This content is located in CAPS under Network Technologies: Networks for Grade 10.

Networks are at the heart of our modern digital world, and Grade 10 learners are introduced to the fundamental aims and objectives of networks. These objectives include facilitating communication, sharing hardware and software resources, and enabling efficient data and information exchange. Let’s make these theoretical concepts practical, relatable, and engaging in the classroom.

Making the Concepts Real and Relevant

1. Facilitating Communications
   • Classroom Idea: Use a simple messaging app (e.g., WhatsApp or Microsoft Teams) to simulate how a network facilitates communication. Create small groups where learners send messages, share images, or even set up a “class discussion” on a topic.
   • For Under-resourced Schools: Set up a “human network” in class. Assign roles like “server,” “router,” and “clients” to students. Pass notes or objects between them to represent messages being sent across a network.
2. Sharing Hardware
   • Demonstration: Show learners how printers or other devices can be shared over a network. If your school has a computer lab, demonstrate printing a document from multiple devices to a single printer.
   • Creative Example: Bring in a toy car or model and explain that it’s like a shared resource (e.g., a printer). Each student gets to “send” a job (like a print command), and the car is shared to accomplish tasks for everyone.
3. Sharing Software
   • Interactive Activity: If possible, access shared files or software on a school network. Explain how this reduces costs and enhances collaboration.
   • Low-tech Option: Draw a diagram of how software installed on a server can be used by multiple computers, saving money and resources.
4. Sharing Data and Information
   • Group Task: Have learners work on a shared document using cloud tools like Google Docs or Microsoft 365 to experience real-time collaboration.
   • Offline Adaptation: Simulate the process by passing around a flash drive or printed materials, showcasing how data sharing can occur without direct internet access.

Fun, Practical Activities

• Network Scavenger Hunt: Create a scavenger hunt where learners identify components of a network, such as cables, routers, or devices, either in the classroom or by drawing from their own homes.
• Role-Playing Networks: Learners act as parts of a network (server, router, client). Messages (notes) are passed through the network with delays (e.g., stopping to simulate congestion) to understand the importance of fast, efficient communication.

Addressing Security and Privacy Issues

While discussing networks, include a brief overview of basic security and privacy measures:

• Class Discussion: Ask learners what might go wrong if someone intercepts a message (e.g., stealing private data). Discuss the importance of passwords and encryption.
• Real-World Example: Share relatable stories, such as how students’ online school accounts are protected by passwords.

Relating to Their World

Use analogies familiar to learners:

• A LAN (Local Area Network) can be compared to their school network, where all computers are connected and share resources.
• A PAN (Personal Area Network) is like the Bluetooth connection between their phones and headphones.

These analogies will help students visualise the scope and application of networks in their daily lives.

Encourage learners to think critically about the role of networks in society by asking:

• How do networks improve communication between people in different places?
• What would happen if we didn’t have networks to share resources?

Finish the lesson by highlighting the transformative impact of networks on industries like healthcare, education, and entertainment.