GamesCon: A celebration of our 5 Rights digital learning journey
It’s unlikely to come as a surprise to anyone that we have had to cancel the Northern Alliance GamesCon competition events this year, but that’s not to say our digital team don’t want see the fantastic examples of digital learning which they hope are continuing to emerge during this challenging time.
In its original format, the GamesCon competition, which is aimed at learners in Primary 6 and 7, requires students to create a game in SCRATCH linking into the theme of 5 Rights. As part of this learners would have worked in teams of four taking on responsibilities such as: researcher, graphic designer, document controller, programmer or presenter.
Instead, the team would like to invite class teachers to continue to encourage individuals and/or teams to spark creativity – using the GamesCon and 5 Rights theme as a stimulus – and submit the outputs of this learning via the GamesCon blog website. This is where you would have had to upload work if we were looking for the final polished entries. To offer flexibility and welcome the different aspects of learning which accompany GamesCon, the team would be happy to see videos, PowerPoint presentations, animations, SCRATCH games and posters, as well as the best examples of preparatory work and or research learners have put together.
It is fully appreciated some teams may have developed a lot of project work while schools were open whereas others will be at a much earlier stage in their journey. Finishing up could be a super fun homework task for next week! The deadline for entries is Friday 12 June.
Digital Skills Development Officer Susan Sey, who works as part of Education Scotland’s North Team and alongside colleagues from each local authority which is part of the Northern Alliance collaborative, has championed the whole idea of the GamesCon event. She is keen to underline that all examples of work are welcomed and each learner’s digital learning journey should be celebrated.
Susan said: “We know it’s not the same exciting competition and events package everyone had hoped for but we look forward to seeing the fantastic work you have done. It will be great to see how our young people have interpreted the 5 Rights theme because developing a good understanding of how to stay safe online is perhaps even more important than it ever has been.
“Good luck – and please don’t worry if you’re not able to produce as comprehensive a project as you may have liked. The important thing is everyone has fun, has a chance to develop their knowledge and understanding and that they gain some recognition for their hard work.”
The team will assess all submitted entries and the intention is that the best examples will be highlighted on the Northern Alliance website, social media and via local authorities as a celebration of the work undertaken. Any work which you prefer not to share more widely can be kept confidential. All participants will be provided with a digital learning certificate.
While this is aimed at Primary 6 and 7, please also remember a new DigiLearnScot blog has been launched across Scotland to share stories of how you are using digital technologies to support learning and teaching. Visit: https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/glowblogs/digilearn/
Teachers, pupils and parents alike can also share their stories of how digital is being used to support learning at home via social media, by using the hashtag #learningathomescot
