Author: George Milliken

Digital Skills Big Ideas

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 

 

 

CILIP the library and information association

SuperSearchers – information literacy with CILIPS and Google

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.

Pilot Programme Details

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.

Get Involved

For more information on how you can get involved, please email:

Matthew Dwyer – matthew.dwyer@cilip.org.uk

glasgow indie games fest

Glasgow Independent Games Festival 2025 Event, 9th August

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:

  • Game Showcases: Discover groundbreaking projects from emerging and established indie developers.
  • Industry Panels: Engage in thought-provoking discussions with leading voices in the UK games industry.
  • Art Performances: Experience unique, games-inspired artistic performances that combine the familiar with the idiosyncratic.

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:

glasgow indie games fest

Event Details:

Date: 9th August 2025

Time: 12:00 PM – 10:00 PM

Location: Barras Art and Design Building, 54 Calton Entry, Glasgow

phase25 esports event

PHASE25 Esports Conference, 26th September Edinburgh

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

phase25 esports event

north lanarkshire council logo

Minecraft Build Battle in North Lanarkshire Council

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.  

 

an image explaining a minecraft building activity

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 

  • 37 schools (35 Primary & 2 ASN Primary) 
  • 995 Pupils 
  • 30 live lessons 
  • 36 in class build battles 
  • 6 live semi-final build battles (144 pupils) 
  • 1 live grand final (6 schools & 23 Pupils) 
  • Clusters (20 clusters involved) 
a picture of a castle built in minecraft by children

 

 

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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learning about games

Learning about games

go to the Games in Education page

This section contains link to resources, training and inspiration for educators who want to teach about games. This could be considered reading and writing about games or using games as a text in literacy and English learning.

PEGI

Pan European Game Information (PEGI) provide age ratings for games based on the suitability of a game, not the level of difficulty. These can be useful to help educators check whether they might use a game in with their learners.

Find out more by visiting the PEGI site with this link

into film

 

 

Into Film have developed resources for teaching about games in partnership with Northern Ireland Screen. The resources are free and cover concepts, such as genres, controls , characters and goals.

Find out more by visiting the Into Film games hub with this link

The results are in! Teachers in Scotland are digitally skilled

Our Teacher Digital Skills Toolkit has been available for over a year now. It contains guidance on what skills and knowledge teachers in Scotland should have to meet the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) standard for registration, which requires teachers to be ‘digitally literate’. There is also short videos to support some of these skills and knowledge, as well as links to the Barclays Digital Wings free learning pathway, which covers all of these.

Beside the guidance, there is a Form for teachers to evaluate their essential skills, knowledge and confidence. We’ve now had almost 200 responses from 25 local authorities and the results are positive:

  • 96% Use a device’s main features, such as keyboard, mouse, touchscreen or camera
  • 96% Access and log in to platforms, such as Glow
  • 93% Connect, or reconnect, a device to a Wi-Fi network
  • 99% Search the web for information and evaluate the search results
  • 77% Access and use common accessibility features, such as text size, text-to-speech, or speech-input
  • 82% Consider copyright of any content or media included in created content
  • 98% Access email and send a message
  • 96% Access and join a Class, Team or group
  • 84% Access cloud storage, create a file there and share it
  • 78% Create a class and show learners how to join
  • 81% Create files or share files from drive storage to the class
  • 88% somewhat confident (44%) and extremely confident (44%)

 

Have you evaluated your digital skills recently? Take the survey and let us know how you get on!
essential skills checklist evaluation 

Additional educator digital skills professional learning and certifications

A range of professional learning and certifications are available from external organisations. 

Woman holding a laptop with adobe express
Adobe Express

Overview Adobe Express for Education offers teachers and pupils the tools they need to confidently create a number of graphics, posters, image, presentations, and more. Putting creativity into learning, with features and tools that can integrated into any curricular area.  The links below give you access to a large bank of… Read more

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Apple RTC

Upcoming RTC webinars and events Creative Activities to try in your classroom Resources Latest News Read more

Woman sitting at laptop using Microsoft apps
Microsoft 365 in Glow

Back to teacher digital literacy page This section aims to support teachers to develop their skills and knowledge required to use the Microsoft 365 platforms that are common in schools across Scotland. The Digital Teacher Toolkit is the associated CLPL. The Educator Digital Literacy framework is the associated evaluation document.… Read more

Woman sitting at Chromebook
Google Workspace in Glow

Back to teacher digital literacy page This section aims to support teachers to develop their skills and knowledge required to use the Google Workspace platforms that are common in schools across Scotland. The Digital Teacher Toolkit is the associated CLPL. The Educator Digital Literacy framework is the associated evaluation document.… Read more

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intel skills for innovation logo

Hp life logo on blue

Live lesson catchup: Close reading not required - how search engines work

Live lesson catchup: Close reading not required – how search engines work

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Ted Palenski from the University of Glasgow delivered this live lesson aimed at children and young people of all ages.

Artificial intelligence has long been a component of search engines: how results are surfaced, ranked, and presented. This session breaks down how search engines work, and how they increasingly leverage generative AI, possibly to the detriment of close reading.

The aim of the session is to foster critical information literacy, offering several examples of how search engines might not give you the most relevant information, with some suggested strategies for navigating digital spaces overloaded with information.