Use this link to access the form and evaluate your own digital skills:
Use this link to make a copy of the form that you can use with staff or colleagues to evaluate your setting or organisation’s digital skills:
My decision to engage with Scotland’s Curriculum Improvement Cycle regarding digital literacy began primarily when I began to lead my school through the Digital Schools Award journey. This experience revealed the Dunning-Kruger effect in action early in my school’s digital journey – while I started the process full of confidence, I gradually realised how much I didn’t know about what I didn’t know in the digital realm, and more importantly, how I needed to prepare my pupils for challenges and opportunities I couldn’t yet foresee. This recognition of the profound impact digital technology has on every aspect of modern life drove my deeper engagement with the field.
The concept of digital literacy has evolved significantly since its origins in the 1990s when I was a primary school pupil in the Kingdom of Fife, when it simply meant navigating around a Britannica Encyclopaedia CD-ROM or moving an angular turtle around the screen. Today, through my classroom experiences and engaging with the CIC, I can see more and more how it encompasses our interaction with democracy through digital platforms, environmental sustainability considerations, and fundamental human rights issues. Perhaps most critically, research indicates that digital disadvantage creates a compounding cycle of inequality, where those already facing socio-economic challenges are further disadvantaged by lack of digital access and skills. These disparities are particularly pronounced in the rural areas where my pupils are growing up, where geographic isolation can amplify digital exclusion. This understanding highlighted the urgent need to ensure every person in Scotland can participate fully in society through digital literacy. This recognition of the profound impact digital technology has on every aspect of modern life drove my deeper engagement with the field and my commitment to working with Education Scotland through the CIC process.
Through the Curriculum Improvement Cycle, I hope that developments within the CfE will succeed in creating a generation of young people who possess both essential daily digital skills and deeper understanding of digital systems’ impact. Through the processes I have been involved with I can see an aspiration to develop learners with practical capabilities that I had previously just taken for granted like using apps for parking or cup final tickets for my beloved Aberdeen, connecting payment systems, and scanning QR codes, alongside critical awareness of algorithms, data justice, and digital citizenship. This enhanced curriculum will empower teachers with structured frameworks and resources that make digital literacy concepts more accessible to teach, reducing preparation time while increasing classroom confidence in delivering these essential skills.
For me, my vision extends beyond functional skills to developing young people who understand the levers and controls within digital systems. Rather than passively accepting search engine results as definitive answers, I hope they will comprehend the influences and biases that shape digital information. This includes awareness of how algorithms influence what we watch, listen to, and discuss. For educators, this curriculum development will provide clear pedagogical pathways and assessment strategies, enabling teachers to facilitate meaningful discussions about digital citizenship without requiring extensive technical expertise themselves.
I believe that through successful implementation of digital literacy education within the Curriculum Improvement Cycle, we can address social and economic barriers, ensuring no one is left behind in an increasingly digital society. Teachers will benefit from professional development opportunities and collaborative networks that emerge from this initiative, enhancing their own digital competencies while building stronger connections with colleagues across Scotland.
The shared goal is not merely technical competence but fostering digital citizens who understand technology’s impact on themselves and the planet, equipped to participate meaningfully in democratic processes and sustainable practices through digital means. This approach will ultimately make teaching more relevant and engaging, as educators connect curriculum content to real-world applications that resonate with both their professional practice and pupils lived experiences.
David Thomson (Digital Lead) Kirkcowan Primary School
We were lucky that a parent of a child in our class works with Digital School House and they let us know about the event. There were spaces available and the children were really enthusiastic and keen to go. It would be great to let more schools know about the event – I am sure they would find it very worthwhile.
This event was especially engaging as the children worked in their co-operative learning groups, designing games and presentations for Ninja Kiwi (a local games developer). They created their own amazing and unique games that they then pitched Ninja Kiwi staff like in Dragon’s Den. This allowed them to pull together an array of skills and during this time we looked into Dundee and its gaming history.
