2023 Advent Calendar

What does a digital learner look like in your setting?

Use our Digital Learner posters aligned with the Digital Learning and Literacy Pathway to support your learners develop the digital skills to be a digital learner.

View the posters here.

Explore the Microsoft Learn site and take professional learning at your own pace with their self-directed modules.

To get started explore one of our collections with modules on OneNote, Sway, Forms and Teams: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/users/mrssanderson-4258/collections/p6e5iyrqq51q6g

If you've explored Microsoft Learn before then why not look at the Microsoft Educator Programs: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/training/educator-center/programs/microsoft-educator/ 

Have you signed up for the Digital Schools Award? We have 26 settings that have achieved this award to celebrate their digital learning journey.

Why not also look at the Digital Wellbeing Award, a great next step if you’ve achieved the Digital Schools Award and an important topic to value to support our learners with their digital wellbeing.

Find out more here: https://www.digitalschoolsawards.co.uk/

Or email Gemma.Sanderson@fife.gov.uk to arrange a chat about the awards and the support available.

Use the animated animals project from micro:bit to create animated Christmas decorations.

Can you create a mirco:bit Christmas tree?

Share your creations on Fife Digital Learning on Glow Teams.

Explore more projects at https://microbit.org/projects/make-it-code-it/

Support your learners in identifying different types and parts of technology around your classroom and setting.

Use our pre-made Boardmaker symbols or create your own.

Click here for types of technology

Click here for parts of technology

Have you used ThingLink yet? We love it for creating interactive classrooms and it’s a great way to your most used content, videos and links with learners.

We used ThingLink to create the Fife STEM Futures Festival in June: https://www.thinglink.com/card/1702285140325041123

Check out this advent calendar ThingLink from P5 at Denend Primary:

https://www.thinglink.com/card/1784307471620244133

What ways do you use ThingLink?

Did you know that Pivot Stickfigure Animator is available on all desktops, laptops and netbooks in school?

This simple tool is a great way to explore animation with learners. You can animate a simple stickfigure or import your own images to create sprites.

Watch the Pivot animation. Can your learners create something similar?

Explore how computer science is also about people, solving puzzles, creativity, changing the future and, especially having fun.

Computing Science Fun produce online magazines for primary and secondary through CAS London.

https://teachinglondoncomputing.org/

Why not explore the resources and try one of their unplugged computing activities.

We like the Christmas Pixel Puzzles to explore how images are represented and stored in a computer.

Christmas Pixel Puzzles | Teaching London Computing: A RESOURCE HUB from CAS LONDON & CS4FN

To learn more about using iPads in the school, join the Apple Education Community and take learning at your own pace to become an Apple Teacher.

Work through the badges for iPad and pick up hints and tips for using apps such as Pages, Keynote and iMovie.

https://education.apple.com/en

Have you explored the Digital Learning and Literacy Pathway yet?

Check it out here: https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/fi/digital/ with ideas and resources for each skill tile.

Need a one-stop shop for Glow support, then look at:

https://glowconnect.org.uk/

We love the new knowledge hub, great for those frequently asked questions and quick tips for using the tools available through Glow.

Support learners develop their mouse control with games.

We love the Santa Tracker and the range of games available. Let us know your favourite game.

https://santatracker.google.com/

Looking to create posters, presentations, videos and more with your learners?

Then create a Canva account with your Glow email address, get verified as a teacher and then set up your class.

The image for the advent calendar was created using Canva.

Find out more at: https://www.canva.com/education/

Animations, code art, emoji art, comics, photo collages – all of these can be made for free on Brush Ninja. No software or logins needed, just go to https://brush.ninja/ and start creating.

Have you explored the Computing Science Pathway yet?

Check it out here: https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/fi/compsci/ with ideas and resources for each skill tile.

What are you planning for Safer Internet Day on Tuesday 6th February?

The theme for 2024 is ‘Inspiring change? Making a difference, managing influence and navigating change online’.

Find out more at: https://saferinternet.org.uk/safer-internet-day/safer-internet-day-2024 

And use the CRIS Pathway to support exploring internet safety and cyber resilience throughout the school year.

Looking for further support with digital learning and teaching? Then look no further than:

https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/glowblogs/digilearn/

Our go-to for webinars and keeping updated with practice across Scotland.

What have you used on the DigiLearnScot site to support your practice?

There are lots of websites which offer a daily classroom screen with clocks and timers but why not make your own using SMART Notebook?

This way you can personalise what you need, use Boardmaker symbols if appropriate, display learning intentions and more.

Check out our DigiTip video on how to use interactive elements in SMART Notebook: https://youtu.be/ranhSNreupo?si=1SWUx2ofNvw4iTs5 and start creating.

Not sure where to start or how one might look like, then download our example SMART Notebook file: https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/fi/public/fifedigilearn/uploads/sites/13455/2023/11/27104840/Example-daily-classroom-screen.notebook

Have you explored the https://www.barefootcomputing.org/ resource to support teaching Computing Science?

We love their Early Years resources and the Winter Warmers activity is great for exploring patterns and algorithms with younger learners.

For First Level, have a look at the Crazy Character Algorithm activity and give it a Christmassy twist.

For Second Level, explore logical reasoning with their unplugged activities and put your logic skills to the test.

Looking for a way to engage pupils with reading the stories of their peers?

The idea behind Choose Your Own Adventure Stories is very simple: pupils start writing a story, then present options to their readers after the first sentence or paragraph. So when a reader makes a choice they then start to determine how the story proceeds. And each new choices presents a further step in the story, and further choices – and so the adventure really does become the reader’s own.

Here is an example created by pupils at Kirkton of Largo Primary School: The beach pearls

The Sway below from Malcolm Wilson, Falkirk Council, details how to create a Choose Your Own Adventure Story using Forms.

https://sway.office.com/BAocXUF9FEaDpd5n?ref=Link&loc=play

Check out our new YouTube channel Professional Learning from Fife and our playlist of DigiTips videos:

DigiTips YouTube Playlist

Let us know what DigiTips videos you’d like to see.

Our advent calendar has been created through Glow blogs and then using the Draw Attention plugin. It’s been great having a play with these tools and it has sparked lots of ideas to continue developing https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/fi/fifedigilearn/ and for sharing ideas for using with learners.

If you’re interested then follow the Glow Help blog: https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/glowblogs/glowbloghelp/ and for more about Draw Attention: https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/glowblogs/drawattention/

Let us know if you try any of these tools.

To continue supporting digital learning in Fife, come along to our Digital Toolbox meetings each month on Teams:

https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/fi/fifedigilearn/professional-learning/digital-toolbox-monthly/

Our next one is Wednesday 10th January at 4pm.