According to new research commissioned by the NSPCC and Google, the majority of British children are not achieving a good level of digital competence. Two thirds of schools and parents admit to not teaching their children digital skills. This is worrying because these skills will be essential in their future lives and careers.
Children are increasingly likely to use computers and tablets on a daily basis, but many don't know the most basic basics of digital skills. In addition, some apps have access to more information than parents may realise, while the amount of time children spend focused on ICT is not necessarily linked to their levels of engagement with it. With this in mind, there are several ways in which schools can help engage children with technology so that they develop the necessary skills for life in the 21st century.
Here are the top five tips to help get you going from Aldwyn Primary School.
- Make sure the platform you are going to use is working and everyone knows how to log in. This will save a lot of time when the lesson goes live.
- Take a common topic, for example, geography and create half the work needed to complete the topic as a traditional lesson and the other half linked to digital and ICT skills.
- Keep it simple to start with.
- Break down the lesson focus and the digital skills and ICT focus. You can see examples of this on some of the pages on Aldwyn Primary School's “The Learning Zone” Click HERE.
- Create a worksheet or presentation for children to complete - nothing too complex. Share this out using Google Classroom or Microsoft Teams.
Aldwyn Primary - The Learning Zone