Digital Learning

Digital learning is a key area of development for schools which offers opportunities to enhance languages learning and teaching, whilst also building learners’ digital skills.

This section explores Digital Learning in relation to the following three How are we doing? self-evaluation statements:

  • Digital learning is embedded within our languages learning and teaching and we work with learners to reflect upon the skills we are developing and how they relate to our future needs in life and work.
  • We explore a range of digital approaches, making use of our resources to enhance learners’ language and culture related experiences and outcomes.
  • We link our learning across the curriculum, exploring the digital skills experiences and outcomes to make connections and to develop key digital skills within language learning contexts.

Click on the links below to read more about the key themes of Digital Learning and then use the How are we doing? statements to reflect on your current practice and explore your next steps.  Further reading and resources are also provided at the bottom of this page.

Finally, watch the video below to learn how practitioners have engaged with this TILE.

Considerations for planning Digital Learning and Languages Digital Skills and Languages

Considerations for planning

Digital learning has the potential to bring a range of benefits and so has been identified as a key area for strategic improvement by the Scottish Government.  Their strategic planning report, Enhancing Learning and Teaching through the use of digital technology: A digital learning and teaching strategy for Scotland (Scottish Government, 2016), identifies three overarching areas in which digital learning can make a positive impact:

    • Enhancing learning and teaching
    • Improving educational outcomes
    • Building digital skills – closely linked to employability

(Scottish Government, 2016, P6)

In terms of languages, digital learning offers opportunities across all of these areas. It brings instant access to the wider world, enables online intercultural partnerships, provides opportunities to listen to a range of speakers of the language, and provides access to authentic reading and cultural learning resources. It provides us with digital tools which can support with improving our literacy (e.g. online dictionaries), translation tools, and resources which enhance accessibility and inclusion. Further to this, it enables our partnerships both at home and abroad, bringing us opportunities to connect with other children and young people, sharing our experiences of language, culture and learning.

However, it is important to engage with learner voice to inform planning regarding the use of digital technology in their learning.  As part of the Enhancing Learning and Teaching through the use of digital technology report (Scottish Government, 2016), children and young peoples’ views of the use of technology in their learning were surveyed by the Children’s Parliament (92 children aged 8 – 11) and by Young Scot (over 250 children aged 11 – 25).  The Children’s Parliament feedback found that:

The children … thought that digital technology makes learning more fun and they would like to see it used more as long it is not over-used.

And the Young Scot survey found that:

The young people thought that digital technology was an important learning aid in the classroom, a good tool for revision, provided an interactive learning experience and gave them a quick way to access information. However, they felt that in general, digital resources within their schools were low, could be unreliable and could be misused, and they felt that in many cases, teachers lacked the knowledge of how to use the digital technology they have. (2016, p.8)

Such feedback underlines the need to engage with learner voice, explore a range of digital resources and develop practitioner skills. Resources to extend your knowledge in this area are provided in the ‘resources’ section below.

Digital Learning and Languages

Digital learning and languages are well suited to joint planning and there are many opportunities for developing digital skills through languages and vice versa.   An overview of digital language opportunities and examples in context are provided below.

Opportunities in digital learning Examples in context
Engagement with authentic cultural resources
  • Listening to music, songs, rhymes, and poems
  • Online library or reading resources
  • Watching cartoons, TV programmes and films
  • Reading news online
  • Listening to radio
  • Podcasts
Social media
  • School/department Social-Media take-over: ask learners to create target language content which can then be shared via school/department Social Media account that day/week
  • Sharing/engaging with language learning social media accounts (helpful as part of professional learning)
  • Choosing a target language travel/photo account to follow and sharing photos as part of learning
  • For older learners, ask them to choose target language accounts to follow and change social media settings to the target language
  • Create a class Pinterest board with cultural and language activities
Video resources
  • Using video as a resource for introducing new language e.g. language learning video resources online for both primary and secondary
  • Asking learners to produce their own learning materials and share with other learners/classes/partner schools
  • As above but with a partner school e.g. Explainer video of Scottish country dancing shared with a partner school abroad and in exchange for a cultural sharing video from them.
Apps
  • Recording presentations using apps with voice record, text input, image options etc.
  • Creating videos clips using video editing apps
  • Online dictionary apps
  • Language learning apps
English as and Additional Language (EAL)
  • (See Multilingual Learners in Associated Sections at the bottom of this page for more info)
  • Support resources for practitioners to engage in learners’ L1 language e.g. storytelling resources, key language etc.
Digital presentation software e.g. Powerpoint
  • Creating digital presentations linked to learning themes e.g. self/school/local environment/the solar system etc.
  • Adding audio voice recording to digital presentations
  • Creating video content
Voice recording software
  • Using voice recording software to record short presentation, create a Podcast, have a recorded conversation etc.
Home learning
  • Flipped learning approaches with learners working on areas of language learning out of school
  • Learners researching aspects of language and culture as part of home learning
  • Development of digital materials as part of home learning outcomes e.g. photo dictionary activity, creating target language Word document or app based resource
  • Completing an online quiz/activity online at home
  • Potential for learners to experience increased exposure to the target language at home
Research online about other countries and cultures
  • Using websites to research aspects of culture, listen to/read other children and young people’s views, listen to music, learn about the target language country
Online learning
  • Using online learning tools and websites for individual or group study
  • Researching useful tools and websites for supporting learning
  • Offering learners choice of tools e.g. video, song, games etc. to support their learning
  • Offering learners extra-curricular opportunities to engage with additional languages (e.g. Korean, Russian etc.) and supporting through self-led online learning
Partnership engagement with other schools
  • Linking with schools at home and/or abroad via online platforms such as Glow to share language, culture and learning
  • Developing shared project approaches to solving issues e.g. litter in local area
  • Communication with other children and young people via online meeting tools e.g, Teams, Google Meet etc.
Feedback
  • Using technology to give more personalised feedback e.g. using voice record apps to give learners extended oral feedback.

