What is a Database? Features of the Informatics Subject According to the 2018 Education Program Under the Latest Regulations
What is a Database? What is a Database Management System?
- Management problems are common in all economic and social activities. The more civilized a society, the higher the management level of organizations operating in that society will be. Accurate and prompt information storage and processing play an important role in the management and operation of every organization.
- The advent and development of electronic computers have become a tool capable of massive data storage, with very fast data retrieval and processing speeds. Therefore, it is necessary to establish methods to describe data structures to utilize computers effectively for human information storage and retrieval.
=> Databases (DB) and Database Management Systems (DBMS) were born and developed to meet this demand.
A database is a collection of related data, containing information about an organization (such as a school, a bank, a company, a factory, etc.), stored on memory devices to meet the information retrieval needs of multiple users with various purposes.
- Today, the application of databases in most social activities has become popular and familiar.
- To manage well and serve readers conveniently, most libraries today have databases. By searching for book records stored in the computer database, readers can know information about the books of interest and need to be borrowed. By exploiting the library's database, readers can also learn other information, such as how many book titles the library has, which types and fields of books are attracting readers' attention, etc.
- Along with the rapid development of the Internet in the late 20th century, the number of people accessing and exploiting information from databases increased rapidly. Through websites, people could see their university exam results, register for courses at schools, check their bank account balance, view and buy books from online bookstores, explore details about certain products, etc. All these tasks are performed thanks to appropriate databases.
- Extracting information from databases not only serves prompt and accurate management and operation but also increasingly becomes a common task to meet and satisfy individual needs.
- To create, store, and allow multiple users to exploit a database, a system of programs enabling users to interact with the database is necessary. These systems hide complex technical details and simplify user interactions with computers.
The software providing a convenient and efficient environment for creating, storing, and exploiting database information is called a Database Management System (DBMS).
The term database system often refers to a database along with a DBMS that manages and exploits that database.
Additionally, there are application software built based on DBMS to make database exploitation more convenient, meeting diverse user requirements.
To store and exploit information using computers, the following are needed:
- Database
- Database Management System
- Physical devices (Computer, hard disk, network, etc.)
What is a Database? Characteristics of the Informatics subject according to the 2018 Education Program as per the latest regulations
How many levels of database representation are there?
- To store and exploit information effectively, database systems are built and maintained based on many technical factors of computers. However, to serve multiple users, database systems must be designed such that users can exploit information through simple interactions with the system without needing to know complex technical details.
- Thus, the level of detailed understanding of a database varies among groups of people working with the database system in different roles.
- There are three levels of database understanding:
+ Physical level
+ Conceptual level
+ View level
What are the characteristics of the Informatics subject according to the 2018 Education Program?
In the Informatics Program issued as part of the General Education Program issued with Circular 32/2018/TT-BGDDT the features of the Informatics subject according to the 2018 General Education Program are clearly stated as follows:
Informatics education plays a key role in preparing students with the ability to search, receive, expand knowledge, and innovate in the era of the fourth industrial revolution and globalization. Informatics greatly influences ways of living, thinking, and acting, serving as an effective tool to transform learning into lifelong self-learning.
The Informatics subject helps students adapt and integrate into modern society, forming and developing informatics competence for learning, working, and improving the quality of life, contributing to the construction and defense of the country.
The contents of the Informatics subject develop three intertwined knowledge streams: General Digital Knowledge (DL), Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Computer Science (CS) and are divided into two stages:
- Basic education stage:
+ The Informatics subject helps students form and develop the ability to use digital tools, get familiar with and use the Internet; initially form and develop problem-solving thinking with the support of computers and computer systems; understand and follow fundamental principles in information exchange and sharing.
+ In primary school, students mainly learn to use simple software to support their studies and use informatics devices according to health-preserving principles, while initially forming problem-solving thinking with the support of computers.
+ In secondary school, students learn how to use general software to create digital products for study and life; practice identifying and solving problems creatively with the support of automation tools of digital technology; learn to organize storage, manage, retrieve, and search digital data, evaluate and select information.
- Career-oriented education stage:
+ The Informatics subject becomes deeply divided. Depending on interests and future career plans, students choose one of two orientations: Applied Informatics and Computer Science.
+ Both orientations share some common sub-topics and each has its specific sub-topics.
+ The Applied Informatics orientation meets the need to use computers as a tool of digital technology in life, study, and work, bringing adaptation and development capacity in the digital society.
+ The Computer Science orientation meets the goal of initially understanding the operating principles of computer systems, developing computational thinking, the ability to explore computer systems, and developing applications on computer systems.
+ Besides core educational content, students can select some study topics according to their interests, needs, and career orientation. Topics under the Applied Informatics orientation aim to strengthen practical application skills, helping students become proficient in using essential software to create meaningful digital products for study and life. Topics under the Computer Science orientation introduce programming to control educational robots, algorithm design techniques, some data structures, and some principles of computer network design.
Note: The adoption roadmap for the education program issued with Circular 32/2018/TT-BGDDT is as follows:
- From the academic year 2020-2021 for Grade 1.
- From the academic year 2021-2022 for Grade 2 and Grade 6.
- From the academic year 2022-2023 for Grade 3, Grade 7, and Grade 10.
- From the academic year 2023-2024 for Grade 4, Grade 8, and Grade 11.
- From the academic year 2024-2025 for Grade 5, Grade 9, and Grade 12.
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