EDS - Community of Practice
Welcome to the Essential Digital Skills (EDS) Community of Practice.
Welcome to the ETF’s Community of Practice for digital skills which is packed with ideas and resources shared by your colleagues.
To get automatic alerts when new posts and resources have been added, please sign up and/or login. You don't have to post but it's great if you can like and share posts, and also comment. Even better if you want to share an idea or a resource you use in your teaching, or ask a question - that way the community builds.
View this informal video by one of our regular contributors on how to join and make use of the community.
Post by Stephanie Gilford
Huge thanks for everyone sharing here - it's given me so much help while embedding EDSQ into English FS, AND Ascentis courses at the same time! Wanted to give something back. I've started putting together some edupuzzle quizzes to support vocabulary acquisition.
Hope it's useful!
https://edpuzzle.com/media/627e3d838522fb42e84fd058
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Being safe English Essential Digital Skills Functional Skills English Staying safe onlineThrough our OTLA 8 project we are working with EDSQ E3 learners by introducing pre-learning sessions to discuss their learning skill techniques and to encourage different learning approaches. These sessions have been a great success. We have seen an increrase in student retention and an improvement in students ability to take on a new challenge.
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Essential Digital Skills OTLAPost by Rachel Oner
What a great project and these results sound fab. Really looking forward to reading your final report Caroline 😊
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Digital Literacy Essential Digital Skills OTLAPost by Maria Edoo
Would love to read about it. We do Basic Digital Skills Courses for very low level learners before they start on Entry 3. These are for learners that have never used a PC or laptop but can do some basic things on a phone.
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Has anyone tried using Nearpod for the delivery of Essential Digital Skills or used it for any form of other delivery?
Really keen to use this and have a library of lessons for EDS.
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Assessment EDS Champions Essential Digital Skills Online Learning Using DevicesPost by Angela Sanders
Good question Leanne - I recall that Jamie Giarrupto and Mel Coleman Teaching and Learning coach at Merton College part of South Thames College produced 2 videos about a year ago Introduction and Part 2 in the classroom
@James Kieft have you used Nearpod?
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Post by James Kieft
@Leanne Selway I have used Nearpod, I particularly like the matching pair activity I find it a great way to link terminology with definitions.
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Post by Tracy Seraphin
I am realitively new to using Nearpod but after seeing it used effectively in classes and watching the recording of 'Using Nearpod for delivering EDS lessons' training session, I am a big fan. I am really keen to encourage teachers in my new organisation to use Nearpod. I am currently developing a training session using Nearpod to model how teachers can use it for their own delivery.
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Assessment Essential Digital Skills Online Learning PedagogyPost by Maria Edoo
Yes, I use Nearpod to deliver EDSQ E3 and EDSQ L1. I create self-paced lessons with interactive activities that learners can do at home. I also use them in lessons. I like how the teacher is in control of moving the slides and share results to questions or polls on the smartboard.
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Hi all,
Here's a link to a session we ran on Excel - Top Tips for L1 EDS learners.
Practical strategies to use in classroom teaching and in preparation for their exam. Particularly useful for anyone taking the Gateway exams.
Kind regards,
Andy
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Creating & Editing Essential Digital SkillsPost by Anke Jacobs
As you might know, I'm a fan of Wordwall and I've shown you a couple of resources I made some months ago. It's so easy to use, and generates a number of associated activities automatically to consolidate the students' learning in a fun way.
I've recently created 2 more vocabulary actitivities, which you can either use as they are, or view as models to create your own activities. Just choose the 'Labelled Diagram' tile, upload an image of your choice, type up the words and link the 'pins' to the images.
Once the students have labelled the diagram, they can just click on the follow-on activities, such as 'Anagram' or 'Matching Pairs', to consolidate what they have learnt
Here are my latest creations:
https://wordwall.net/resource/30195300/sports-equipment-vocabulary
https://wordwall.net/resource/30082722/gardening-vocabulary
Hope you and your students have fun learning in this way!
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ESOL Online Learning Using DevicesPost by Angela Sanders
@Anke Jacobs I love this. Thank you very much for sharing. I am now 1st on the Gardening labelled leaderboard. I am sure i can get knocked off. Whose going to challenge me? @Dawn Buzzard
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Post by Nusrat Bhatti
Please watch the demonstration videos here:
Getting Started with Cambridge Write and Improve
https://help.writeandimprove.com/en/articles/3293753-creating-workbooks-and-tasks
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ESOLPost by Cathy Kirk
Thanks for the tips and guidance you shared in your presentation Nusrat. Really useful and fun to share on Zoom. I've used the 'One minute presentation' warmer with adapted topics in my F2F speaking & listening class. A great start to the session!
