A Guide to setting up Digital Leaders
What are digital leaders?
Digital Leaders are pupils who are selected to help the school develop the use of digital technology across the school.
How many Digital Leaders should a school have ideally?
It depends on the size of the school and how many pupils are interested in being a Digital Leader. For example, a smaller Primary School (under 100 pupils) may chooses 3-4 Digital Leaders from upper Key Stage 2. Large Primary Schools could have a few Digital Leaders from each year group. Another idea is if there are quite a few pupils interested in being Digital Leaders then you could have different Digital Leaders each half term.
How could pupils apply to be Digital Leaders?
As pupils are applying for a position that involves promoting the use of digital technology then it is a good idea for them to apply in a digital form. This could include video, ebook (see our Book Creator guide), blog post (see our blogging guide) or digital document. Pupils could send their applications to the teacher on the school network, email (if you allow this) or a tools such as Showbie.
Below is an example application form:
A Digital Leader is a student recognised by the school as displaying excellent digital leadership, being a role model for the younger pupils and able to help the school move forward with the use of technology. Are you:
- Available and able to help organise a Code Club for Years 3 and 4?
- Aware of e-safety and able to communicate it with other pupils and parents?
- Enthusiastic about digital learning, including coding?
- Available to attend meetings to discuss how the school can develop it's use of digital technologies?
Here are some screenshots from some example Year 5/6 applications:
What are digital leaders?
Digital Leaders are pupils who are selected to help the school develop the use of digital technology across the school.
How many Digital Leaders should a school have ideally?
It depends on the size of the school and how many pupils are interested in being a Digital Leader. For example, a smaller Primary School (under 100 pupils) may chooses 3-4 Digital Leaders from upper Key Stage 2. Large Primary Schools could have a few Digital Leaders from each year group. Another idea is if there are quite a few pupils interested in being Digital Leaders then you could have different Digital Leaders each half term.
How could pupils apply to be Digital Leaders?
As pupils are applying for a position that involves promoting the use of digital technology then it is a good idea for them to apply in a digital form. This could include video, ebook (see our Book Creator guide), blog post (see our blogging guide) or digital document. Pupils could send their applications to the teacher on the school network, email (if you allow this) or a tools such as Showbie.
Below is an example application form:
A Digital Leader is a student recognised by the school as displaying excellent digital leadership, being a role model for the younger pupils and able to help the school move forward with the use of technology. Are you:
- Available and able to help organise a Code Club for Years 3 and 4?
- Aware of e-safety and able to communicate it with other pupils and parents?
- Enthusiastic about digital learning, including coding?
- Available to attend meetings to discuss how the school can develop it's use of digital technologies?
Here are some screenshots from some example Year 5/6 applications:
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Digital Leader Activity Ideas
Digital Leader meetings
You may want to start with a meeting with Digital Leaders to outline the tasks they will be undertaking. The pupils could also make suggestions for how the school could improve it's use of IT and their own task ideas in a similar way to school council.
Clubs
Digital Leaders could help run lunch-time or after school clubs for the younger pupils. These could include a Code Club where pupils can develop some of the programming skills from their Computing lessons. Digital Leaders can support the younger pupils with the activities in our pupil section or devise their own activities.
E-safety
E-safety advice from pupils can have more impact, especially to other pupils. Digital Leaders could create a e-safety advice video that could be played in assembly, on the school blog or website. Here is an example of a Digital Leader e-safety video.
Rewards
Digital Leaders could have the responsibility of testing some of the new equipment that comes into school 'Bench Testing' before the other pupils. Digital Leaders could then demonstrate how new software, hardware or services work to teachers and pupils. They could also attend, with a teacher, education technology events and write reports on what they have seen.
Technical Support
Digital Leaders could be trained up to provide technical support for other pupils such as creating an IT Help Desk.
Digital Leader meetings
You may want to start with a meeting with Digital Leaders to outline the tasks they will be undertaking. The pupils could also make suggestions for how the school could improve it's use of IT and their own task ideas in a similar way to school council.
Clubs
Digital Leaders could help run lunch-time or after school clubs for the younger pupils. These could include a Code Club where pupils can develop some of the programming skills from their Computing lessons. Digital Leaders can support the younger pupils with the activities in our pupil section or devise their own activities.
E-safety
E-safety advice from pupils can have more impact, especially to other pupils. Digital Leaders could create a e-safety advice video that could be played in assembly, on the school blog or website. Here is an example of a Digital Leader e-safety video.
Rewards
Digital Leaders could have the responsibility of testing some of the new equipment that comes into school 'Bench Testing' before the other pupils. Digital Leaders could then demonstrate how new software, hardware or services work to teachers and pupils. They could also attend, with a teacher, education technology events and write reports on what they have seen.
Technical Support
Digital Leaders could be trained up to provide technical support for other pupils such as creating an IT Help Desk.
