The digital world enables us to connect, collaborate, innovate, and discover new information on an ever-broadening scale. This is accelerated by the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools. Learners must be able to use technology effectively with a critical understanding, particularly as they develop autonomy when sourcing and presenting information. You need a clear, structured programme to support learners to engage with technology and apply critical thinking to the information they create and discover.
What will students learn?
Students develop the digital skills that will help with many aspects of their future learning and development. They will:
- learn how to use digital technology safely and protect their own physical and emotional wellbeing
- understand and evaluate the personal impact of parasocial and digital relationships
- understand how access to digital technology can enable collaboration and support community building
- make educated decisions about the information that they encounter and source using AI
- learn how to become positive contributors to the digital world
- learn when to apply, and how to differentiate between, human and artificial intelligence
- develop skills to create learning outputs like reports and presentations, appreciating their responsibility to retain the role of main creator
- develop knowledge and understanding that will enable them to respond to and evaluate technology of the future.
This course supports progression to Cambridge Upper Secondary subjects where learners are expected to source, evaluate and present information.
How is the programme taught?
You can teach Digital Literacy as a separate subject, or embed the content within broader learning, depending on your school approach and timetabling. For example, embedding could include:
- safety messages integrated within cross-curricular sessions on how learners should conduct and protect themselves
- learners develop content creation and critical literacy skills while preparing to present their work in mathematics or Cambridge Global Perspectives™
- apply media literacy skills to evaluate AI outputs to identify bias and validity in humanities or science.
There are significant links between the Cambridge Wellbeing curriculum and Digital Literacy, from identifying and managing emotions, maintaining healthy habits and relationships, dealing with change and above all staying safe.
How is Cambridge Lower Secondary Digital Literacy assessed?
The emphasis of this course is on giving learners formative feedback on the digital skills you want them to develop. This will be through discussion, observation, and lesson outputs where you discuss with learners ‘what went well’ and how they can improve further, so that they can reflect on, and improve, their performance. When discussing learning outputs, it is vital that learners demonstrate ownership and understanding of the work that they produce, particularly where AI has been used.
To support assessment in the classroom, we have produced guidance that is available on the School Support Hub.
There is no Cambridge Lower Secondary Progression Test or Cambridge Checkpoint for this subject.