Digital Literacy – West Lothian Digital Learning Team

Mini Music Producers at Hawkhill Primary School

P5, 6 & 7 at Hawkhill Primary had a fantastically creative morning thanks to YMI (Youth Music Initiative) and Tinderbox Creative.

Pupils were introduced to a range of music genres and instruments through the Garageband app on iPads. They explored layering loops to create a song, which included drums, bass and a melody for musical interest. They learned how to duplicate, edit and add loops together to make their own songs, building their understanding of rhythm, pitch and dynamics.

Pupils were excited to share their creations with each other and could confidently explain their choices for their music, with their peers giving each other detailed and supportive feedback. Staff were impressed at the collaboration and communication skills being developed during this process too.

More feedback from staff included that they’d never heard the pupils so quiet and engaged. Classes are currently working on a STEM IDL focus so are excited to continue exploring how technology can support a range of industries.

Pupils used words such as ‘Amazing’, ‘Fantastic’ and ‘Inspiring’ to describe the session – they are excited to use their new skills again soon.

Thank you to Andra & Chris from Tinderbox for delivering such an engaging and fascinating session. We can’t wait to see how the pupils continue to develop these skills and hear their creations.

Sharing the Learning

Pupils from Hawkhill are also keen to develop their Young Leader skills and would love to support this learning at other primary schools. If anyone is interested in being involved in this, please reach out to the Digital Learning Team.

🌟Spotlight on: Microsoft Reading Coach

We’re excited to highlight Microsoft Reading Coach, a powerful web‑based tool that supports learners to develop confidence, fluency, and enjoyment in reading. Reading Coach is available to all learners through Glow, making it simple, safe, and accessible – in class and at home.

✨What is Reading Coach?

Reading Coach is a personalised reading tool where learners can independently choose or generate a text, read aloud, and receive immediate, targeted feedback. The platform adapts to each learner’s level and interests, making reading feel meaningful and motivating.

Because it’s fully web‑based, pupils can log in independently using their Glow account, with no additional setup required.

📚choose or create a story

Learners can choose how they want to read by selecting from two options:

Generate a story

Pupils can create their own story by selecting themes, settings, and what happens next. This gives them ownership over the narrative and encourages creative thinking.

Choose a reading passage

Alternatively, they can pick from a curated library of passages—perfect for quick reading practice or structured tasks.

For both options, pupils can choose their reading level, ensuring texts are accessible but still challenging.

🎙️Read Aloud, Record, Reflect

One of the most valuable features of Reading Coach is its read‑aloud and recording function.

Pupils read the passage aloud into their device.
Reading Coach analyses the recording and provides instant feedback on accuracy, including:
- An accuracy score
- Highlighted words they struggled with
- Opportunities to practise those words in isolation

This supports fluency development and reinforces positive reading habits.

🏆Rewards and Motivation

To keep learners engaged, Reading Coach includes simple but effective reward elements. As they continue reading they can unlock new characters and settings, to allow them to further personalise their experience.

👧👦What our pupils say

Learners who have used Reading Coach have shared some really positive reflections:

“I like choosing what happens next in the story.”

“I can create my own story and the chapters aren’t too long.”

“It’s really really good!”

“I can unlock new characters by reading more.”

Pupils appreciate the independence it offers and the sense of ownership over their reading journey.

If you’d like more information, or if you’ve used Microsoft Reading Coach with your learners, please get in touch with the Digital Learning Team – we’d love to hear from you.

Sharing Digital Innovation: Highlights from Our Staff Digital Network Meeting

Our latest Staff Digital Network meeting was all about practitioners sharing real classroom examples of how digital tools are enhancing learning and teaching. It was an inspiring evening filled with creativity, collaboration, and practical ideas to take back to schools.

Live from Blackburn PS: Coding Club in Action

We kicked off by joining the Digital Xtra Coding Club live at Blackburn Primary, where pupils from Blackburn and Murrayfield Primary showcased their work with the LEGO SPIKE Essentials kit. The girls spoke confidently about the skills they’ve been developing – collaboration, communication, and problem-solving – and wowed us with their latest creation: a pinball machine complete with lights and a motor to release the ball.

Promethean ActivSuite in Practice

Next, Sam from Riverside PS shared her experience using the new Promethean ActivSuite software. She highlighted the Whiteboard feature, describing it as the perfect balance between the inbuilt panel whiteboard and ActivInspire – simpler than Inspire, and it saves directly to the laptop. Sam demonstrated how she annotates images, resizes content while keeping annotations, and uses the spinner tool on her laptop to create lists in advance – currently for her Advent Calendar pupil recipient. A fantastic example of making interactive teaching more efficient.