On the day, children and young people were excited to arrive at the University where they received tote bags on arrivals with some ‘merch’. They really enjoyed the session with Olive, about her game Private Joke, and enjoyed how much creativity and fun it involved. Lunches were a big hit as well, and the gaming exhibit at the end where they got to play games and try things out. They were big fans of the design a character, with Ninja Kiwi, and after this I heard two boys discussing coming to Abertay to study and design a game together.
“The monkey bit was really fun and creative as you could do anything; the exhibit at the games were really fun. I liked the whole day as it was really interactive and wasn’t just sitting around for like 25 minutes.” Hamish M, 10 years old.
“I really liked it because I liked the workshops and the VR headset. My The part I really liked was playing on the Nintendo Switch; the commentating workshop was very interesting because I liked the instructor because he told us all sorts of information.” Akshara, 10 years old.
As a teacher, I really liked the range of speakers and activities for the children to engage with. I thought the sessions were a good length and covered a lot of different aspects of learning. The games were a good opportunity to play. My favourite was the Private Joke session as it was the most transferable and the games commentary workshop was also really engaging.
We had a great time and loved being a part of the day, especially it being the first in Scotland. The children felt really inspired afterwards and comments about not knowing how many skills were needed in gaming, some children who are really creative and love drawing realising there were career opportunities, children who love playing games, children who love maths and numbers and then the ones who love reading, they all came away talking about how what they liked learning about and how there were pathways in gaming and computing industries.
This initiative aims to provide a structured competitive framework that supports Curriculum for Excellence, develops learners’ meta-skills, enhances digital skills, and aligns with national qualifications including the NPA Esports and HNC Esports.
Provide your feedback using this link: Scottish Esports Schools and Colleges Competition survey
For more information or queries, contact: info@scotesports.org
Digital technology
Digital technology is used to store, process and share computer data about almost all aspects of our lives and society. This is underpinned by computer technology, including hardware, software and networks. It is essential that these systems and their data should be secured to protect them, and us, from cyber threats.
Essential digital skills
Being able to use digital technology increases opportunities to engage in society, including finding information, accessing essential services and communicating with other people.
Creativity and communication
Having access to vast quantities of information, media and statistical data requires skills to navigate but also to scrutinise its reliability and veracity. Digital technology provides a wide range of media through which to express our thoughts, feelings and ideas and to engage with others’ self-expression. Digital technology should be considered part of any a potential solution when problem solving or innovative thinking.
Citizenship
As digital technology is increasingly embedded in all aspects of our lives we should consider how we engage with it and how this may affect us and others. The means to create, publish and communicate online should be democratic and of benefit to individuals and society. Human rights should be central to the design and function of these systems and services. Lessening the environmental impact, through manufacture and use, should be a priority in the lifecycle of technology
Information literacy is a key skill for people who are trying to navigate an increasingly complex information landscape. To help empower people to understand the tools and tactics that they can use to make sense of information online, Google is partnering with CILIP to launch the Super Searcher training programme in the UK. Google have successfully rolled out this initiative in America with the American Library Association and in Europe with Public Libraries 2030.
Under this partnership, librarians and other library staff across the UK will be trained on best practices from information literacy experts to help evaluate information online. In turn, trained library staff will be able to educate, support and empower library service users to strengthen their information and media literacy skills and their ability to critically evaluate online news and media at a time when finding quality information online is more complex than ever.
The pilot for the training programme will focusing on public and school library workers across all four nations in the UK and will run from June to December 2025.
For more information on how you can get involved, please email:
The Glasgow Independent Games Festival is officially set to take place on 9th August 2025 at the community revered Barras Art and Design (BAaD) Building. This year’s festival promises to be a vibrant celebration of independent game development, featuring new game showcases, industry discussions, and games-related art performances even larger than last year’s historic appearance.
