Information Technology in a Global Society SL

Syllabus, prerequisites and materials

Syllabus (summary)

The IB ITGS course, at both SL and HL levels,  is constructed around three strands.

Strand 1: Social and ethical significance investigates the widespread use of information technology (IT) and raises questions about the social and ethical considerations that shape the world today. Students explore contemporary global examples of both advantages and disadvantages in the use of IT, critically analysing situations and evaluating possible solutions. Topics include contemporary issues such as reliability and integrity, security, privacy and anonymity, intellectual property, the digital divide and equality of access, globalisation and cultural diversity, and much more.

Strand 2: Application to specific scenarios requires students to explore information technology themes in the context of real situations. Students apply their knowledge from the topics taught in class or researched independently to demonstrate not only their understanding of the IT systems involved but the ethical issues and social impacts involved as well. For each of the scenarios addressed, students will be expected to identify relevant stakeholders and to discuss potential stakeholder conflict. Students explore IT scenarios in areas such as business and employment, education and training, environment, health, home and leisure, politics and government.

Strand 3: IT systems cultivate students' knowledge and understanding of technical concepts. Here students develop a broad technical knowledge of technical language and how IT systems work. Across the topics, students are expected to carry out practical activities to reinforce their theoretical knowledge, particularly in relation to: the Internet, personal and public communications, multimedia/digital media, databases, spreadsheets, and modelling and simulations. Programming is not explicitly required as part of the ITGS course, although it may be used in the development of the project.

Please see our Guide to the IB Course for information in differences between ITGS SL and HL.

Prerequisites

Students do not need a background in ITGS for this course, although familiarity with IT terminology, concepts and tools would be an advantage, as would be completing the humanities and technology courses in the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP).

Materials

E-book: Tomorrow's Technology and You, by George Beekman, et al; Pearson; (0558846785 / 9780558846787)

E-book: A Gift of Fire, by Sara Baase; Pearson; (0558846793 / 9780558846794)

Atomic Learning: various online resources & tutorials

Additional online resources will be made available to students

Adapted from the IB ITGS Guide © International Baccalaureate Organization