Something that stood out at me when I looked over my notes from session 2. The notion of having ‘digital leaders’ in the classroom. Pupils with exceptional ICT skills. During ICT lessons on block placement, it was immediately obvious that the children were far more enthusiastic than the teachers. And some were even more gifted technologically. Teacher’s (and even students teacher’s) apparent fear of technology is boggles me considering the amount of jobs that require the use of a computer. If you didn’t have the subject knowledge in History in order to teach about the Aztecs, you would acquire it. I’m getting off track.

ANYWAY. I figure there will always be certain children in the class that show more of a passion and interest in ICT than the others and now I know that this can be used to a teacher’s advantage. Digital leaders can be trained up in after-school clubs first and foremost to develop their own skills and pique their interest further in ICT. From there, they can be used as mini-technicians to help in your own class, less set-up for teachers making lessons more efficient. They can also go into other classes to help where the teacher may be less confident in ICT or where particular children struggle. They can be paired with lower ability students, invoking Vygotsky’s theory of the More Knowledgeable Other. The lower ability pupil benefits from having someone explain things in more detail and, in explaining their knowledge, the leader reinforces their own skills. Win-win.

This article by Sal McKeown (2015) also reinforces the use of digital leaders and noting that it is a scheme that is “as much about developing children’s leadership skills as their technical competence.” Therefore, it is necessary to have “reasonable literacy skills” in order to explain effectively. It is mentioned that they can even run their own clubs if they are “…confident, responsible, reliable and good communicators.”

To me, this is a no-brainer. In my own practice, I am definitely going to pursue avenues that enable a similar scheme to be implemented. I would relish the opportunity to pass on the passion that I have for ICT to like-minded and passionate children.