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ESOL Online LearningPost by Anke Jacobs
Thank you, Nusrat, for sharing your hacks for teaching in Zoom.
With regards to sending chat messages into breakout rooms, I'd like to add that they only show in the room you're in at the time. As you were typing in the main room, Cathy and Dawn couldn't read your message in their breakout room. Why don't you just visit each breakout room in turn to monitor? I leave groups to collaborate for longer periods of time and circulate, just like I would in an onsite classroom. It gives learners more opportunities to talk and be more active than in a large group in a main room. They can also complete digital worksheets collaboratively, with one person sharing and typing, or dragging & dropping, but all can think about the answers together. It also gives the learners more autonomy over their learning but they can't slack because they know you will pop in at any time. Afterwards, you can bring them back together in the main room to review, share or give feedback.
Using the whiteboard is also a great idea for collaboration, but even better is using the annotation tools for a text you're sharing. You can, for example, ask students to underline or highlight all past tense verbs, or all adjectives, or the evidence in the text that has led them to their answer of a comprehension question. Using the annotation tools also stops them from shouting out or talking all at once, and gives them something kinaesthetic to do.
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Assessment Communicating ESOL Online Learning Pedagogy Using DevicesPost by Angela Sanders
Yes i thought so too - good play on 'escape room'. It was a very hard clue though!
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Post by Dawn Buzzard
@Nusrat Bhatti, I really enjoyed todays session and this discussion around using zoom. I hvae certainly picked up a couple of tips and loved the escape room idea.
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Post by Bernadette Mehl
Mini project for one lesson. Aim to create a leaflet giving information on a topic. Level 1 Functional Skills
Students researched topic online. Collated information. Created a word document which entailed inserting images, text and editing. They create a leaflet to advertise their project.
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Creating & EditingAdd your ideas for a 'project' to combine learners' essential digital skills development with a learning outcome for a course you teach or manage. The project for our ESOL learners was to create an audio CV in order to develop digital, English and employability skills.
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Essential Digital SkillsPost by Louise Barnes
Mini project for one lesson. Aim to make a poster giving information on a topic. Level 1 ESOL
Students researched topic online. Collated information. Created a word document which entailed inserting images, text and editing. They created a leaflet or poster to advertise their project.
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Post by Sarah Howarth
For Pre Entry ESOL Learners.
Focus on introductions
Speaking and listening and writing.
Build into the SOW to have intentional activity using digital.
Could go to digital RARPA for lower level classes.
Class notebook is used for this in some places.
Could Use Padlet, Flip Grid, or Wakelet. QR Codes.
Students might have better IT skills than language skills. Can use the idea of buddying up.
Using passwords, getting on line, are the basic digital skills they need to know.
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Communicating ESOL Using DevicesPost by Sarah Howarth
Idea of using phones for lower level learners to record vocabulary.
Take photos of board,
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ESOLPost by Louise Barnes
Create tasks for gaining confidence using practical Apps or using google to search information about bus times. Understanding bus and train timetables.
Understanding how to read the time in English and understand our conventions and the different ways to read the time.
Take students out and about to practise their skills.
Download Trainline App; Google translate
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Digital Literacy ESOL Essential Digital SkillsPost by Elizabeth Butterworth
Using Google my maps fo r online group to show location of their homes. This week to upload a photo of their town. There is a rage of privacy settings.
Vocab: upload download link etc
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Post by Jo Dixon
A few ideas from Breakout Group 2 in the WEA EDS Champions Celebration Event on Zoom today (not a project - we were not quite focused enough - but lots of ideas anyway!)
In a Zoom class - using whiteboard to collaboratively establish ground rules
Finding job ads and applying for jobs
- search for job ads (search for info) and copy and paste links to share with group
- look at different question types in interactive forms (drop down menus, radio buttons etc) and combine with understanding the questions and info required in forms)
Social media posts (online communication and audience): Communicating in writing, in pictures, in spoken English by using different features of e.g. WhatsApp, Padlet, Google Classrooms etc - link to any ESOL topic - present about something of interest, research and plan an event together...
Not sure if I remembered everything but if not maybe others will add :-)
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Communicating ESOL Essential Digital SkillsPost by Nusrat Bhatti
These are great suggestions, Sarah
Thanks for sharing
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Post by Nusrat Bhatti
This is interesting
Do you have any suggestions on how it could be adapted for lower level learners?
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Post by Cathy Kirk
That sound's greate Louise. As an extension activity, the learners could make a short audio/video clip to advertise the poster topic.
