Issues in Technology

Investigating Issues in Technology is a Year 7 Digital Technologies course about the questions behind everyday technology: is AI using too much power, how does AI actually work, what happens to the eWaste from hardware upgrades, and what does privacy mean online?

Its 21 modules start with RADCAB — Relevancy, Appropriateness, Detail, Currency, Authority and Bias — so students can judge the sources they research with. They then look at hardware cost and performance (CPU vs GPU, how much RAM matters), how data travels across networks and the risks of public Wi-Fi, how computers store text, images and sound as numbers, and why file size and compression matter. Each module includes real practice questions and a full answer key.

Teachers can assign the modules as a journey, with progress tracking, class sprints and badges, or print any module as a worksheet for a research lesson.

Add this whole curriculum to your class, or just the modules your unit needs — Cloodit tracks who's stuck automatically.

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Issues in Technology Worksheets — All 21 Modules

29
Is AI using too much power? The large amount of electricity and water needed to train and run AI models in data centres.
28
How does an AI actually work? AI learns patterns from large amounts of training data, then uses those patterns to make predictions or generate content.
27
Compression - losing quality or saving space? Reducing file size by removing or simplifying data, sometimes losing quality.
26
Why file size matters How much storage a file needs, based on how much data (text, image, audio) it contains.
25
How sound is turned into binary Measuring a sound wave thousands of times per second and storing each measurement as a binary number.
24
How images are made of numbers A tiny square of colour that images are built from, stored as RGB numbers in binary.
23
How computers store text A number assigned to a letter or symbol so a computer can store and display it.
18
How data travels: packets and addresses A small chunk of data, labelled with an address, sent across a network and reassembled at its destination.
17
Risks of unsecured public Wi-Fi A network with no encryption, letting attackers intercept the data sent across it.
15
Right to privacy and security online The right to keep your personal information and data safe from others without permission.
11
eWaste from hardware upgrades Electronic waste - discarded devices and hardware that are thrown away instead of reused or recycled.
10
Does RAM really matter? Short-term memory that lets a computer run several programs or tasks at once smoothly.
9
GPU vs CPU - which matters more? The CPU handles general tasks while the GPU handles graphics and parallel calculations.
8
Hardware cost vs performance How much speed or power you get for the money spent on hardware.
7
RADCAB - Bias Checking whether information is written to inform fairly or to persuade you toward one viewpoint.
6
RADCAB - Authority Checking who created the information and what makes them qualified to write it.
5
RADCAB - Currency Checking how recently information was written or updated.
4
RADCAB - Detail Checking whether a source gives enough depth and evidence to answer your question.
3
RADCAB - Appropriateness Checking whether information suits your age, values, and purpose.
2
RADCAB - Relevancy Checking whether information actually relates to the question you are researching.
1
What is RADCAB? A checklist of six questions (Relevancy, Appropriateness, Detail, Currency, Authority, Bias) used to check if information is trustworthy.

Printable Issues in Technology Crosswords & Word Searches

Built from the key terms of each block of modules, every one with a full answer key. All free printables →

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Crossword: Is AI using too much power? and more (Part 1 of 2) 10 clues · Is AI using too much power?, How does an AI actually work?, Compression - losing quality or saving space?, Why file size matters and more
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Crossword: eWaste from hardware upgrades to What is RADCAB? (Part 2 of 2) 10 clues · eWaste from hardware upgrades, Does RAM really matter?, GPU vs CPU - which matters more?, Hardware cost vs performance and more
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Word Search: Is AI using too much power? to What is RADCAB? (All modules) 22 words to find · Is AI using too much power?, How does an AI actually work?, Compression - losing quality or saving space?, Why file size matters and more

Journeys using these modules

Investigating Issues in Technology, 7-8 Digital Technologies Vic Curric - Digital Systems and Security, VCE Applied Computing - U1O1 - Data analysis, VCE Software Development - U3O1 - Programming, VCE Software Development - U4O2 - Cyber Security: secure software development practices, VCE Data Analytics - U3O1 - Data Analytics, VCE Data Analytics - U3O2 - Analysis and Design, VCE Data Analytics - U4O2 - Cyber Security: Data Security, 7-8 Digital Technologies: Representing data with binary, 7-8 Digital Technologies: Using digital tools and conventions, 7-8 Digital Technologies: Digital footprint and privacy, 9-10 Digital Technologies: Data compression, 9-10 Digital Technologies: Interactive content with emerging tools, VCE Applied Computing U1O2 Programming: Legal requirements and emerging trends, IGCSE Computer Science 0478 — 1.2 Text, Sound and Images, IGCSE Computer Science 0478 — 1.3 Data Storage and Compression, ACARA Digital Technologies Years 5–6 — Digital Footprints, ACARA Digital Technologies Years 7–8 — Hardware and Performance, ACARA Digital Technologies Years 7–8 — Representing Text, Images and Sound, ACARA Digital Technologies Years 7–8 — Digital Footprints and Data Minimisation, ACARA Digital Technologies Years 9–10 — Networked Systems and Access Control, ACARA Digital Technologies Years 9–10 — Data Compression, ACARA Digital Technologies Years 9–10 — Cyber Security Threats and Vulnerabilities, ACARA Digital Technologies Years 9–10 — Privacy Principles and Digital Footprints, WA Computer Science ATAR Year 11 — Network Communications, WA Computer Science ATAR Year 11 — Cyber Security

Or build your own Journey from any of these modules →

Frequently Asked Questions

Are these worksheets free?

Yes — every worksheet and its answer key is free to view, download, and print, with no account required to access any individual module.

Do I need an account?

No account is needed to view or print a worksheet. A free teacher account adds extras like assigning modules to a class and tracking progress automatically — it takes under three minutes to set up and doesn't need a credit card.

What year level is this for?

Built for Year 7, and suitable for lower secondary generally — the modules investigate real issues (AI energy use, privacy, eWaste, how data is stored) at that level.

Can I print them?

Yes — every module has a one-click Print Worksheet button that generates a printable page with the practice questions and a full answer key.

Is this aligned to a curriculum?

The journey is set for Year 7 under the Victorian F–10 Digital Technologies curriculum and uses the RADCAB method for judging sources, but individual modules aren't mapped to curriculum codes.

Can students use this without a teacher?

Yes — students can start any module and practice directly, no class or account required. Joining a teacher's class with a class code adds progress tracking, class badges, and live Sprints, but isn't needed to work through the worksheets or modules solo.

Do I need to know Issues in Technology myself to teach this?

No — every module comes with a full worked answer key, and Cloodit tracks who's stuck automatically, so you don't need to solve each exercise yourself before assigning it or be able to debug a student's work line by line.

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Students lock in with Sprints

Live, competitive practice for the start of the lesson or a teacher-led lesson finisher.

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Honour your top performers, or encourage a student who's trying hard — ready to print in seconds.

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