Tag: News & Updates

Midweek Byte week commencing 21 October

Week commencing 19th October

Welcome back! We hope you all had a restful October break. Here are this week’s updates. Thanks to Glow Connect for sharing them.

Microsoft External sharing

Within your Glow Microsoft tenancy, when sharing files, the default permission will be View rather than Edit.

You can find out more here:

https://glowconnect.org.uk/important-changes-to-external-sharing-in-glow-m365/

Gemini for Learners Pilot

There is currently a live pilot with Aberdeenshire and South Lanarkshire using Gemini and Gemini Notebook with learners in Glow. This pilot will enable Education Scotland to gather first-hand insights and evidence from real classroom experiences, while also exploring solutions to a set of identified key problem statements.

The pilot is running from August 2026 until January 2027 and we will report on the findings after this.

Google Classroom

Google Classroom graphic with a boy using a laptop

There is now a new homepage in Google Classroom to help educators find content more easily.

You can find out more here: https://glowconnect.org.uk/redesigned-google-classroom-homepage/

Adobe Express for Education

The Adobe Express Live Lessons continue throughout October. You can Register Here for the Live Lessons.

 

Canva Education

If you haven’t used your Canva account in Glow yet, check out DigiLearnRen’s full guide which you can find here by clicking on the Canva button.

We are delighted to announce that Canva are running two Renfrewshire Canva professional learning sessions before Christmas!

Tuesday 10th November – Unlock Creativity with Canva Education 4:00pm – 5:15pm

Learn how to navigate the Home screen, find and use ready-made templates, create folders, and share activities with students and colleagues. You’ll get hands-on practice and see just how engaging and intuitive Canva is, so you can feel confident getting started.

Webinar registration link: https://the-team.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_HCJdBeZeRbGUH3IVNHtfqA

Monday 16th November – Designing in Canva for Educators 4:00pm – 5:15pm

Take a deep dive into the Canva editor and explore tips and tricks to level up your designs. In this session, you’ll explore presentation design, Magic Studio tools, and time-saving editor features that make creating lessons quicker and easier.

Webinar registration link: https://the-team.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_IDkRE5POQ_Kg5CRQKKrCXg

If you can’t make the Renfrewshire sessions, Canva are running national sessions which you can find out more about here: https://glowconnect.org.uk/docs/canva-education/canva-education-webinars/

Read&Write

If you missed our online professional learning session on using Read&Write on iPads, you can watch again here:

 

 

 

 

 

Midweek Bytes week commencing 5 October

Term 1 Update

Here is a round-up of all that has happened in Term 1 – click on the image for all the info!

Google AI Literacy campaign for teachers

Google is launching a national AI literacy campaign to drive safe and confident adoption for teachers, learning support professionals and school leaders.

In the coming months, you will hear about our regional roadshow with 10 Gemini related events in all 9 DfE regions in England, and in Wales, in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Ireland.

If you can’t wait until then, our snack-sized training sessions make professional development easy. Explore example prompts, watch quick video demos, and test your knowledge with a very short quiz to get certified for each unit.

Share the link with your colleagues and staff to take up this free-of-charge AI CPD. There are 26 units from beginner to advanced, and you can dive in wherever you feel confident.

Head to the UK and Ireland national AI training ↗︎

Google Roadshow

The Google for Education annual Scotland Leaders Summit event will be in central Glasgow on Monday November 23rd 10.30am-4pm with networking until 5pm.

The registration link is here: https://rsvp.withgoogle.com/events/googlescotland2026

It will feature keynotes; hands-on workshops and speakers from Scottish Google Reference Schools and our very own Kirklandneuk PS; latest Chromebook demos; and a sneak peek at what’s new in Google Workspace and Gemini; as well as trying out some of the new certifications and AI badges to scaffold educator AI literacy. There will also be plenty of time for networking, lunch and refreshments.

Digital Early Learning and Childcare Award

If you missed our first Professional Learning Network session, hosted by Eva Wilkinson, Early Years Digital Education Officer at Education Scotland, you can watch again here: https://youtu.be/nrdsI_BsNEI

Safer Schools Scotland Teach Hub

If you are looking to find out more about AI and images, if you have signed up for Safer Schools Scotland app access, you can use the resources that they produce. Some are for staff only, some for pupils and some are for parents, so why not sign up and make use of these fantastic resources. Here’s one all about AI.

Protecting Children’s Images in the Age of AI Resource Package – Safer Schools

Protecting images from AI manipulation and abuse

The guidance below was developed by the UK Online Harms Early Warning Working Group, and shares best practice and considerations for education settings and organisations working with children and young people on the use of photos and videos across their online platforms, to address the risk of AI image manipulation.

The document looks at the responsible management, sharing and protection of photographs and videos, particularly those featuring children and young people. This includes images used across education settings’ websites, social media platforms and other digital spaces.

This document covers key areas, including:

  • Practices to protect young people’s images
  • The risks of using young people’s images online
  • Why protecting children and young people’s images is important
  • A checklist of actions to consider
  • Guidance on what to do if images of young people are misused, altered or abused

Image guidance for education settings – UK Safer Internet Centre

DigiLearnRen Monthly Download and Term 2 Learning Loop

Please find attached our October Monthly Download and Term 2 Learning Loop. Just click on the image to download!

