Australian Computing Academy

Helping teachers implement the Australian Curriculum: Digital Technologies

Australian Digital Technologies Challenges

New! Free online access for Years 5 - 8

The Australian DT Challenges are free in-classroom activities designed to address the most technically challenging aspects of the Year 5-6 and 7-8 bands of Australian Curriculum: Digital Technologies.

Each Challenge provides online and unplugged learning resources; engaging, authentic, real-world problems; modular lesson plans; and online training and support for teachers.

Years 5 - 8 students have free access to a learning platform that enables self-paced learning with immediate, intelligent feedback.

View all of the Challenges

Latest challenges

5 Blockly + Biology

7 Python + Biology

7/8 Javascript - Cookie Clicker

7/8 Python - Intro to micro:bit

Academy Workshops

The Academy runs 1- and 2-day in-person professional development workshops for primary and secondary teachers around Australia.

These accredited workshops explain the curriculum key concepts, point teachers to a wide range of practical activities and resources, and introduce teachers to the Australian DT Challenges.

Join our mailing list to hear about workshops near you.

View all workshops

Latest News

27th April, 2018

Get your Turtles in a line! We've released the new Python Turtle course for years 7-8 to bring algorithms and computational thinking to the screen. It's Turtles all the way down!

28th February, 2018

We've released our newest challenge! Make an animal classifier with the Year 7 Python + Biology challenge.

23rd February, 2018

Watch our new Dr Karl video. He explains how we can help teachers deliver the new Digital Technologies curriculum, through both our challenges and our workshops!

22nd February, 2018

We are running an intro to python webinar on the DT hub! We'll be going through the python chatbot DT challenge. Register Here.

Join our mailing list

Want to know about the DT Challenges, other resources, and PD workshops? Sign up to our mailing list!

Become a champion teacher

Want to help others teach Digital Technologies? Raise your professional profile? Become a highly accomplished or lead teacher?

We're looking for teachers to trial our DT Challenges, give feedback, run workshops, and lead other teachers in delivering Digital Technologies.

If you want to become a Digital Technologies champion, let us know!

Find out more

Need help?

The Academy provides free support from curriculum experts for teachers using the DT Challenges. Feel free to ring us, send us an email, or message us within the platform if you need help understanding the curriculum or using the Challenges.

Email: help@aca.edu.au

Phone: 02 8627 8686

The Australian Digital Technologies Challenges for Years 5 - 8 is an initiative of, and funded by, the Australian Government Department of Education and Training.

Project Lead

Project Partners

About the Academy

The University of Sydney leads the Australian Computing Academy to provide the intellectual, technical, and practical leadership needed to fulfil the ambitious goals of the Australian Curriculum: Digital Technologies.

More about ACA

Academy Educators

The Academy brings together an award-winning team with:

expertise in the Digital Technologies curriculum and its development;
roles across jurisdictions and systems at primary, secondary and tertiary levels;
leadership in computer science and other STEM concepts and pedagogy; and
experience delivering effective PD and fostering communities for teachers.

Meet the team

Unpacking the curriculum

The Digital Technologies curriculum has been designed around ten key concepts. The DT Challenges and PD workshops focus on understanding these deep ideas in computing.

While the vocabulary is new, many of these concepts are ideas and processes that teachers will already be teaching in other learning areas.

Click the box to explore each concept.