Having Digital Leaders offers you the chance to have students in your primary school who lead technology.

Experience has shown me that there are students in every school who even at such a young age have strong skills with technology. Digital Leaders is based on empowering those students. They can offer a whole array of support for teachers and students that will enhance ICT skills and use not only for those in the scheme but the whole school.

Digital Leaders is a very flexible model and can be tailored to suit your school but here are some examples of good practice in primary schools:

• Teacher’s Tech Pet – Assisting teachers with the use of IT in the classroom where the student becomes the ‘go to’ person to demonstrate or to give advice to the teacher (e.g. Digital Leaders are told in advance what software is going to be used and familiarise themselves with it. They show the teacher and/or class how to operate software features; they provide basic user guides for software being used)
• Digital Peer – Being a student who others in the classroom look to for help when using technology (e.g. assisting fellow students when they get stuck with certain software tools, suggesting ways to improve work through using a certain piece of software or using a certain technique)
• The Onliner – Digital Leaders are deployed in adding, editing and/or organising online content (e.g. Uploading photographs or videos on to the school website; writing blog posts on activities in school; resetting/changing passwords for students on particular websites)
• Young Connectors – Connect and communicate with students in other schools (e.g.  Digital Leaders  contribute to national and international networks on the use of technology by blogging, commenting on blogs, sharing ideas; specific projects such as global awareness has students gaining insight into other communities’ lives through the Digital Leader network)
• Showcaser – Highlighting the use or possible uses for technology in the school (e.g. Digital Leaders demonstrating inspirational students’ work using particular software during assembly; presenting to staff at training sessions/briefings on new web 2.0 tools that teachers may want to consider using in their lessons)
• Mini Techie – Having responsibility for hardware involving checking, setting up and putting away equipment (e.g. Digital Leaders turn all computers first thing on a morning and check that they are in working order then shut them down at the end of the day; make sure the printer has paper; students get out specialist equipment such as digital cameras when they are going to be used and put them away in the correct manner)

Regardless of how you see a Digital Leaders scheme making a difference in your school, I urge you to get involved.