This document aims to provide a clear, concise and progressive example of planning for Computing in the primary sector. It includes an overview of the ‘big ideas’ in computing and where each idea might be taught, building on prior knowledge and skills from the last level.
Each big idea has knowledge and skills identified to support teachers design learning intentions and links to information pages or online resources.
These ‘big ideas’ for computing are designed to help educators and learners learn the essential understanding in computing that all students should acquire during the Broad General Education.
It has been inspired by Wynne Harlen’s Principles and Big Ideas of Science Education. Some of the language or concepts may appear very abstract for inexperienced learners or educators but there is support throughout this site to understand each one.
This series of resources is designed to lay the foundations of learners developing an understanding of what computers are and how they work. This level introduces the concepts of:
The learning will be about identifying the different jobs computers do in their lives and the wider world. It is important to link between the physical computer (parts) and the instructions (apps/software) that controls them.
The presentation in this post was created and shared by Andy McLaughlin; a lecturer at the School of Education at the University of Aberdeen. He is a former teacher and leader in schools where he had a particular interest in digital pedagogies. Andy has been exploring the misalignment between national policy and classroom practice when it comes to developing digital skills in schools, and casting a critical eye over the influence of ‘Big Tech’ on education.
The following presentation was recently delivered to Education Scotland’s Digital Literacy exploration group as a provocation for discussion around Digital Literacies. In it, Andy shared some interesting research that has been carried out recently around the world.
If you would like to know more, or get in touch with Andy, you can find him on LinkedIn with this link.
This guest blog post was provided by the Community Learning and Development team at Aberdeen City Council.
Supporting Children in the Digital World is a four week course developed by CLD Family Learning Aberdeen to help parents keep their children safe online and develop strategies to manage device usage.
The course was created in response to a need identified by parents/carers who wanted to understand the technology their children using.
Over the course of four weeks we cover:
The aim of the course is to ensure parents feel more empowered to manage device usage in their homes and give their children the skills to self-regulate and make good decisions while online.
We deliver this course to parents/carers in Aberdeen out in the community as well as online, to ensure we can reach as many parents/carers as possible.
One parent who attended the course said:
“I feel a lot happier that I now have the skills and information to tackle internet safety with my child, and will be a lot more relaxed having conversations which will in turn will benefit my child and make them more likely to approach me when they need support.”
We are further developing the course to create two one off information sessions, for those who cannot commit to the full four weeks. One of these one off sessions will focus on pre-school children and device usage and the other will be a more general information session condensing the content of the original course.
If you would like to know more, get in touch with the team by email: familylearning@aberdeencity.gov.uk
This section contains some recommended project-based learning resources and activities that teachers might use with learners who are secure in their digital competencies from the previous page.
Digital literacy moves beyond the technical competencies in the Learner Digital Skills Toolkit and develops into critical and social skills that are relevant and representative of the realities that people live (Marín & Castañeda). In short, digital literacy should enable people to fulfil the four capacities and participate fully in society.
These resources are designed to cover a combination of the three digital literacy Experiences and Outcomes.
Learners should understand how computers and apps work, how to control them and solutions to simple issues, like resetting them.
They should be able to use common inputs, such as keyboards, mice and touchscreens, to find their way around the device, including opening and using apps and changing settings to make it easier to use.
This learning covers Experience and Outcome x-03a.
BBC Bitesize has useful information on how computers and the internet work.
This section focuses on the basic knowledge and skills required to setup and get started with the most common devices and how to keep them more secure.
CyberFirst is the national cyber security education programme from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). Their CyberSprinters game and teaching resources is an easy place to get started with cyber.
Go to CyberSprinters
Our Cyber Toolkit provides more practical advice on teaching learners about staying safe and secure when online.
The SQA Academy has a series of FREE, simple and interactive guides for spending money online:
Got to SQA Acadamy Digital Learning Guides
Every secondary school has copies of Your Money Matters textbooks and resources:
Go to Your Money Matters Scotland
The support document aims to make clear the digital knowledge and skills that learners require to be digitally competent. Being digitally competent means being able to use the most common devices and apps. It is an essential step to becoming digitally literate.
Being digitally literate means being able to independently use and critically engage with digital technology and society, such as data literacy and information literacy. We are developing guidance to support educators deliver this.
Ideas and resources for teaching digital literacy can also be found here: Digital Literacy for Learners.
This document is part of a series, view the other documents here: Digital Literacy Series
Please use this form to provide feedback on the document with this link:
Learner Digital Skills Toolkit feedback form (MS Forms)
Discuss the importance of each skill or knowledge and order them with the most important at the top. There is not room for all cards.
Milngavie Primary School, East Dunbartonshire, used the Teacher Digital Skills Toolkit to inform their professional learning.
“I ran the session for collecting the data during the February in-service. It was very easy to use and being able to have the document to use alongside the Forms meant that I could explain what was meant by certain questions if anyone was unsure.The data collected on the duplicate form will be used to offer training to those with gaps, either individually or in small groups, starting with the essential skills. I will also direct some staff to online resources available to increase their skills rather than give personal training – whatever fits their needs. If there are areas where the majority of staff require support I will be able to deliver professional learning during an in-service day. to develop those skills.”
Got a story to tell? Get in touch with us and share it using this form: DigiLearnScot – Get Involved!
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