Digital Upskilling

Creating Resources

Since starting my secondment three years ago, my digital skills using a variety of platforms has developed considerably. I have always been digitally competent when it comes to creating resources, however when I compare resources I made three years ago to now, there is a vast improvement.

Our team strives to create resources that save teachers time, in addition to providing them with the foundations of high quality lessons. Therefore upskilling myself, to create the most effective resources, was key.

I am now able to create animations on Canva, record lessons on PowerPoint and bring multiple sources together on ClipChamp to create high quality teaching resources for myself and others to use in class.

Here is a quick look at a Virtual classroom lesson:

Here are some highlights from a Tech Tuesday lesson:

Coding

Problem-solving is important in daily life. Learning to code gives the children a chance to learn this skill in their growing age that will go a long way with them throughout their life. I had to learning block coding very quickly on the job, as this wasn’t something I had a skillset in previously. As I learned more and became more competent, I wanted to be able to offer the students more, especially when we branched out into secondary schools, so learning to code using Python was next on the list for me to learn. This hasn’t come naturally, but something I continue to learn and build my skills and confidence in.

Staying Relevant

The world of technology continues to develop rapidly, so I try to keep up to date with digital developments by attending courses, having professional dialogues with colleagues, professional reading and listening to podcasts, to find out more about new apps, platforms, technologies, resources, AI etc. Then look at how these can be incorporated into education and developing Scotland’s young workforce.

I recently attended Apple workshops where we looked at engaging learners, scaffolding their learning and connecting learners. I have been able to transfer some ideas and tips from these workshops, into the sessions that I planned and prepared for the Intergeneration Project, where we focused on digital skills using iPads.