Midweek Byte Week Commencing 21 September

Apple Professional Learning Specialist (APLS)

Welcome Ruth Burnett, Our New Apple Professional Learning Specialist!

We are delighted to announce that our very own Ruth Burnett has officially achieved accreditation as an Apple Professional Learning Specialist (APLS)!

In her new role as an APLS, Ruth is certified by Apple to deliver tailored professional learning, coaching and strategic mentorship across all our local authority establishments. Having an in-house specialist means our establishments gain direct access to expert-led digital pedagogy with Apple technology.

Here is how Ruth will be supporting staff, leadership teams and learners across our council:

  • 1:1 & Small Group Coaching: Working directly alongside teachers in the classroom to model best practices, co-teach lessons, and build confidence using iPad.
  • Enhancing Accessibility & Inclusion: Training staff on built-in Apple tools (like Spoken Content, Reader Mode, and Voice Control) to support learners with additional support needs.
  • Curriculum & Creativity: Helping schools embed Apple frameworks like Everyone Can Create and Everyone Can Code seamlessly into everyday learning.
  • Strategic Leadership Support: Partnering with Senior Leadership Teams to ensure digital investments directly boost engagement and reduce workload.

Ruth is looking forward to working closely with schools to build sustainable, long-term digital capacity. If you would like to explore how Ruth can support your team, school, or cluster, please feel free to reach out to her directly!

Over the next few months ICT will be deploying an upgrade to Windows 11 to ensure that our council devices remain secure. This update is larger than the normal monthly update and we recommend that when prompted to reboot your computer to install the update, please wait until the end of the working day as it will take longer to update than usual.

Daydream Believers

Daydream Believers, Education Scotland’s creative curriculum and AI partners have recently published their Impact Report which may be of interest.

‘Inside this report is a year of proof: pupils solving real problems, qualifications gaining recognition, and creativity earning its place at the centre of the timetable. If you are weighing up what a creative curriculum could do for your school, this is where to start’

Impact Report

Safer Schools Scotland

Educate • Empower • Protect

Official Safeguarding Updates & Guidance

Certified Training 💡

Available to all registered Safer Schools Professionals for FREE

Artificial Intelligence in Education: Understanding the Risks and Opportunities

Learning Objectives:

  • Understand what Artificial Intelligence is and how it is used within education and wider society.
  • Recognise how children and young people are engaging with AI and the potential impact on learning.
  • Identify practical ways AI can support teaching, assessment, planning, and time efficiency.
  • Understand the safeguarding, ethical, and data protection considerations linked to AI use in schools.
  • Apply key principles for the safe, responsible, and effective use of AI in line with policy and guidance.

Exploited by Image: Grooming, Blackmail and Control

Learning Objectives:

  • Understand what $3xtortion is and the different forms it can take, including the use of real and AI-generated images.
  • Identify those most at risk, such as children and young people.
  • Learn about the laws surrounding $3xtortion.
  • Recognise the emotional, social, and financial impact $3xtortion has on victims.
  • Apply your knowledge to identify potential cases of $3xtortion and provide effective support to children and young people.

Social Media 101: Your introduction to the platforms, features and risks shaping young people’s online lives

Learning Objectives:

  • Enhance their knowledge of the most popular social media platforms and their basic functions.
  • Develop confidence in navigating social media and gaming platforms.
  • Explore online risks and trends associated with individual platforms.
  • Understand how to keep children and young people safer on these platforms.

Request from ITZA – survey exploring independent learning in secondary schools

There is a forthcoming national investigation in secondary education and we need to understand your experiences and perspectives.

Below is an invitation to participate in a survey about your current practice and perspectives on important topics, such as technology use, independent learning, teaching new subjects, and assessment. Your valuable insights will help to establish the baseline data that will inform the development of a research programme involving the Universities of Glasgow, Edinburgh, West of Scotland and UCL.

The survey takes five to seven minutes and there is an optional second part for anyone who wants to say more. Your answers are reported only as part of a group, and never attributed to you, your school or your local authority. Completing it enters you into a prize draw for £100 Amazon gift cards or other prize packs.

The survey is here: https://graspandrecall.typeform.com/uk-indplearn

Findings will be shared towards the end of the year once the analysis is complete.

Midweek Byte Week Commencing 7 September

Week Commencing 7th September

Read&Write

There’s still time to book one of our Read&Write Professional Learning sessions on CPD Manager. Both courses are being held at Cochrane Castle Primary School:

1 October – Supporting Every Learner with Read&Write using iPads, Course ID: 95776

6 October – Supporting Every Learner with Read&Write using Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge, Course ID: 95778

 

Accessibility Staff Toolkit

🧰Have you checked out our Staff Toolkits on the new DigiLearnRen? We have created these toolkits as how-to-guides to get you going. There is no expectation that you work your way through them all, rather it is a pick and mix selection that allows you to choose what you need, when you need it.

