Category: Cyber Resilience and Internet Safety

curricular area and keeping learners safer online

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Introduction to The Digital Learning Through Play Award in ELC.

Introduction to The Digital Learning Through Play Award in ELC.

The Digital Learning Through Play Award in ELC in Scotland is a national award scheme to promote, recognise and encourage a whole setting approach to the use of digital technology in ELC settings.  

The award framework echoes national practice guidance for the early years in Scotland, Realising the Ambition: Being me (2020), which guides and supports the ELC sector to provide high quality early learning and childcare, meeting the developmental needs of our youngest learners, enabling children to flourish as successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens, and effective contributors.   

 Purpose of the award. 

This award has been designed to support ELC settings to integrate digital technologies into children’s play and learning experiences, both outside and indoors.  Opportunities to learn with and through technology in practical and creative situations, provide children with flexibility and choice while exploring technology as a way to solve problems.  

Investigating virtual environments through digital technology can inspire curiosity and creativity, encouraging children to develop imagination, beyond what is possible without the stimulus afforded by technology.  Through immersive, stimulating learning environments and meaningful adult-child interactions, children are inspired and motivated to learn. 

Access the draft framework here.

Educator webinars introducing the award

The feedback form has now closed.

 

 

Summer term early level webinar dates for you diary.

The series of This is early level Digital and Spotlight CLPL sessions will be delivered for the final time in April and May. If you missed out on the previous webinars, there is still time to sign up.

The webinars are suitable for practitioners working with children at early level across a range of ELC settings and schools.  A Glow log in is NOT required to sign up or join the online sessions.

Please click on the hyperlinks below for session information and sign up details.

APRIL 2024

Tuesday 16th April 4pm This is early level Digital: CRIS 3 part course. SESSION 1

Thursday 18th April 4pm  This is early level Digital: Spotlight on Practitioner Collaboration.

Tuesday 23rd April 4pm This is early level Digital: Spotlight on Transition

Tuesday 30th April 4pm This is early level Digital: CRIS 3 part course. SESSION 2

 

MAY 2024

Tuesday 14th May 4pm This is early level Digital: CRIS 3 part course. SESSION 3

Tuesday 21st May 4pm This is early level Digital: Spotlight on Outdoor Play

Tuesday 28th May 10am This is early level Digital: Spotlight on Making Data Visible

 

Sign up coming soon:

Monday 13th May 4pm – The New Digital ELC Setting Award

Thursday 16th May 10am – The New Digital ELC Setting Award

Friday 17th May 12.30pm – The New Digital ELC Setting Award

Safer Internet Day 2024

Safer Internet Day 2024 took place on the 6th of February 2024, with celebrations and learning based around the theme ‘Inspiring change? Making a difference, managing influence and navigating change online’.

Safer Internet Day is held every February all around the world. Last year, over 170 different countries celebrated the day! Safer Internet Day is a chance to think about any worries we might have about using technology and the internet, but it’s also about celebrating all the fantastic things technology can help us with.

Safer Internet Day is the UK’s biggest celebration of online safety.

Created in consultation with young people across the UK, this year Safer Internet Day will be focusing on change online, this includes covering:

  • Young people’s perspective on new and emerging technology
  • Using the internet to make change for the better
  • The changes young people want to see online
  • The things that can influence and change the way young people think, feel and act online and offline

Coordinated in the UK by the UK Safer Internet Centre, the celebration sees thousands of organisations get involved to promote the safe, responsible and positive use of digital technology for children and young people.

Visit UK Safer Internet Centre or browse the links below to become involved!

Education Resources   (suitable for early level to senior phase)

Supporters Registration

Films

Get involved on social media

Parents and carers

Supporters Map

 

 

You may also find education resources from Common Sense Education helpful to begin conversations and explore digital citizenship.  Check out our webinar calendar for upcoming live lessons with Jenna Khanna from Common Sense Education.

Common Sense Education – Daily Activities for Primary

 

common sense education logo
Bongles Text image

Exploring early level Cyber Resilience with The Bongles and the Crafty Crows.

