IT: Creative Media

Subject Leader: Mr Weaver - sweaver@tqacademy.co.uk

AIMS OF THE IT DEPARTMENT

• To develop learning and practical skills that can be applied to real-life contexts and work situations
• Develop independence and to be confident in using skills relevant to the media industry
• Design, plan, create and review digital media products which are fit for purpose meeting both client and target audience requirements
• Learn about the fundamental principles and concepts of digital media, including factors that influence product design such as media codes, pre-production techniques and legal considerations

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CURRICULUM

OVERVIEW OF KEY STAGE 4 CURRICULUM

Course Title: Creative iMedia

Examining Body: OCR

Course Lead: Mr Weaver

What will I study?

In year 9 you will learn how to:

• develop visual identities for clients
• apply the concepts of graphic design to create original digital graphics for a variety of scenarios. 

In year 10 you will learn how to:

• interpret client briefs and come up with original digital game concepts.
• plan digital games effectively and to use a Game Design document to create engagement with developers and clients. 
• create, edit, test and export digital games which you have created yourself.

In year 11 you will learn about:

• the sectors, products and job roles that make up the media industry
• the legal and ethical issues and processes surround he planning and creation of digital media products
• how media codes are used within the creation of media productions to convey meaning, create impact and engage audiences
• how to choose the most appropriate format and properties for different media products.

How and when will I be assessed?

Further study

If you enjoy learning about this subject in Key Stage 4 you might consider studying IT at level, alongside subjects such as Product Design, Business Studies or Media Studies.

OVERVIEW OF KEY STAGE 5 CURRICULUM

Course Title: BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate in Information Technology

Examining Body: Edexcel

Course Lead: Mr Weaver

Course description

Information Technology at Torquay Academy is a successful and popular choice that uses a combination of assessment styles to give students confidence to apply their knowledge to succeed in the workplace – and have the study skills to continue learning on higher education courses and throughout their career.

Students will:

• Gain practical experience from real work assignments
• Take responsibility for their own learning
• Develop interpersonal and practical thinking skills
• Have a strong core base of knowledge
• Have real experience of effective teamwork
• Know how to work to a brief with set deadlines

What will I learn?

In Year 12 you will explore different social media websites and consider the ways in which they can be used for business purposes. This will lead to you planning and running an online campaign using social media.

You will also explore the purpose and structure of relational databases and will look at how you can design and then implement an effective database system solution.

Course structure

Four units over 2 years

Year 12:

Unit 3: Using Social Media in Business (Coursework)

Unit 2: Creating Systems to Manage Information (Controlled assessment)

Year 13:

Unit 1: Information Technology Systems (Written exam)

Unit 6: Website Development (Coursework)

Where could it lead?

Information Technology will provide a stepping stone to a variety of further education courses and jobs in the IT industry.

CLIMBING THE MOUNTAIN TO UNIVERSITY

Top UK universities to study Information Technology:

The University of Bournemouth - known for its National Centre for Computer Animation (NCCA) and strong courses in Film Production, Animation and Media Production.

The University of Leeds - offers many media based qualifications such as Media and Communication, Digital Media and Journalism. Leeds University also has strong ties with local industries so you can gain valuable work experience.

The University of Dundee - offers a range of highly regarded courses in Computer Games Technology and is known for its state-of-the-art game development studio and equipment.

CAREERS INFORMATION

If you enjoy studying Information Technology you might consider the following careers:

Graphic Designer

Using the software skills gained from the Creative iMedia qualification, students can work as graphic designers creating visual concepts and graphics for advertisements, brochures, magazines, and other media.

Game Designer

If you love making video games then this could be the job for you! From level design to programming there are lots of different roles in the games industry.

 Video Editor 

Another cool job that can come from studying Creative iMedia is a video editor. In this role you will use editing skills to create videos for a variety of different purposes.

EXTRACURRICULAR OPPORTUNITIES

Cyber Security Club