Creative Expression with Adobe Express

We then had examples of pupils using Adobe Express to express themselves digitally, at Winchburgh PS, shared on behalf of Nicola. Highlights included:

Stunning displays featuring posters, artwork, and QR codes linking to webpages and videos.
Creative projects like Blitz-themed artwork, WWII recipe books, and P7 webpages to share learning with parents.
Use of Generative AI for mythical creature images, visually appealing posters on topics like Henry VIII and Spanish weather, and tools for data handling and worksheet creation. Pupils explored features such as QR code generation, layers, cropping, font editing, and image manipulation – building both technical and creative skills.

Microsoft Learning Accelerators

Phil from Carmondean PS gave a detailed overview of Microsoft Learning Accelerators, including Reflect, Reading Coach, Search Coach, and Speaker Coach. Feedback from pupils using Search Coach was particularly positive:

“It’s different from other search sites – it gives more relevant and reliable information and tips for online research.”

Promethean Panels in Early Learning

Finally, Dionne from St Mary’s Bathgate ELC shared how Promethean panels are supporting early learners through:

Staff modelling and collaborative drawing with split-screen.
Interactive activities using Top Marks, sharing home learning via Seesaw, and pupils presenting their work.
Practical tasks like Tesco online ordering for weekly snacks, making digital tools part of everyday learning.

Looking Ahead

This network meeting was a fantastic reminder of the creativity and innovation happening across our schools. Thank you again to everyone for coming along, and especially to those who shared.

If you’d like to share some of the ways you’ve been using digital to enhance learning and teaching in your class, please get in touch with the Digital Learning Team.

Success Never Tasted So Good: Adobe Express Celebrations for Kirkhill Primary

Pupils at Kirkhill Primary School have been celebrating the end of term in style with a Pizza Party and Ice Cream Truck, courtesy of Adobe Express, recognising and rewarding their fantastic creativity.

Pupils across P5-P7 have used Adobe Express to share their learning and explore the AI tools for creativity, for projects including creating digital self-portraits, sharing information around upcoming school events, designing persuasive posters, and generating AI images of themselves in their future careers.

Pupils particularly enjoy using the AI tools for generating images and text effects, as well as the animation feature. Staff commented on the ease of the platform, noting that pupils were confidently able to explore and find new tools such as the background remover.

“I love how easy it is to use. Pupils will now ask to use it in lessons to share their learning as well.”
Class Teacher

The Adobe Express School Challenge is running until November, so it’s not too late to join in! Complete three creative challenges with 3 year groups to get rewards! Don’t forget to share your fab work with us too!

Adobe Achievement: Riverside PS win a Pizza Party!

We are delighted to announce Riverside Primary as the first winners of the Adobe Express Pizza Party, in recognition of their dedication to developing and enhancing digital skills and confidence through the use of Adobe Express for learning and teaching.

Staff and P5-7 pupils participated in a range of curriculum-based live lessons, focusing on topics including World Book Day, Road Safety, Anti-Bullying and Anti-Piracy. Pupils are now independently exploring and utilising the features of Adobe Express in their own time. Staff have also highlight improvements in other digital skills such as confidence and success of logging on, driven by their enthusiasm for the platform.

“In Literacy, pupils wrote a setting description, put it into the Adobe AI feature and worked out how they could edit or improve their writing. It really made it come alive.”
P5 Teacher

“Adobe Express has increased their confidence logging in, as they are excited to use it as a fast finisher”
Digital Lead

The Pizza Party was award after successful completion of 3 different Adobe Challenges across a number of classes. Huge well done to Riverside pupils – what an achievement! We can’t wait to see how you continue to use Adobe Express in the future.

Adobe Express is a fantastic creativity tool, available for staff and pupils in P4 and above, through GLOW. As well as a huge range of Live Lessons to get pupils started, Adobe Express offer additional lesson ideas and Teacher and Educator courses too.

If you have an achievement or success you’d like us to share on our Digital Learning Team blog, please get in touch by emailing us at digitallearningteam@westlothian.org.uk

ELC Spotlight: Sharing Learning with Adobe Express

We are excited to share this beautiful example of how Winchburgh PS ELC have highlighted the amazing learning taking place, through the use of an Adobe Webpage.

The webpage brings together pictures, text, quotes and videos to show an incredibly detailed picture of the excitement and enthusiasm of our youngest learners.

See some lovely snippets of the webpage below, or click the link to view more.

Sharing The Learning: The Gruffalo

At Winchburgh ELC we have been exploring the Gruffalo story. Literacy was our focus, but the story has permeated through all of our learning and the children have taken it down many avenues

“We read the story in small groups and talked about how the characters might be feeling at certain points in the story. We asked our own questions to help us understand the story and made predictions about what might happen next.”