The Digital Team and The Bongles have joined forces in partnership with Cyber Scotland, Cyber Aware and the Scottish Book Trust to introduce younger learners to develop understanding of cyber awareness at early level, through the publication of the new Bongles book ‘The Bongles and the Crafty Crows‘, produced by Edinburgh based Story Learning Ltd.

Who are the Bongles?

The Bongles are a group of monster friends who live on a paradise-like planet.

They reuse and repurpose items that wash up onto their planet’s pristine shore and turn trash into treasure.

The rhyming stories are full of slapstick and silly humour, which both children and adults alike will find funny. The quirky and whimsical watercolour illustrations are sure to capture the attention of young readers.

The Bongles and The Crafty Crows – The newest book in the series helps children to learn about cyber resilience in a fun-filled way.

Story Summary

Three wooden crates wash up onto the shores of Bongle Island.

The Bongles really want to keep this new found treasure safe from the crafty crows.

Will the crows outsmart the Bongles’ padlocks and passcodes?

Will the crows take the crates full of treasure and keep it all for themselves?

‘The Bongles and the Crafty Crows‘ story book was included in the P1 Bookbug Family bags for every primary one child in Scotland in 2023/24!

There is also a variety of practitioner-created learning and teaching resources to accompany the story, a downloadable PDF of the book and an animation on the Bongles website  and links to recordings of previous educator information sessions and children’s ‘read alongs’ at the bottom of this page.

You will also engage with this story in the 3-part series of early level Cyber Resilience and Internet Safety webinars, This is early level Digital – CRIS and through various cyber events throughout the year, which will be advertised here, on the blog.

The Bongles and The Crafty Crows articles and related links:

Early level learners paving the way for a cyber secure nation (linkedin.com)

Teaching Children Cyber Security Skills Is An Investment In Our Future – TeachingTimes

CyberScotland Week – Cyber Scotland 

Three random words – NCSC.GOV.UK 

The Bongles and the Crafty Crows Campaign Report November 2023

YouTube player

 

YouTube player
YouTube player

cyberfirst courses for learners

This is Cyber Resilience and Internet Safety

This programme aims to support teachers develop their own knowledge and understanding of cyber resilience/internet safety and cyber security. It will explore the skills and knowledge children and young people need to participate effectively in a digital society.

Participants will reflect on the need for cyber resilience and how to teach it, develop a school curriculum for teaching cyber resilience/internet safety to learners of all ages and access resources and coaching to deliver your own cyber training in your setting. 

There will also be a session exploring cyber security and how to develop this as a curricular area in your school.

This CLPL will run before and after the Christmas holiday.

  back to Cyber home

digital teacher

Webinars

New sessions coming in 2024!

cris programme header

This is early level Digital – CRIS

(Cyber Resilience and Internet Safety).

When we use the internet we either consume, create or communicate. Each of these behaviours has different levels and types of risk. Join us in this series of three webinars to explore how we can support early level learners to gain knowledge and confidence in Cyber Resilience and Internet Safety. This webinar series is for all ELC practitioners working with early level learners across a variety of settings in Scotland.

The sessions will include examples from practice, centered around the Curriculum for Excellence early level Digital Literacy CRIS Experiences and Outcome,

I can explore, play and communicate using digital technologies safely and securely. TCH 0-03

illustrating what invitations to explore, play and communicate safely and securely may look like across a variety of ELC settings. 

We will also refer to National self-evaluation framework for ELC, How Good is Our Early Learning and Childcare Quality Indictor 2.1 Safeguarding and Child Protection.

We welcome you to familiarise yourself with Curriculum for Excellence early level Digital Literacy Experiences and Outcomes prior to joining us. 

Each session is accompanied by optional follow up reading/professional development centred on the Cyber Toolkit, coordinating with each session.

Attendees will be invited to submit a short blog post illustrating how the programme has impacted practice,

The examples of practice included in the session content will be ELC focused, however this session is for all practitioners working at early level across a variety of settings. 

