This lesson is an introduction to a third unit of work that challenges students to consider the hardware and software on a computer system and how they interact. The unit will follow the GCSE specification for Pearson Edexcel Computer Science, but each lesson can stand independently. In this lesson, students must identify and describe a range of peripherals, and explain the difference between hardware and software. This lesson is suitable for key stage 3 and key stage 4. The teacher’s notes would enable a non-specialist to lead the lesson. It is suitable as a cover lesson to preempt delivery of the more detailed lessons in future. The lesson plan is provided in PPTX, PPT and PPS format. The accompanying learning mat is provided in PPT, PPX and PDF formats.

This is the first lesson in a sequence of lessons considering the basics of data representation and binary mathematics. This lesson introduces students to the reasons why computer scientists need to understand and use binary mathematics and introduces the terms kibibyte, mebibyte and so on. There is a fully detailed lesson plan with reading, writing, communication and maths links and careers guidance links are also highlighted. There is an accompanying learning mat or worksheet for students to complete. Learning Mat (LM) Worksheet is supplied as PPT, PPTX and PDF formats.

This lesson is the 8th in a sequence of lessons that cover topic 3: computing of the Pearson Edexcel GCSE Computer Science course. In this lesson, students investigate the role of the operating system software in a computer system. By the end of the lesson they should be able to list examples of operating systems, state or describe the functions of an operating system and explain how the operating system manages the CPU in scheduling actions. There is a significant amount of key vocabulary important for this lesson. The lesson plan is provided in PPTX, PPTS and PPT formats, while the learning mat is available as PDF, PPTX and PPT files. Note that some animation features are lost in the PPT formatted files. The lesson includes a ‘bingo’ bell work starter activity. The learning mat is designed to be printed in A3.

This lesson is the 3rd in a series of lessons designed to improve students’ understanding of how networks are organised. This is a ‘back to basics’ lesson that challenges students to use technical language about the internet and world wide web accurately. It also covers basic understanding of the role of the router, what a browser is, distinguishing it from a search engine. Additionally this lesson covers information about connection cables needed for the BTEC Digital Information Technology course. This lesson is provided in PPTX, PPTS, PPT formats. The learning mat is provided in PPTX, PPT and PDF formats. Some animation and image features may be lost in PPT formats.

This lesson is the 10th in a sequence of lessons that looks at how hardware and software are integrated on a computer system. This lesson looks at the reasons why computer programmers must make sure that their programs can cope with errors and the ways that they do this. There is a significant amount of new key vocabulary in this lesson, and it would be a good idea to set a homework that asks students to reinforce the terms introduced in this lesson. The lesson plan is provided in PPTX, PPTS and PPT formats, while the learning mat is available as PDF, PPTX and PPT files.

This is the sixth lesson in a sequence of lessons that cover Topic 3: Computers on the Pearson Edexcel GCSE Computer Science course. In this lesson students are reminded about the core model for a computer system, and discuss the need for secondary storage. They are introduced to the history of the development of secondary storage and are asked to compare the functionality, use and benefits and drawbacks of optical, magnetic and solid state storage. Lesson plans are saved in PPTX, PPTS and PPT format. The learning mat (worksheet) and starter activity are saved in PPTX, PPTS and PDF format. Note that PPT files have lost some of the functionality of the animation settings and images.

This lesson builds on learning from previous lessons related to binary numbers and binary arithmetic. In this lesson, students will consider how a computer can manipulate binary numbers and multiply or divide by powers of 2. This is a skill required for the Edexcel GCSE Computer Science course but the lesson can be adapted for other groups or courses. Learning Mat (LM) Worksheet is supplied as PPT, PPTX and PDF formats. Lesson Plan (LP) is supplied as PPT, PPTX and PPT Slideshow. Note that PPT files may lose some functionality.

This is the fifth lesson in a sequence of lessons that consider how business organisations use modern technology to improve their working practice. In this lesson students clarify the difference between cloud storage and cloud computing, learn about the different tools and features in cloud computing applications and discuss the benefits of collaborative working using cloud computing tools. The practical activity that is planned for in this lesson asks students to create a tutorial / user manual for a student entering their school on how to use any VLE or cloud computing softtware that you use in school. The lesson plan and learning mat are provided in PPTX, PPT and PDF formats although animation settings are altered in older PPT software.

This is the fourth lesson in a sequence of lessons that consider the uses, benefits and drawbacks of modern technology. In this lesson students will consider how and why some files are stored on remote web servers, and discuss the benefits and drawbacks of using cloud storage. This discussion will include how to set and share files and the importance of access rights when saving to the cloud; how some devices can synchronise data between the device and the cloud, discuss the impact of 24/7 availability of online services such as this, and consider the benefits of scalability of cloud storage (plus the impact of payment for additional storage space) This lesson is appropriate for teaching component 3 of the BTEC Digital Information Technology course. The lesson plan (LP ) and learning mat (LM) are provided as PPTX and PPT and PDF formats, although some or all of the animation settings may be lost in the PPT and PDF formats.

