Galician kids will acquire advanced digital skills from an early age

For this purpose, their teachers will undergo a specialized training

The world is relentlessly becoming more and more technological, which means that digital skills will be a must for future generations. So, it only makes sense to start learning them as early as possible.

That is why this week saw the start of the second edition of the “Digicraft no teu cole” (‘Digicraft in your school’) Programme in the autonomous region of Galicia. 224 teachers will undergo training to make them able to teach the kind of skills that were previously only considered suitable for high-school students. The idea now is to teach pupils as young as the age of 6, the ins and outs of artificial intelligence and video game design.

Can young kids be taught high digital concepts?

The teacher training is organized by the Vodafone Foundation in collaboration with the Government of Galicia, through its Agency for Technological Modernization. Just like a school year, the training course will consist of two semesters – the first will focus on augmented reality and video games, and the second one on Artificial Intelligence and Robotics.

The initiative started last year with 50 participating schools and due to its success, it was decided to expand it further. Girls and boys between the ages of 6 and 8 will get the chance to develop their digital literacy at a much rapid and intense level.

One may wonder if this subject matter is beyond the cognitive capabilities of the youngsters. The curriculum, however, has been specifically designed, by the Vodafone Foundation in partnership with experts from the University of Salamanca, to be fun and engaging.

The specific methodology uses a gamification approach in order to use technology as the vehicle for acquiring new skills. The teachers will serve as facilitators for the children’s journey on the road to discovery and surprises.

When the teacher training is completed 200 new schools will be able to join the Digicraft Programme, which this year is expected to benefit some 32 000 students all over Spain.