“After retelling the story using the spoons we decided to do some drama to recreate the story.”

Sharing the learning: The Gruffalo

Adobe Express is a creativity tool available to all learners (P4+) and staff through their GLOW accounts. It allows users to easily create videos, flyers, banners, and more with intuitive drag-and-drop functionality, making content creation accessible and fun for everyone.

To find out more about how to use Adobe Express, click this link, or sign up to one of the Live Educator training sessions.

Adobe-Express-for-Education-Info-Graphic Download

If you have any examples of using Adobe Express to share the learning, please let us know at digitallearningteam@westlothian.org.uk

Celebrating Success with Seafield Primary

We are delighted to announce that Seafield Primary School have recently achieved their Digital Schools Award, recognising the dedication and innovative work of pupils, staff and the whole school community.

Pupils across the school use a range of digital devices to access digital tools and resources to support, enhance and share their learning, such as MS Learning Accelerators, online games for consolidation of learning, Seesaw for sharing, MS Teams for collaboration, Adobe Express for creativity and so much more.

The links below, showcase some of the fantastic ways Seafield staff and pupils have been using Digital Technology to support and enhance learning and teaching.

Digital technologies at seafield ps

Digital Award Application Sway

Accredited by Education Scotland, The Digital Schools Award Scotland is a national award to promote, recognise and encourage a whole school approach to the use of digital technology.

We know there are schools across West Lothian who are working towards their validation this session, so look out for more announcements soon!

Congratulations once again to Seafield PS! We can’t wait to see how you continue to use these skills.

Wildly Creative with Adobe Express and Five Sisters Zoo

Primary 6/7 pupils at Seafield Primary have been using their creativity skills and their new enthusiasm for Adobe Express, to create their entries for a competition with Five Sisters Zoo.

Their creations showcased their skills in using various creative elements, including images, videos, audio, voiceovers, background music, animations, and transitions. The result was a series of beautiful, professional-looking videos, about Red Pandas.

Adobe Express

Seafield PS have really enjoyed using Adobe Express to showcase learning across a range of topics in class, for individual projects and in champion roles across the school. Pupils have demonstrated dedication, enthusiasm, and incredible creativity in designing their projects. Staff have also praised the inclusivity Adobe Express offers, allowing pupils to participate in video creation without needing to be in front of the camera. We love seeing your fantastic creations—keep up the amazing work!

IoT in Schools – Data Literacy Project: Reflections from our Data Detectives

This week, pupils from Deans Primary and Boghall Primary presented their findings and reflections from their recent Internet of Things Data Literacy Project.

The project began a couple of months ago, with an introductory lesson delivered by Tommy Lawson from the University of Edinburgh, during which the pupils explored the sensors and the data collected from their learning environments. They then spent a few weeks using the sensors to help improve their learning environments, before presenting their findings.

Boghall Primary Update

Boghall pupils used the new Sound Sensors to explore the noise level in the hall over breakfast club and lunch times.

They are now planning on introducing music to the hall specifically during breakfast club, to see if it can help reduce the noise level. We wonder if different types of music will have a different effect?

Deans Primary Update

Deans pupils began by using the data to identify where the sensors are located.

” We were looking at the motion detector on one of the sensors, the motion was flat, so we thought it was in a cupboard but the light sensor was quite high. The light was mostly on at 7 and went off between half 8 or 9. We thought it might have been in the cleaners cupboard because it was on at different times from when we were in school.” – P7 Pupil

They have also been working with Cambridge University on a computing project, using the Microbits to create their own sensors, which they will then compare with the IoT sensors. We wonder if the data will be the same?

“The real challenge was trying to get the temperature to code, so if you put it in your hands it would heat up, and show the number, but it was quite tricky” – P7 Pupil

We are very impressed with the learning taking place with both of these schools, and we can’t wait to hear what else you find out from continuing this project. Well done all!

Creativity Unleashed with Adobe Express

This morning, P7/6 at Eastertoun Primary had a creative morning working with the Digital Team, exploring Adobe Express to share their learning from their digital research project this term, all about planets.
They began a few weeks ago by learning to use Microsoft Search Coach to identify accurate and reliable information online and exploring the filtering options to narrow their searches, and used Microsoft Whiteboard and Microsoft Assignments to collaborate and share their findings.

Today they used this knowledge and information to share their learning in their own, incredibly impressive, creative projects, with pupils choosing to create posters, animations, videos and even podcasts!

We are looking forward to seeing what else you can create over the next few months. Well done P6/7!