About — Tahi Rua Toru Tech

About Tahi Rua Toru Tech

Tahi Rua Toru Tech is a challenge-programme designed to introduce ākonga (students) to the Digital Technologies & Hangarau Matihiko curriculum in a fun and engaging way, the program also encourages creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving skills.

Small teams complete the challenge as a whole-class activity, smaller in-class groups, through a local Code Club, or as individuals. Younger levels (years 0-5) learn fun unplugged offline activities that teach the basics of how computers work, older levels (years 6-13) are tasked with finding a problem in their community/school/kura, and utilise digital technologies to solve it.

The programme was designed in partnership with the Ministry of Education and industry supporters, we provide easy-to-navigate resources for kaiako (teachers), ongoing help, and match you with industry mentors who can provide further hands-on assistance. With term-by-term guides, clear learning outcomes, and curriculum alignment it is a seamless process incorporating this challenge into the classroom at all levels of schooling.

The projects can also be used across other subjects and projects across the curriculum, making it a multi-purpose activity for teachers and students alike.

“So many of my colleagues were surprised to see how engaged the students were, watching them debate, solve, and dictate their process. It comes down to giving them the autonomy to choose a cause they are passionate about, you don’t need to be a coder or programmer to help them, you just need to be a teacher who can guide them through the process.”

— Mark Pearson, Peachgrove Intermediate

Tahi Rua Toru Tech is brought to you by the team at IT Professionals.

More About Discovery

Teacher FAQ

Discovery (Years 0-5)

The Discovery level is made up of a number of fun and engaging “offline” Digital Technologies-based activities centered around the CS Unplugged material at its core. Originally created by Prof Tim Bell at Canterbury University in Christchurch, we have taken these activities and re-worked them with age-appropriate guidance and structures to make it easy for teachers to administer and students to participate. Resources are available in English and Te Reo Māori.

Students work in small groups or pairs to learn about various digital technologies through simple and engaging activities. As they become more proficient, they can choose to compete with other schools by completing the activities at record times. This encourages students to continue practicing and improving their skills.

Discovery links to DT & HM Progress Outcomes:

Progress Outcome Description: In authentic contexts and taking account of end-users, students use their decomposition skills to break down simple non-computerised tasks into precise, unambiguous, step-by-step instructions (algorithmic thinking). They give these instructions, identify any errors in them as they are followed, and correct them (simple debugging).
How the challenge meets these outcomes: The activities in Discovery are designed to break down simple non-computerised tasks into precise, unambiguous, step-by-step instructions (algorithmic thinking). Each activity that relates to this Progress outcome is identified.
Progress Outcome Description: In authentic contexts and taking account of end-users, students participate in teacher-led activities to develop, manipulate, store, retrieve, and share digital content in order to meet technological challenges. In doing so, they identify digital devices and their purposes and understand that humans make them. They know how to use some applications, they can identify the inputs and outputs of a system, and they understand that digital devices store content, which can be retrieved later.
The activities in Discovery meet this Progress Outcome description perfectly. Each activity that relates to this Progress outcome is identified.

More About First Level

Teacher FAQ

First (Years 5-8)

The first level of Tahi Rua Toru Tech is where the innovation begins! Students are tasked with identifying a problem in their school or community, and as a team, creating a technology-based solution to solve it!

The program aims to drop students right into the Digital Technologies/Hangarau Matihiko curriculum in an engaging and exciting way that gives them autonomy over their creativity and innovation while also teaching them valuable skills and getting them excited about the prospects of Digital Technologies as a whole.

The first level is a simple version of the program serving as an introduction to the program, as Each level builds on the previous in terms of the depth and complexity of both the process and the outcome.

First Level links to DT & HM Progress Outcomes:

Progress Outcome Description: In authentic contexts and taking account of end-users, students give, follow, and debug simple algorithms in computerised and noncomputerized contexts. They use these algorithms to create simple programs involving outputs and sequencing (putting instructions one after the other) in age-appropriate programming environments.
How the challenge meets these outcomes: First can be undertaken in a basic programming context, with students guided through the process of developing a solution to a local problem using technology.
Progress Outcome Description: In authentic contexts and taking account of end-users, students decompose problems into step-by-step instructions to create algorithms for computer programs. They use logical thinking to predict the behavior of the programs, and they understand that there can be more than one algorithm for the same problem. They develop and debug simple programs that use inputs, outputs, sequence, and iteration (repeating part of the algorithm with a loop). They understand that digital devices store data using just two states represented by binary digits (bits).
How the challenge meets these outcomes: The First process guides students to look at a problem, then break it down into “Action Steps” before applying a solution via digital technologies. The Challenge also encourages students to predict and analyse outcomes.
Progress Outcome Description: In authentic contexts and taking account of end-users, students make decisions about creating, manipulating, storing, retrieving, sharing, and testing digital content for a specific purpose, given particular parameters, tools, and techniques. They understand that digital devices impact on humans and society and that both the devices and their impact change over time. Students identify the specific role of components in a simple input-process-output system and how they work together, and they recognise the “control role” that humans have in the system. They can select from an increasing range of applications and file types to develop outcomes for particular purposes.
How the challenge meets these outcomes: Through the First challenge process, students are encouraged to make decisions about technology having considered a problem and its possible solution. Teachers can use the Challenge to provide a practical example of components of an input-processoutput system and help students begin to make decisions on applications and approaches for their specific challenge context.

