The findings of a report, ‘Incidental Inspections 2010′, published on the 23rd November 2010 by the Inspectorate of the DES on the outcomes of unannounced inspections in primary schools in the last year” found that over 80% of lessons were satisfactory or better. However, over 14% of English and mathematics lessons were unsatisfactory. They also […]
Literacy and Numeracy – Draft National Plan to Improve Levels Read More »
Last week was Science Week in Ireland and I decided to try out another Twitter project for schools. For those of you who may have missed the previous Twitter projects that I did with Irish primary schools, the idea behind them was to investigate whether Twitter could be used to support the Primary School Curriculum
Science Week and Twitter Read More »
Further to the recent post on ‘History and Web 2.0 tools’ I wanted to inform people of the excellent iWalk MP3 recordings which are available for Dublin and Cork. Fáilte Ireland in conjunction with Dublin City Council and Cork City Council have created a number of podcasts on different historical topics for both cities which
iWalks – Dublin & Cork Read More »
A compilation of projects using Web 2.0 applications in the classroom has been published by independent ICT consultant Terry Freedman. The Amazing Web 2.0 Projects Book features primary and secondary uses of Web 2.0 submitted by ICT teachers across the UK. It includes sections on benefits, challenges and tips on how to implement the applications.
The Amazing Web 2.0 Projects Book Read More »
Everyone seems to be agreed that teacher professional development is essential if teachers are to successfully integrate ICT into their classroom teaching. Here is an interesting publication from Education Weekthat highlights a number of interesting projects and ideas associated with 21st century learning. Though some may contest the notion of 21st century teaching and learning
Teacher Professional Development Sourcebook Read More »
A few months back, I published a post on the Teachnet Learning Blog entitled ‘Wordclouds in Education’, which focused primarily on Wordle. Recently a new wordcloud application has emerged, called Tagxedo. The range of options available in Tagxedo for customisation is very impressive and it has expanded upon the capabilities of wordcloud generators that have
Tagxedo – the next generation of wordclouds Read More »
I was browsing the Microsoft Education website the other day and came across Songsmith – which is a very clever application that will develop a soundtrack to accompany a singer’s voice. Songsmith will allow the composer to choose from thirty different musical styles from Rock, Hip Hop, Dance, Techno, Jazz and Blues. Users can download
Songsmith – Microsoft Research Read More »
I have been a teacher for 30 years, and have both attended and presented many CPD events (known as “courses” in the olden days!). Most of these have been devised and presented to teachers, who attend, participate to various degrees, evaluate, and leave. Evaluations almost always highlight that people like learning what other teachers are
A not-so-quiet (r)evolution – from CPD to DIYPD… Read More »
Every year, Educate Together organise a conference for its principals and we get to meet and learn from each other. It’s always a brilliant conference and one of the best sessions, this year, was when three principals spoke about a certain aspect of their school. One of these principals has done something amazing. Fintan McCutcheon,
A Blogging Principal Read More »
There has been mixed reaction in the UK to the announcement that Becta (British Educational Communications and Technology Agency) is to beclosed down by November as part of the new Government’s public spending cuts. There has been speculation about this for weeks, ever since Becta was singled out as one of the many quangos that
Becta to close as a result of cutbacks Read More »