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Essential Digital SkillsPost by Cathy Kirk
Thanks for your ideas Jo. I think your suggestion of social media is an important topic. Some of my learners have been interested in developing English skills to sell products they make at home on Instagram, for example.
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ESOL Essential Digital SkillsPost by Cathy Kirk
I think your activity using Google My Maps is a great idea Elizabeth. Even learners who have lived in the UK for a few years aren't always knowledgeable about places in the UK. In one of my online classes last year, the learners joined from a few different UK locations. They were really interested in knowing more about each other's town/city/area. This activity would have been perfect.
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ESOL Essential Digital SkillsPost by Nusrat Bhatti
Fab, love your link to social media posts which also ticks two boxes - skills for life and work too. Lots of essential digital skills can be linked to various strands from modules such as Communicating (posting messages, not causing offense in posts) and Being Safe and Responsible online with links to setting privacy settings, recognising suspicious links in social media messages, knowing social media policies and so on.
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Being safe Communicating Essential Digital SkillsPost by Mike Ray
It can be a really nice learner-centred EDS task for learners to create a survey, then they collect data by mingling and asking each other, then they present their findings in excel with a chart (inputting the data). The data is generated from the learners themselves; learner-centred tasks are likely to be motivating for the learners. You could survey different characteristics (recycle from ESOL class about physical characteristics or personality adjectives), or nationalities, or any other criteria that would seem relevant to the group.
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ESOL Essential Digital Skills WEAPost by Jo Dixon
@Sarah Howarth yes phones for lower levels. With learners who have minimal literacy I also encourage them to use their video cameras on their phones to record vocabulary. They point the camera at a handout or at the board and record while I read and point at the words as I read. This way they have a more useful record of vocab than a photo (which is of less use if they are not sure how to read the words when they look at it again). This can also involve discussion of privacy and appropriate use of video and sharing (is everyone aware that we're videoing, does anyone mind, taking care not to point the camera at anything with personal info on). If they need to develop skills in sharing info and media, you can encourage a different learner at different times to take the pic or video and send to you or to the group.
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Being safe ESOL Essential Digital SkillsPost by Querida Gardiner
Plan a 3 night city break.
Research travel, hotels and a day trip in a UK city taking screenshots of relevant information.
Create an excel table with key costs and total to find total cost of break.
Create a poster in Word to advertise mini break.
Skills covered - EDSQ E3 taking and renaming screenshots (handling devices), creating and editing and EDSQ L1 creating and editing.
This was used as a way of embedding key EDSQ skills with ESOL learners who have passed EDSQ E3 but are not ready for L1.
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Creating & Editing Digital Literacy ESOL Essential Digital Skills TransactingPost by Querida Gardiner
I have tried this and then got the students to create a graph from their data. they also cretaed a report in Word and copied their charts and graphs into it. They were able to use this to reinforces learning in English for report writing and maths for analysing data.
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Creating & Editing Digital Literacy ESOL Essential Digital SkillsPost by Anke Jacobs
Here's another mini project for one lesson which combines English / ESOL, EDS and Maths:
Split the learners into small groups and get them to research destinations they're interested in for their real class trip. Ask them to do Google searches to find out what there is to see and do, how far it is, how to get there and how much it will cost for transport and entrance fee. Get them to make notes and share their ideas and findings, practising presentation skills and persuasive language. Next, faciliate a discussion to consider the pros and cons of their ideas. Finally, ask them to vote for their favourite destination (British Values - Democracy) and plan the trip in real life!
P.S. I'll feed back to you to let you know how it went in my classes!
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Digital Literacy ESOL Essential Digital SkillsPost by Cathy Kirk
This sounds great Anke! A real outing is much more fun than using worksheets - especially now we can get out on class visits. A further digital skills activity could be for learners to take photos and/or videos of interesting aspects of their visit to add to their presentations. Looking forward to your feedback!
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ESOL Essential Digital SkillsIn the week's video, I look at Speechify an extension for Google Chrome, it is a tool that will read web pages out loud, is easy to set up and offer lots of voice and language options
I could see it being a useful addition for students who are Dyslexic or have English as a second language.
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Digital Literacy ESOL Using DevicesPost by Shaila Karim
ESOL students may struggle with understanding digital terminology
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Post by Jo Chrysanthou
Digital poverty can impact learning progress when a student doesn't have access to technology at home. The more new skills can be practised the quicker they are learnt. Students can be encouraged to use computers available to them at college or in their local libraries.
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Essential Digital SkillsPost by Leanne Selway
Have you looked at the good things foundation for this?