More About Secondary

Teacher FAQ

Secondary (Years 9-10)

The Secondary level of Tahi Rua Toru Tech is where the innovation builds! Students are tasked with identifying a problem in their school or community, and as a team, creating a technology-based solution to solve it!

The challenge aims to drop students right into the Digital Technologies/Hangarau Matihiko curriculum in an engaging and exciting way that gives them autonomy over their creativity and innovation while also teaching them valuable skills and getting them excited about the prospects of Digital Technologies as a whole.

The process becomes more comprehensive at higher levels (Secondary and Senior Secondary), and can also be used for the assessment of NCEA credits at these levels.

Secondary Level links to DT & HM Progress Outcomes:

Progress Outcome Description: In authentic contexts and taking account of end-users, students decompose problems into step-by-step instructions to create algorithms for computer programs. They use logical thinking to predict the behavior of the programs, and they understand that there can be more than one algorithm for the same problem. They develop and debug simple programs that use inputs, outputs, sequence, and iteration (repeating part of the algorithm with a loop). They understand that digital devices store data using just two states represented by binary digits (bits).
How the challenge meets these outcomes: The Secondary process guides students to look at a problem, then break it down into “Action Steps” before applying a solution via digital technologies. The Challenge also encourages students to predict and analyse outcomes.
Progress Outcome Description: In authentic contexts and taking account of end-users, students decompose problems to create simple algorithms using the three building blocks of programming: sequence, selection, and iteration. They implement these algorithms by creating programs that use inputs, outputs, sequence, basic selection using comparative operators, and iteration. They debug simple algorithms and programs by identifying when things go wrong with their instructions and correcting them, and they are able to explain why things went wrong and how they fixed them. Students understand that digital devices represent data with binary digits and have ways of detecting errors in data storage and transmission. They evaluate the efficiency of algorithms, recognising that computers need to search and sort large amounts of data. They also evaluate user interfaces in relation to their efficiency and usability.
How the challenge meets these outcomes: While undertaking the 123Tech Challenge at the Secondary level, students can choose to solve their problem using programming specifically. A Secondary level programming solution would be expected to create simple algorithms and debug these as part of their project. A core part of the Challenge is a reflection in the final report - including identifying when things went wrong and what they did to fix it. While not all projects will relate to data management, the user interface is increasingly focused on at this level.
Progress Outcome Description: In authentic contexts and taking account of end-users, students independently decompose problems into algorithms. They use these algorithms to create programs with inputs, outputs, sequence, and selection using comparative and logical operators and variables of different data types, and iteration. They determine when to use different types of control structures. Students document their programs, using an organised approach for testing and debugging. They understand how computers store more complex types of data using binary digits, and they develop programs considering human-computer interaction (HCI) heuristics.
How the challenge meets these outcomes: In more advanced Secondary -level projects, student teams will begin to work independently to decompose problems into Action Steps and then algorithms. The Challenge provides a good vehicle for reinforcing “programming hygiene” in the form of documentation and structured testing as well as full HCI heuristics.
Progress Outcome Description: In authentic contexts and taking account of end-users, students make decisions about creating, manipulating, storing, retrieving, sharing, and testing digital content for a specific purpose, given particular parameters, tools, and techniques. They understand that digital devices impact on humans and society and that both the devices and their impact change over time. Students identify the specific role of components in a simple input-process-output system and how they work together, and they recognise the “control role” that humans have in the system. They can select from an increasing range of applications and file types to develop outcomes for particular purposes.
How the challenge meets these outcomes: The Challenge provides an ideal vehicle to support students making decisions on creating, manipulating, storing, retrieving, sharing and testing digital content for their specific purpose. Through the increased focus on human ethics, students also focus on the human factor of technology.
Progress Outcome Description: In authentic contexts, students follow a defined process to design, develop, store, test, and evaluate digital content to address given contexts or issues, taking into account immediate social, ethical, and end-user considerations. They identify the key features of selected software and choose the most appropriate software and file types to develop and combine digital content. Students understand the role of operating systems in managing digital devices, security, and application software and are able to apply file management conventions using a range of storage devices. They understand that with storing data comes responsibility for ensuring security and privacy.
How the Challenge meets these Outcomes: The Secondary challenge provides a clean and clear process for the design and development of digital content for a specific purpose. It’s important to note that the Challenge has both significant practical and process steps, bringing to life the theory but in a solid and structured manner. If students are working towards Digital Outcomes Progress outcome 3, a project with a focus on digital devices and management of data might be preferable.

