Australian Computing Academy

Helping teachers implement the Australian Curriculum: Digital Technologies

Australian Digital Technologies Challenges for Year 5 and 7

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.

Year 5 and 7 students have free access to a learning platform that enables self-paced learning with immediate, intelligent feedback.

View the Challenges

5-6 Blockly

7-8 Python

7-8 Arduino

7-8 Maths Blockly

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

26th July, 2017

The Australian Digital Technologies Challenges have been launched by Senator Simon Birmingham, Minister for Education and Training and Dr Michael Spence, Vice Chancellor and Principal, University of Sydney at Artarmon Public School.

26th July, 2017

The first four Australian Digital Technologies Challenges have been released! They are:

Blockly for Year 5-6
Python for Year 7-8
Arduino for Year 7-8
Blockly + Maths for Year 7-8

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 Year 5 and 7 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 has created 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.