They are broken down into the main tools available through Glow. So, if you decided that you wanted to know more about the AI tools available in Glow, you could either sign up for our AI Champion courses, Watch Again our AI videos from our sessions run in partnership with Education Scotland or work through our Staff Toolkit.

If you are new to the Google tools, there is a Google Staff Toolkit with a host of helpful resources on using Gemini and Notebook.

Or if you want to learn more about Read&Write our authority subscription accessibility tool, click on the Accessibility Toolkit and then Read&Write to find out all about it – including how to use it in exam mode.

 

Immersive Learning Mobile View with ThingLink

If you haven’t claimed your authority ThingLink seat to allow you to create interactive content – either for use with learners or for learners to create their own – please use the contact form to reach out. There are a host of different ways to use ThingLink with some brilliant ideas to get you started available on their blog. This post is all about using ThingLink mobile view: https://www.thinglink.com/blog/immersive-learning-in-your-hands-introducing-mobile-view-for-thinglink/

Toolkit for Reflecting on Digital and AI Technologies in L&T

Monday 14 September, 9.30 – 11.30 am online

The event marks the launch of a new open-access resource designed to support critical, evidence-informed reflection on the use of digital and AI technologies in education, and to hear how the research team and educational partners will using it in practice this academic year.

The team at the School of Education, University of Glasgow has developed the Toolkit for Reflecting on the Use of Digital and Artificial Intelligence (AI) Technologies in Learning and Teaching. Rather than promoting specific technologies or offering a compliance checklist, the toolkit encourages structured reflection, professional dialogue, and enquiry through self-assessment activities, real-world case studies, and guided reflective frameworks. It supports reflection across a range of dimensions of technology use and can be used individually or collaboratively, with flexibility to adapt to the needs and realities of different educational settings.

At this launch event, we will introduce the toolkit and explore how it can be used in practice. We will share more information about the design process of the tool and where we are heading with our current piloting of the resource in different contexts across Scotland. The event will also provide opportunities for discussion, questions, and feedback, allowing participants to contribute to conversations about the future development of the toolkit and related professional learning resources. The toolkit and associated pilot work are supported through Scaling Educational and Policy Impact through Co-designed Digital and AI Professional Learning and Educational Resources (SCOPED), a project funded through the ESRC Impact Acceleration Account at the University of Glasgow. The launch event marks the starting point for SCOPED’s knowledge exchange and dissemination activities and provides an opportunity to share emerging insights with educators, researchers, policymakers, and other stakeholders.

Anyone with an interest in the thoughtful, critical, and evidence-informed use of digital and AI technologies in education is warmly invited to attend. This includes educators, teacher educators, school and college leaders, professional learning facilitators, researchers, policymakers, and others interested in the educational implications of emerging technologies. Whether you are new to the toolkit or already exploring its use in your own setting, we would be delighted to welcome you.

Attendance is free. Places for the in-person event are limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Online attendance is also available.

Book your place here: Launch Event: Toolkit for Reflecting on Digital and AI Technologies in L&T Tickets, Monday, September 14  •  9:30 AM – 11:30 AM | Eventbrite

Access the toolkit here: https://eprints.gla.ac.uk/366744/

 

September – Monthly Download

Can you believe it is September already?!

We hope you have been enjoying the resources found in our newly-launched DigiLearnRen website, you can check it out here and via the new tile in the Renfrewshire Launchpad on Glow.

As September begins we have the new edition of The Monthly Download. Our September 2026 Accessibility Monthly Download is here to support you in reaching all learners.

 

Midweek Byte 19 August 2026

Week Commencing 17th August

👍🏻Welcome Back

We hope you all had a great summer break. This session we will be posting our Midweek Bytes every Wednesday to keep you up-to-date with all the latest digital news so keep checking every week!

🔑Glow Password Reset

The pupil password reset took place on 11th August so if they arrive in class and haven’t logged on, remind them to choose 3 random words. Glow Connect have a useful post to help with this.

Administrators are able to bulk set passwords for students for whole groups/classes. In previous years this meant the whole class would have the same, potentially very insecure password as the admin setting could override any password controls resulting in (for example) a class all having the password “1234”.

This year, to close this loophole, Glow have instigated a process whereby users will be forced to change their password on first login to something known only to themselves, and which must comply with password strength rules.

Remember Staff passwords change on 25th August.

🏫Upcoming Professional Learning

All our Professional Learning (PL) can be found in our PL Calendar which is available here. In addition, our Learning Loop allows you to see what key PL is coming up in Term 1.

There is still time to sign up for our PL Network if you are interested in applying for the Digital School Award, Course ID: 94473 or Digital Wellbeing Award, Course ID: 94474. If becoming an AI Champion is something you are interested in, sign up for our AI series, Course ID: 94446 – you have until 26 August!

Google in Glow

Renfrewshire has its own Google Tenancy within Glow. You can access this from your Launch Pad by clicking on the Google Drive tile or if you can’t see it, click on App Library and add it from there.  This will automatically sign you into the Google tenancy where you can access all the great Google tools like Drive, Docs, Google Gemini and Notebook. If you want to access your Google account from the browser, when you sign in remember that the first part of the account is your Glow username then @re.glow.scot Why not check out our useful Staff Toolkit for Google to learn more?