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Post by Angela Sanders
@Shaila Karim this link will take you to the resources @Mary Moss referred to https://enhance.etfoundation.co.uk/community/gotopost/312/eds-community-of-practice/2021-11-17/mary-moss/eds-course-for-esol-learners
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If any of you use google resources with your learners please take a look at this digital induction tutorial that Simon Bond from HSDC has collaboratively created.
Simon took part in a reflective exploration project and built the resource to help develop the essential digital skills of his adult learners. He found it made a significant impact on learner confidence and improved work submission rate whilst supporting to reduce his workload on dealing with learner IT issues.
Be really interested to know who uses google for education and if they find this useful or have anything similar to share?
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Creating & Editing Digital Literacy Essential Digital Skills Reflective Exploration Using DevicesPost by Emma Langlois
At Manchester Adult Education - we have a similar induction that also covers Google Sites. The sites are standardised with 4 button tabs with links to: 'Learner IT Support', 'Google Classroom', 'CEIAG offer' and 'Find a Library' in addition to organised space for independent and blended study resources. One of our tutors also created a Mock E3 and Mock L1 EDSQ Google Site which aims to replicate the experience of an Awarding Organisation exam/assessment portal with upload/download requirements.
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Assessment Essential Digital Skills Online LearningPost by David Galloway
This sounds very impressive Emma, would your colleague be happy to share the google site they have created?
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Post by Emma Langlois
Here is a mock exam site for E3: https://sites.google.com/man-adulted.org.uk/mockexam3/home.
Here is a mock exam site for L1: https://sites.google.com/man-adulted.org.uk/mockexaml1/home.
Our Digital Skills tutor, Carol Kennett, created them.
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Post by David Galloway
Thanks Emma and Carol, really appreciate the share 😁
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Post by Maria Edoo
Thank you so much for sharing. Very useful
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Communicating Creating & Editing PowerPoint templatePost by Angela Sanders
Thanks for sharing this James. @Connie Mayo you may be interested in this as another tool to use with your learners in creating 'posters'
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What technology-based solutions do you use to engage all your students in hinge questions?
Massive thanks to Richard Hughes for his time this week sharing how he's been using google docs to support his SEND learners in engaging in 'hinge questions'. Rich spoke about the challenges with engaging all learners in class questioning and how he's taught the students to 'own the cell' and upskill them in their essential digital skills.
The importance and the power of hinge questions are highlighted by Dylan Williams (you can take a look here for a brief summary)
If you missed the session feel free to catch up - Hinge Questions, Supporting SEND learners & Creating and Editing Documents
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Creating & Editing Essential Digital Skills SENDPost by Nusrat Bhatti
Thanks for sharing the video of this session - really useful insight on the importance of formative assessment and using hinge questions as a diagnostic tool with learners, which also helps to promote their critical thinking skills. In the past I found mini whiteboards and markers were useful in the classroom, but since the shift to teaching/learning online, I've used Zoom annotate features to do something similar. I quite like the idea of using Google Docs too and will give it a go as there are so many clear links also to EDS modules such as Creating and Editing.
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SENDPost by Sally Betts
Hi Kirk, see the previous reply on funding /community/gotopost/734/eds-community-of-practice/2022-03-08/kirk-walker
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Post by Nick Jeans
No, Kirk: EDS funding starts from age 16.
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Post by Kirk Walker
What is the minimum age of the students taking the essential digital skills course.
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Essential Digital SkillsPost by Sally Betts
EDS qualifications are funded through the Adult Education Budget, the offer fully funds individuals. The entitlement was extended in late 2020 to include 16-19 study programmes such as Kickstart.
To find out more about funding:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/938661/AEB_2020_to_2021_funding_rules_V4_Final_.pdf
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Post by Nick Jeans
Since August 2020 there has been a national entitlement to fully fund eligible adults aged 19+ who don't have the basic digital skills that are typically required for life and work to undertake Essential Digital Skills qualifications (EDSQs). EDSQ are also funded for 16-19-year-olds as part of a Study Programme.
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Post by Caroline Cleghorn
Digital Classes Online can be challenging as all learner's present on different devices and web browsers and it simply is not as easy as saying one size fits all!
I like teaching big groups of learner's however it does have it's challenges! How many learner's do you feel is comfortable when teaching ICT for beginners using Zoom and Canvas?
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Assessment Communicating Creating & Editing Digital Literacy Essential Digital Skills Motivation Online Learning Using DevicesPost by Hayley Sharples
I would be comfortable delivering to around 12 for EDS online -however we are currently not delivering EDS online due to its content and learners software/access etc.
