A recent Edutopia article, Program or Be Programmed, got me thinking about the place of computer programming in schools. In this article Mary Beth Hertz, a computer teacher, from Philadelphia bemoans the fact that many schools are dropping computer science. Yet the article identifies some interesting tools that teachers, parents and young people might find
Computer Programming in Schools – How should we teach it? Read More »
Last week I attended the Ericsson Atlantic Corridor National Primary Science Leinster regional finals in Tallaght IT and was delighted to see such high standards of science work being displayed by all the pupils that attended. The winners of the event made electricity using lemons along with copper and zinc plates. One can find videos
I have just released my second app called Targetboard Grids and I was surprised by how easy it was to do this time. All I needed to know was how to make a simple table in HTML and fill it in with numbers or letters. Add a splash of colour and it was ready to
How to Create a Simple Mobile App Read More »
In these times of cutbacks, it was great to see that Ministers Quinn and Rabbitte are determined to implement the promise of 100Mbps broadband for all second level schools. The plan is straightforward, there are 78 schools already connected, 200 schools will be connected by next September 2012, 200 more in 2013 and the final
100Mbps Broadband – What Next? Read More »
Strand 6 of the Revised Primary School Curriculum examines Data and Stand Unit 6:1 focuses on Representing and Interpreting Data. In 5th and 6th classes pupils should be able to collect, organise and represent data using a variety of charts ranging from simple pictograms to more complex pie-charts. Currently the National Council for Curriculum and
Data – Using Web 2.0 tools to create Charts Read More »
Brainshark is a tool for creating and video presentations. With a few clicks you can easily create a narrated video to be shared with anybody. Brainshark is cloud-based, so you can access and edit your presentations from any computer. You start by uploading the content you want to include. This can be powerpoints, photos, pdfs,
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I am the type of person who embraces technology in all its forms. In the classroom, I am always open to new forms of technology such as interactive whiteboards, digital cameras, visualisers and anything else I can get my hands on! I also understand the importance of keeping up to date with the latest software,
A Fresh Look at an Old Reliable Read More »
Interview with Adrienne Webb Chairperson of the Computer Education Society of Ireland.www.cesi.ie In our latest podcast Michael Hallissy is joined by Adrienne Webb, Chairperson of the Computer Education Society of Ireland, for her annual TeachNet podcast recording, this time ahead of their 2012 Annual Conference “TEACHnology: merging teaching and technology in schools”. Adrienne talks about
”In 2009, 8,420 students sat higher-level mathematics; in 2010, it dropped to 8,390 and then last year further to 8,237. In 2010, 4,877 sat higher-level physics; last year it dropped to 4,782. In 2010, 6,298 sat higher-level chemistry; last year it dropped to 6,272. While the numbers sitting the Leaving Certificate in the last two
Bridging the Skills Gap Read More »
The uses for the digital camera in the classroom are endless. Both the teacher and the child can easily integrate this simple piece of technology into their everyday classroom activities. As the saying goes; “A picture speaks a thousand words”, and this is certainly something that we as teachers need to exploit this in our
Digital Camera during Activity Time Read More »
