The start of the year generally means the purchasing of new equipment. The three main pieces of hardware that most schools look at are laptops, iPads and, most recently, Chromebooks. This article goes through the advantages and disadvantages of all three. Windows Laptops Strengths: Microsoft Office – Open source and online alternatives still can’t compete […]
I first landed my eye on a visualiser when I was in college around 1999-2000 in UCD. It wasn’t called a visualiser then and I remember it cost the university a hell of a lot of money. It was used once in a lecture like a fancy overhead projector, in that, the lecturer simply placed
A Simple Guide to Visualisers Read More »
Today’s digital world is creating new opportunities for teaching, learning and assessment and thus is placing new demands on teachers, at all levels, in our education system to embed digital technologies appropriately in their practices. We know from over 30 years of research that the presence of technology alone is not enough to transform teaching,
Digital Competence Framework for Educators Read More »
Earlier this year I participated in a European Schoolnet online course on administering a school ICT infrastructure. The course presented information about current practices and new developments to schools ICT administrators. The course content was divided into the following topics: 1: Optimising the school network 2: Wireless Networking and Bring your own device 3: Cloud models and
School ICT Planning Read More »
The BETT Show in London has been on the go for over 30 years now and it never ceases to amaze me how many people make the journey to see what is new in the world of ICT and education. This year there seemed to be an increased Irish presence with the announcement of funding
BETT 17 – What were some of the highlights? Read More »
In February of this year (2016) I wrote about the Lego WeDo robot based learning system for Primary schools. The system includes the ever familiar Lego brick, some absolutely amazing software and a wide range of projects designed to teach scientific skills. Recently I came across a piece of technology that is completely compatible with
New Brick on the Block! Read More »
Interesting resources emerging from The National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education The National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education is involved in a wide range of interesting projects that are exploring the role of digital technology in HE and beyond. The Forum, through their
New Digital Resources from T&L Read More »
There was great excitement yesterday in the newly established DCU Institute of Education, formerly St. Patrick’s College of Education, when they hosted the Microsoft Future of Learning event. The event involved two keynote addresses: one from inspirational speaker Mark Pollack and the CEO of Microsoft, Satya Nadella. Mark Pollack shared his inspiring story with the
Future of Learning Event @ DCU Institute of Education Read More »
The Scottish Government recently launched their Digital Learning and Teaching Strategy. This is not the first Scottish Digital Strategy but it builds on previous strategies in an attempt to enhance learning and teaching through the use of digital technology. The strategy implies that digital technology should improve learning and teaching and that things should not
New Scottish Digital Strategy – Some Observations Read More »
It’s probably every teacher’s worst nightmare: the children are plugged into virtual reality headgear and someone else is giving them their lessons while the teacher is redundantly hanging about or simply a bystander while the lesson is going on. Although the scenario is as unlikely as any virtual primary school teacher has so far proven
Virtual Reality and Education Read More »