Also the ability to remote invigilate
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Essential Digital Skills Online LearningPost by Sally Betts
An interesting question, the answer may depend on the delivery methods you are using. For example have you pre-recorded screencast videos showing how to perform IT skills so that you can use a flipped learning approach or do you demonstrate live during the lesson. Are you making use of breakout rooms to differentiate by skills levels E3 or L1? I think larger groups may be possible for L1 where you have a lot of support resources already available to help learners.
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Post by Caroline Cleghorn
It is so challenging teaching online with learners coming in on different devices at differing levels with challenges such as software, different web browsers, email systems etc. Keeping everyone engaged and able to teach at different levels managing the digitial tools in the class room is key!
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Post by Nutan Ramji
I would prefer a small class of 6-8 learners, that way each learner could get 1to1 with the tutor. Also by keeping low numbers learners can progress and gain confidence.
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Post by Caroline Cleghorn
I agree smaller classes are good. I do like to use break out rooms to enable people to work together and me to do a one to one with learners in the sessions too and this does work well. I always open up an additional break out room and then pull people in to offer one to one support and learners have appeared to really appreciate this option of learning.
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Assessment Communicating Digital Literacy Essential Digital Skills Online Learning Pedagogy Reflective Exploration Using DevicesPost by Shaila Karim
Within my organisation we have Digital Learning Coaches that offer 1:1 or small group sessions, outside of class time, to support students in developing their digital skills. This in turn supports them in being able to participate online.
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Post by Anke Jacobs
Hi everyone
Thank you for attending today's event hosted by BAES. Please find below the link for the visual e-learning guide I talked about during the event:
https://tinyurl.com/esolelearningguide
Although this is BAES-specific, it models how we can simplify IT instructions for ESOL learners with images and flow diagrams.
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Being safe Digital Literacy ESOL Essential Digital Skills Online Learning Using DevicesPost by Angela Sanders
Wow what a lot of work has gone into creating this resource. Thank you very much for sharing. I was struck at today's event at how generous people are being in sharing the resources they have created. Thank you 😀
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Motivation PedagogyPost by Paul Hand
Looking at adding EDSQ to to the wider college curriculum - Counciling - Hair and Beauty and Child care courses
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Digital Literacy Essential Digital Skills Online LearningPost by Anke Jacobs
Sounds like a good idea! As far as I'm aware, we only tend to share resources, ideas and links within our own curriculum areas, so if we already have something similar, it needs to be promoted. If we don't, we could set it up.
You and Camron also talked about 1:1 support for learners - I think this might also work for teachers. Within our centres, we already help each other with IT-related queries, but I suspect we'd all benefit from upskilling hands-on with a buddy.
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Creating & Editing Digital Literacy ESOL Essential Digital Skills Motivation Using DevicesPost by Anke Jacobs
Agreed! Perhaps prioritising the teachers' needs as perceived by themselves would ultimately be more beneficial for the learners than prioritising compulsory, managerial requirements. Realistically, we can only fill a limited number of hours with work in a day, or else productivity, concentration and wellbeing will decline.
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Digital Literacy ESOL Essential Digital SkillsPost by Reshma Ladva
Learners need skills to effectively read an online text to go deeper and make choices appropriate to their learning, a lot of literature contains embedded resources such as hyperlinks, audio clips, graphs or charts. Learners are also required to create, collaborate, and share digital resources responsibly.
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Digital Literacy Essential Digital Skills Online LearningPost by Alexandra Bates
Part of our cross curricular collaborative project for OTLA8 saw the IT team talking ESOL and English practitioners through some of thier tried and tested teaching ideas. This one has proved a hit. I recently adapted it for Pre-Entry ESOL, which worked really well as it is a kinaesthetic task. Device of the Day
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Digital Literacy ESOL OTLAPost by Rachel Oner
Super little handout. Added to the Mega ESOL Padlet, @Alexandra Bates
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Digital Literacy ESOL Using DevicesPost by Paul Gradwell
Working with young learners I can see this being an easy transition to using smart devices more effectively.
Might be more of a challenge with more mature learners. As I think they will need more handholding through some of the tasks.
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Digital Literacy Online Learning Using DevicesPost by Sabrina Ahmed-Qureshi
The biggest challenges I face will be the understanding of the models and the platforms before rolling it out to the colllege.
I will then need to inspire and disseminate the information gained to the teachign teams and ensure they are confident to proceed..
The motivation and the drive of the students to understand the requirements of the programme and the benefits as well as the logitical elements of timetabling and organising the delivery of the programme is something that needs to be discussed with the delivery team.