This is the first lesson in a sequence of lessons about modern use of technology. Students will be introduced to the terms ad hoc network and open Wi-Fi. They will be asked to describe some of the issues with open networks and compare a range of scenarios that may affect network availability. The lesson plan (LP) and learning mat (LM) are available as PPTX, PPT and PDF formats to ensure compatibility. Note that some animation features may not be available in PPT format.

This is the second lesson in a sequence of lessons about modern use of technology. Students will be given the opportunity to build on learning from lesson 1 and to consider in greater detail the issues surrounding the use of open networks and mobile internet access. In this lesson, students will develop understanding of reasons why some networks are more secure than others, and be able to describe the impact on performance of ad hoc networks of distance, amount of data traffic and type of device. The lesson plan (LP) and learning mat (LM) are provided as PPTX, PPT and PDF formats, although animation and other features are limited in PPT and PDF formats.

The third lesson in a sequence of lessons that consider use of modern technology by businesses and individuals. This lesson builds on learning about ad hoc networks and focuses on mobile network coverage and the reasons why people do not or cannot access the internet. The lesson leads a discussion about network availability (rural versus city locations, developed versus developing countries, available infrastructure, mobile network coverage as well as issues surrounding the digital divide. The main task is to write a newspaper article about these issues and factors.

This lesson is the fourth in a sequence of lessons on the topic of data representation. In this lesson students are introduced to the rules surrounding binary addition. There is a learning mat with questions of increasing difficulty. At the end of the lesson, the students are introduced to the idea of an overflow error. Learning Mat (LM) Worksheet is supplied as PPT, PPTX and PDF formats. Lesson Plan (LP) is supplied as PPT, PPTX and PPT Slideshow. Note that PPT files may lose some functionality.

This lesson is the 4th in a series of lessons designed to improve students’ understanding of how networks are organised. In this lesson students develop their understanding of key vocabulary such as IP addresses and the role of the router in transferring data between computers. It involves recall of key information from lesson 2 in the unit. Students are asked to describe the handshake process, discuss the format of data packets, and consider possible errors in transmission of data. This lesson is provided in PPTX, PPTS, PPT formats. The learning mat is provided in PPTX, PPT and PDF formats. Some animation and image features may be lost in PPT formats. A homework task is also included in this lesson.

This lesson is the 5th in a series of lessons designed to improve students’ understanding of how networks are organised. In this lesson students consider a range of different features of wired and wireless networks and how they impact on the performance of the network. Students should be taught to be critical about real life situations and apply their learning in this lesson to explain which type of network is best for which type of situation. This lesson is provided in PPTX, PPTS, PPT formats. The learning mat is provided in PPTX, PPT and PDF formats. Some animation and image features may be lost in PPT formats.

This lesson builds on the first lesson about Morse Code, and challenges students to think about the reason why encryption is needed and then asks them to use a Caesar Cipher to code and decode secret messages.

This is the fourth lesson in a sequence of lessons about encryption and cipher techniques. The pig pen cipher is a technique mainly developed by freemasons to code messages to each other. Students will investigate how the technique works and reflect on its effectiveness.

This lesson is the penultimate lesson of a unit about data representation, file sizes and compression. In this lesson, students are introduced to ways of measuring file sizes and asked to familiarise themselves with the terms of measurement as well as convert between them. Ultimately, they should be able to write an expression to show the calculation needed to work out the size of a sound or image file. Learning Objective: To understand that data storage is measured in binary multiples. And to be able to construct expressions that calculate file sizes and data capacity requirements. Learning Mat (LM) Worksheet is supplied as PPT, PPTX and PDF formats. Lesson Plan (LP) is supplied as PPT, PPTX and PPT Slideshow. Note that PPT files may lose some functionality.

This lesson is the sixth in a series of lessons on data representation and builds on lesson 5 to look at how computers process negative numbers. There are significant links with maths in this lesson and students need to be clear that adding a negative number is the same as subtracting the positive number. The teacher notes demonstrate two different ways to find the two’s complement of a binary number. The worksheet (learning mat) includes exercises to test students understanding of both processes. Learning Mat (LM) Worksheet is supplied as PPT, PPTX and PDF formats. Lesson Plan (LP) is supplied as PPT, PPTX and PPT Slideshow. Note that PPT files may lose some functionality.

This is the second in a sequence of lessons that introduce students to the principles of network organisation and the reasons why networks are used. This lesson looks at the differences between LAN and WAN, introduces the idea of a PAN, and also considers the role of the router in creating a LAN. The lesson plan is provided in PPTX, PPTS and PPT format, although some image and animation settings lose functionality in the older version of PowerPoint. The learning mat (worksheet) is also available as a PDF version. This will print on A3 paper.