructure.
Analyzing how hackers use human psychology and malicious software to gain unauthorized access.
Exploring the history of secret codes and modern methods of securing digital communication.
The Impact of Artificial Intelligence
Evaluating the societal, ethical, and legal implications of AI and machine learning technologies.
Understanding how AI models learn from data and how human bias can be encoded into algorithms.
Debating how AI and robotics will transform the global economy and the job market.