HGIOS4 recognises the increasingly important role that technology now plays in our lives. It requires us to ensure that digital skills & innovation enhances learning wherever possible & that children & young people develop the skills they will need for learning, life & work. It challenges us to ensure that "they critically examine & make informed choices about the use of digital technology to enhance & personalise learning in school & where appropriate, beyond the school day".
It has long been recognised that children & young people with a vision impairment (VI) are likely to benefit from being taught skills in digital technology to support & enhance their learning.
Learners with a vision impairment often undertake an extensive & demanding additional curriculum of extra skills. This is in addition to the learning they share with their fully sighted peers. However, this skills set & the work needed to achieve it often go unrecognised.
HGIOS 4 expects learners to "exercise choice, including the appropriate use of digital technology & take increasing responsibility as they become more independent in their learning." Children & young people of all ages need to be able to access & experiment with a wide variety of different technologies so that they can choose methods of study & strategies that best support their learning & independence. Skills need to be taught in anticipation of need via a coherent & relevant programme with a clear & logical progression.
The aim of the digital skills progression framework is to ensure that all involved in the education of learners with VI have a coherent framework to follow that maps out areas of study & skills our learners are likely to need to be independent & successful in learning, life & work. It is linked to the Benchmarks for Technologies set for us by Education Scotland & development work carried out the Learning Technologies Team in Aberdeen City. It is essentially concerned with ensuring that learners have skills for learning life and work. It does not cover the computational skills part of the curriculum.
It aims to provide a clear framework for progression for learners, their teachers and families. It aims to ensure that:
Alison Price, Head of Vision Support Service, Aberdeen City
This group is run by SAVIE (Scottish Association for Visual Impairment Education).
To update the website:
Created for SAVIE by:
Scottish Sensory Centre, Moray House School of Education, University of Edinburgh, Holyrood Road, Edinburgh EH8 8AQ