← Years 5–6 Creating Digital Solutions

Community impact of a digital solution

How a digital solution affects other people, not just its user. It can help (benefits), cause problems (harms), or leave some people out.

Part of: 5-6 Digital Technologies Vic Curric - Creating Digital Solutions — Module 73, 7-8 Digital Technologies: Evaluating digital solutions — Module 8, 9-10 Digital Technologies: Evaluating solutions, impact and innovation — Module 7, QCE Digital Solutions Unit 1 — Understanding Digital Problems — Module 62, QCE Digital Solutions Unit 1 — Programmed Solutions — Module 126, QCE Digital Solutions Unit 3 — Interactions Between Users, Data and Digital Systems — Module 6

Understanding Community impact of a digital solution in Years 5–6 Creating Digital Solutions

What it does: A benefit is a positive community impact, and this example shows many people being helped, not only the app's user. Leaving people out happens when a solution needs something not everyone has. A harm is a problem caused for someone. Sharing photos without permission can hurt privacy. Adding languages and audio helps people who might otherwise be left out. The cleaner street helps everyone, not only the people using the app. Thinking about benefits, harms and who is left out is how we check community impact. Needing a home computer stops some students from joining in. Checking who is left out helps us spot this problem and fix it.

Common mistakes: Community impact is about people beyond the user. The first step should ask who else the app affects, not just who uses it. Parents seeing bus times is a benefit, not a harm. A possible harm is a problem, such as showing where kids live.

Class: _____________________  ·  Name: _____________________  ·  Date: _________

Free printable worksheet with full answer key — or add this module to a class and your students practise it interactively.

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This module's key terms are also in a printable crossword (Modules 61–74) and word search (Modules 41–74).

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Learning
Duo
A school builds an app that tells families about bus delays. Which is a community benefit?
Parents who are not using the app still know when to collect their kidsThe app has a blue background
Matches
Our bus app only affects the person using it, so we do not need to think about anyone else.
↓
Community impact covers other people too, such as bus drivers, parents and neighbours, not just the user.
Applying
Meanings
Term
community impact
Meaning
How a digital solution affects other people, not just its user. It can help (benefits), cause problems (harms), or leave some people out.
Practice
SET benefit TO "Kids find books faster"
Testing
Gaps
is how a solution
Check Answer
Spots
1ASK who the app user is
2LIST the benefits

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Quick Questions

1. A school builds an app that tells families about bus delays. Which is a community benefit?
A. The app has a blue background
B. Parents who are not using the app still know when to collect their kids ✓
A community benefit helps people beyond the app's main user. Colour is a design choice, not an effect on others.
2. Community impact only means how the person using the app feels.
A. False ✓
B. True
Community impact is about how a solution affects other people too, not just the user.
3. A town makes a free app to book the sports oval, but it only works on new phones. Who might be left out?
A. People who only have an old phone or no phone ✓
B. People who already own a new phone
Leaving people out happens when a solution needs something not everyone has.
4. Which is a possible harm of a school photo-sharing app?
A. Students can see photos from the school camp
B. Someone's photo is shared without their permission ✓
A harm is a problem caused for someone. Sharing photos without permission can hurt privacy.
5. A library app only has instructions in English. What is the best way to include more people?
A. Offer other languages and read-aloud options ✓
B. Make the buttons bigger and change the logo
Adding languages and audio helps people who might otherwise be left out.

Match the Pairs

community impact → How a digital solution affects other people, not just the person who uses it
who is left out → Some people cannot use or gain from the solution, for example because they have no tablet or internet
A benefit is a helpful effect of a solution on the community → Benefit: The library app helps the whole town find books faster.
A possible harm is a problem a solution might cause for other people → Possible harm: The school app shows photos of students and could share private information.
Our bus app only affects the person using it, so we do not need to think about anyone else. → Community impact covers other people too, such as bus drivers, parents and neighbours, not just the user.
Our class voting app is perfect because it has no harms and nobody is left out, even though it needs a home computer. → Students without a home computer would be left out, so the app does leave some people out.

Key Term

community impact
How a digital solution affects other people, not just its user. It can help (benefits), cause problems (harms), or leave some people out.

Fill in the Blanks

1. Community impact is how a solution affects people beyond its user.
Hint: Type the two-word term for how a solution affects people beyond its user.
2. Free homework help is a benefit for kids.
Hint: Type the word for a helpful, positive effect on people.
3. Too much screen time is a possible harm.
Hint: Type the word for a problem or damage a solution might cause.
4. If an app needs the internet, some people may be left out of using it.
Hint: Type the two-word phrase for people who cannot use a solution.
5. Impact = benefits, harms, who is left out
Hint: Type the word for the negative effects, listed beside benefits.

Spot the Error

Question 1
A ASK who the app user is
B LIST the benefits
C LIST the possible harms
Line A — Community impact is about people beyond the user. The first step should ask who else the app affects, not just who uses it.
Question 2
A app = "Bus tracker"
B benefit = "Parents see bus times"
C harm = "Parents see bus times"
Line C — Parents seeing bus times is a benefit, not a harm. A possible harm is a problem, such as showing where kids live.
Question 3
A IF app is fun to play THEN
B some students are left out
C ask school to lend tablets
Line A — Being fun does not leave anyone out. The condition should check something that can exclude people, like needing the internet.
Question 4
A left_out = empty list
B IF has internet: add family
C IF cannot read: add student
Line B — Families who have internet are not left out. The condition should be 'no internet', because those families cannot use the app.
Question 5
A benefits = 0
B REPEAT for each harmful effect
C benefits = benefits + 1
D PRINT benefits
Line B — This loop counts benefits, so it should repeat for each helpful effect, not each harmful one.

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