Organised by the Glasgow Independent Games Group CIC (GIGG), the festival aims to highlight the creativity and innovation of independent game developers while fostering meaningful conversations about the future of the games industry. Attendees can expect a diverse lineup of activities, including:
Joe Bain, Director of GIGG, said, “The Glasgow Independent Games Festival is a platform for indie developers to shine and for the industry to come together to celebrate the artistry and innovation of games. We’re excited to welcome everyone to the Barras Art and Design Building for a day of creativity, collaboration, and inspiration.”
Ryan Caulfield, Director of GIGG, added, “This festival is about more than just games—it’s about building a community that values inclusivity and creativity. We’re proud to support indie developers and provide a space where their work can be celebrated and appreciated.”
Since its inception, GIGG has supported over 200 developers, sponsors, and patrons from across the UK and beyond, earning recognition for its commitment to fostering an open and inclusive environment for games and their cultural impact.
Find out more:
visit https://glasgowindiegamesfest.org/ or
follow GIGG on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/glasgow-independent-games-festival/
Tickets available at https://glasgowindiegamesfest.org/Find out more:
Event Details:
Date: 9th August 2025
Time: 12:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Location: Barras Art and Design Building, 54 Calton Entry, Glasgow
Are you running, or interested in running, esports in your setting?
Join Phase25 at Murrayfield stadium, and explore the dynamic intersection of academia and esports, emphasising the profound impact of integrating esports into educational curricula. This conference will highlight how esports can be leveraged as a powerful tool for cultivating essential transferable skills that are highly valued across various industries.
There will be a range of talks from people including: Nik Turner, Shoubna Naika-Taylor, Euan Jardine, Gavin Ferry, Bubba Gaeddert, and Alex Hirbe
Find out more and sign up using this link: PHASE Esports Conference tickets
The Digital School Team at North Lanarkshire Council have shared this summary of their recent work using Minecraft with primary school learners. To find out more get in touch with Alan Cooper Curriculum Manager CooperAl@northlan.gov.uk and Lauren McIntyre Digital Education Support Officer McIntyreLa@northlan.gov.uk at North Lanarkshire Council
All resources and support are available on our Padlet below
North Lanarkshire Minecraft Build Battles
Roadmap of Journey
NL Minecraft Build Battle Summary
In Session 2024/25 North Lanarkshire’s Minecraft Build Battle was launched! Inspired by the rapid rise of esports across Scottish education, the final was the culmination of months of competitive gaming.
From February 2025, over 1000 pupils took part in live online lessons and in-class challenges led by North Lanarkshire’s Digital School Team. Pupils from 36 schools worked together in teams of four within their class to develop their collaboration and Minecraft skills. They completed builds each week based on prompts with increasing difficulty and relevant success criteria. Following an in-class build battle, teachers chose a winning team to represent their school in one of the live online semi-finals against five other teams. The top-performing six teams were then invited to showcase their creativity and skills at the inaugural in-person live build battle final!
The 24 pupils from six teams were challenged to create a fantastic castle for the famous Minecraft character, Steve, within 45 minutes.
After lengthy discussion and deliberation, judges from North Lanarkshire Council and the eSports and Gaming industries decided the winners – ‘The Glowstone Gals’ from Thornlie Primary, Wishaw.
Build Battles by Number
Feedback by pupils and teachers include:
North Lanarkshire Council: Minecraft Battle Builds Live Final Video Long
Teacher
‘It was incredibly well organised and launched effectively, the CPD sessions were great for someone with zero experience of Minecraft. the build prompts were really good and I found FULL class engagement. I have a child in my class (P7) working at early level in all curricular areas and this is one thing they could join in with peers – very inclusive.’
Pupils
‘Our class really enjoyed it because we helped each other and our friendships grew’.
‘I really enjoyed Minecraft Education. It really helped to develop teamwork skills and creativity. It was mega fun and I really hope our teacher does this with the next P7s’.
‘The prompts were very creative because each week they were different but gave us a chance to add our own touches. I hadn’t played Minecraft in a while but not I’m constantly playing Minecraft Education with my friends!’
Plans are already underway for a Minecraft MAYhem event in this session. A focus on eSports in Primary and Secondary schools will also be a target for the NL Digital School.
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