More About Senior Secondary

Teacher FAQ

Senior Secondary (Years 9-10)

The Senior Secondary level of Tahi Rua Toru Tech is where the innovation culminates! Students are tasked with identifying a problem in their school or community, and as a team, creating a technology-based solution to solve it!

At this level, the process becomes more comprehensive and more detailed (building on the other levels in terms of the depth and complexity of both the process and the outcome) and can also be used for the assessment of NCEA credits and other projects at these levels.

Senior Secondary Level links to DT & HM Progress Outcomes:

Progress Outcome Description: 6In authentic contexts and taking account of end-users, students determine and compare the “cost” (computational complexity) of two iterative algorithms for the same problem size. They understand the concept of compression coding for different media types, its typical uses, and how it enables widely used technologies to function. Students use an iterative process to design, develop, document and test basic computer programs. They apply design principles and usability heuristics to their own designs and evaluate user interfaces in terms of them.
How the challenge meets these outcomes: As part of the Challenge at Senior Secondary level, students should be encouraged to experiment with multiple methods of solving their problem. Senior Secondary-level programming projects would be expected to use an iterative process to design, develop, document and test programs and evidence of this is necessary to be successful.
Progress Outcome Description: In authentic contexts and taking account of end-users, students analyse concepts in digital technologies (for example, information systems, encryption, error control, complexity and tractability, autonomous control) by explaining the relevant mechanisms that underpin them, how they are used in real world applications, and the key problems or issues related to them. Students discuss the purpose of a selection of data structures and evaluate their use in terms of trade-offs between performance and storage requirements and their suitability for different algorithms. They use an iterative process to design, develop, document and test advanced computer programs.
How the challenge meets these outcomes: The Senior Secondary level challenge guides students through the concepts of initial research and investigation of digital technologies that could be used to solve their problem. The challenge provides a good opportunity to explore DT concepts in more depth as part of this exercise.
Progress Outcome Description: In authentic contexts and taking account of end-users, students evaluate concepts in digital technologies (for example, formal languages, network communication protocols, artificial intelligence, graphics and visual computing, big data, social algorithms) in relation to how key mechanisms underpin them and how they are applied in different scenarios when developing real world applications. Students understand accepted software engineering methodologies and user experience design processes and apply their key concepts to design, develop, document and test complex computer programs.
How the challenge meets these outcomes: The heavier focus on research and planning in the Senior Secondary challenge provides good opportunities to explore DT concepts in depth, especially for students who have undertaken a Secondary or Senior Secondary Challenge previously. Students are expected to report on methodologies and focus on user experience design.
Progress Outcome Description: In authentic contexts, students investigate and consider possible solutions for a given context or issue. With support, they use an iterative process to design, develop, store and test digital outcomes, identifying and evaluating relevant social, ethical and end-user considerations. They use information from testing and apply appropriate tools, techniques, procedures and protocols to improve the quality of the outcomes and to ensure they are fit-for-purpose and meet end-user requirements
How the challenge meets these outcomes: The Progress Outcome definition sums up the Senior Secondarylevel challenge. Students are guided through the process of considering social, ethical and end-user considerations as they investigate and consider possible solutions to their problem.
Progress Outcome Description: In authentic contexts and with support, students investigate a specialised digital technologies area (for example, digital media, digital information, electronic environments, user experience design, digital systems) and propose possible solutions to issues they identify. They independently apply an iterative process to design, develop, store and test digital outcomes that enable their solutions, identifying, evaluating, prioritising and responding to relevant social, ethical and end-user considerations. They use information from testing and, with increasing confidence, optimise tools, techniques, procedures and protocols to improve the quality of the outcomes. They apply evaluative processes to ensure the outcomes are fit-for-purpose and meet end-user requirements.
How the Challenge meets these Outcomes: The Senior Secondary Challenge encourages and supports students as they investigate particular digital technologies areas while considering how to solve their problem. The Challenge process also supports their development of a technology solution, considering social, ethical and end-user considerations. They also reflect on their solution in-depth and consider whether it met end-user requirements.
Progress Outcome Description: In authentic contexts, students independently investigate a specialised digital technologies area and propose possible solutions to issues they identify. They work independently or within collaborative, cross-functional teams to apply an iterative development process to plan, design, develop, test and create quality, fit-for-purpose digital outcomes that enable their solutions, synthesising relevant social, ethical and end-user considerations as they develop digital content. Students integrate in the outcomes they develop specialised knowledge of digital applications and systems from a range of areas, including: network architecture; complex electronics environments and embedded systems; interrelated computing devices, hardware and applications; digital information systems; user experience design; complex management of digital information; and creative digital media.
How the Challenge meets these Outcomes: More experienced students undertaking the Senior Secondary level challenge will work within collaborative, cross-functional teams to apply an iterative development process to develop their solution. It’s unlikely any one Challenge project will meet all of the requirements for DO Progress outcome 6, however it does form a solid base on which additional class work can be built.