Glow login NOT required. 

Each session will be repeated three times throughout the year 23/24 with morning and twilight options.

To get the most from this course, it is advised that you join the sessions in numerical order.

Session 1 (60 minutes) This is early level Digital, CRIS – Consume 7.9.23 & 9.1.24 & 16.4.24

Session 2 (30 minutes) This is early level Digital, CRIS – Create 3.10.23 & 20.2.24 & 30.4.24

Session 3 (30 minutes) This is early level Digital, CRIS – Communicate 7.11.23 & 12.3.24 & 14.5.23

cyber security for ELC

Cyber security advice and guidance for Early Learning and Childcare providers.

All ELC providers want to create a safe and secure environment for the children in your care. As we become ever more reliant on digital technology it is increasingly important that you protect data (on children, staff and families), finances and also the integrity of any digital systems you use, including email, communication channels and databases.

There are a handful of steps you can take to minimise the potentially costly and disruptive effect of a cyber incident, and better safeguard the children in your care, as well as your business’s finances and reputation. This short seminar is for anyone working in childcare in Scotland. It is run by the National Cyber Security Centre (www.ncsc.gov.uk), and supported by the Scottish Government, Education Scotland and Care Inspectorate, as part of CyberScotland Week. It will provide you with advice and steps you can take to minimise the likelihood and impact of a cyber attack on your setting, and information about where to get help and advice if you need it.

Please click here to download e-pamphlet PDF Early Years practitioners: using cyber security to protect your settings. 

Keeping-Under-Fives-Safe-Online2.pdf (childnet.com)

ELC cyber home

21 March 4pm, An Introduction to Digital Citizenship with Common Sense Education webinar

An introduction to Digital Citizenship for Early Learning and Childcare and Primary Practitioners with Common Sense Education.

Prepare your learners for success as digital learners, leaders and citizens. In this 30 minute webinar, you’ll learn the six core concepts on digital citizenship and how you can integrate common sense’s progressive scheme of work into your classroom/playroom.

This webinar is suitable for Teachers, ELC Practitioners including Childminders and Caregivers for early to second level learners.

All resources shared are available for free from commonsense.org/education

Sign up for the webinar using this eventbrite link – Sign up now!

cyber toolkit: consume

Cyber Toolkit: Consume

Teachers should focus on understanding how learners are using online platforms – do they consume, create or communicate?

This section focuses on the risks of using online platforms to consume content. Content that is consumed is created by others and shared online by individuals or organisations and can be any form of media, including video, photos, text or games. 

Cyber Toolkit home

Go to Create or Communicate

cyber toolkit: consume

A lot of our online time is spent consuming others’ content, such as reading news or social media posts, watching videos or playing games. The main potential risks of this content are:

Misinformation

cyber toolkit informaiton literacy and misinformation

Misinformation, sometimes called ‘fake news’, is content created to deliberately mislead or misinform audiences and the single biggest risk to UK internet users (22% of UK users encountering potential harms, Ofcom 2022). This may be done to further a cause or goal, such as in politics, or to cause harm or alarm, such as scaring people off medicines and vaccines.

view the Information Literacy page

Inappropriate content

cyber toolkit inappropriate content

Inappropriate content is any form of media that may be harmful to the person consuming it and is the biggest combined threat to UK  internet users (40%* of UK users encountering potential harms, Ofcom 2022). What is considered inappropriate differs between the people viewing it. Some content may be deemed inappropriate for the age of the person consuming it, such as swearing, or more generally harmful, such as racist language or imagery.

view the Inappropriate Content page

Spending money online

cyber toolkit spending money online

More of our money is spent online than ever before, however, this can be problematic when money is being scammed or stolen, or the individual loses control of their spending, such as with problematic gambling. Scams, fraud and phishing are the most commonly experienced potential financial harms, encountered by 27% of UK online users (Ofcom, 2022)

Fast Forward is the gambling support charity for Scotland and have in-depth guides and advice on gambling support – go to Fast Forward page.

view the Spending Money Online page