Digital Skills and Languages

The Education Scotland document, What digital learning might look like (2020), provides exemplification of how digital skills Experiences and Outcomes could be developed across other curriculum areas from Early to Third Level in the BGE.  There are several links to languages in this document and it can be referred to when planning across digital learning and languages.  An example is provided below:

Key concept Experiences and outcomes Examples of Learning Activities
Cyber resilience and internet safety I can explore, play and communicate using digital technologies safely and securely. TCH 0-03a When learning about online communication learners might: Take part in a video call, using Skype for example, or use a video channel to record and share ideas, such as with Flipgrid. This could be used to let learners hear from learners or experts in another country or to share their own learning, such as about their own community or to find out about foreign communities, cultures and language.

Linking digital skills, languages and employability can support in developing relevant learning which reinforces key messages around the usefulness of languages.  For example, if planning a partnership project with a school abroad, success criteria could include the development of skills such as intercultural skills, communication skills, use and understanding of the target language, and using technology to communicate with others. Working with learners to consider the range of skills being developed through the digital languages activity and how this relates to their employability helps to promote a sense of relevance and usefulness of learning.

How are we doing?

  • Digital learning is embedded within our languages learning and teaching and we work with learners to reflect upon the skills we are developing and how they relate to our future needs in life and work.
  • We explore a range of digital approaches, making use of our resources to enhance learners’ language and culture related experiences and outcomes.
  • We link our learning across the curriculum, exploring the digital skills experiences and outcomes to make connections and to develop key digital skills within language learning contexts.

Record your practice

Now you have researched the methodology and best practice in Digital Learning it's time to record how you are doing. Download the interactive/printable PDF file which you can fill in digitally (or manually if you prefer) for your records and CPD.

Download the Digital Learning self-evaluation PDF (149 KB)

Education Scotland (2004) Curriculum for Excellence: Modern Languages Experiences and Outcomes

Available at: https://www.education.gov.scot/Documents/modern-languages-eo.pdf

Education Scotland (2004) Technologies: Experiences and Outcomes

Available at: https://education.gov.scot/Documents/Technologies-es-os.pdf

Education Scotland (2020) What digital learning might look like,

Available at: https://education.gov.scot/media/uh2jebbs/nih158-what-digital-learning-might-look-like.pdf

Scottish Government (2016) Enhancing learning and teaching through the use of digital technology, Edinburgh: Learning Directorate.

Supporting Documents

This document contains information about the background to the 1+2 approach and the approach itself.

Language Learning in Scotland A 1+2 Approach

This document explores the progress the 1+2 approach has made and sets out the strategic plan for implementation of the approach from 2017 – 2021

Language Learning in Schools – Strategic Plan for Implementation 2017-2021

This paper offers a series of reflective questions to assist schools in their implementation of their 1+2 strategy.

Languages: A 1+2 Approach Building your strategy

This document contains updated guidance about L3 and the different ways that schools can implement the L3.

Language Learning in Scotland a 1+2 Approach - Guidance on L3 within the 1+2 policy Updated May 2019

This site contains a set of FAQ about the 1+2 approach.

SCILT A 1+2 Approach FAQ

Progression Documents

Modern Languages Experiences and outcomes are a set of clear and concise statements about children's learning and progression in Modern Languages. They are used to help plan learning and to assess progress.

Curriculum for Excellence Modern Languages Experiences and Outcomes

Modern Languages Benchmarks provide clarity on the national standards expected within languages at each level. They set out clear lines of progression from first to fourth levels. Their purpose is to make clear what learners need to know and be able to do to progress through the levels, and to support consistency in teachers' and other practitioners' professional judgements.

Modern Languages Benchmarks

This suite of resources brings together all the national documentation practitioners need to plan for progressing language learning from First to second, second to third and third to fourth levels.

Modern Languages Progression Framework: First to Second Level

Digital Learning

CfE BGE curriculum for technologies and including digital learning.

Technologies Experiences and Outcomes

Education Scotland exemplification on how digital learning can be applied across curriculum contexts. Includes examples of digital skills development in languages including cross-referencing of relevant Es and Os.

Education Scotland: What digital learning might look like?

Research paper (Courtney, L. Graham, S., 2019) exploring use of digital games for motivating young learners. Link below includes a summary of findings and approaches.

Assessing young language learners: Motivation and sense of progress across the age, gender and proficiency range

Insitut français / Alliance française online mediathèque including extensive catalogue of digitized books (some with audio included), videos and listening resources.

Culturethèque

MOOC from Deakin University (Melbourne) exploring key principles of digital learning.

Transforming Digital Learning: Learning Design Meets Service Design

Joe Dale is a digital skills and languages consultant. He shared CLPL videos via his Youtube channel and via his Twitter account @Joedale. He created the hashtag #MFLTwitterati which practitioners use to share news and practice.

Joe Dale, Youtube Channel

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