Brainstorming and mind mapping are very popular teaching strategies and methodologies that can be used across a variety of curricular areas. Many will use the blackboard/whiteboard for a mind mapping/brainstorming session but what about a digital alternative? Let me introduce you to Mindmeister. Mindmeister.com is an online mind-mapping application. Users can create simple or complex […]
This week saw the publication of the Irish Times 50 Most Influential People in Education List. It got me thinking as to those individuals who may not necessarily have an immediate level of influence but whose work could impact significantly on the way in which our children learn in the future. Someone who would definitely
Kinect2Scratch – Teaching Programming using the Kinect & Scratch Read More »
During the summer I completed the INTO Digital Bootcamp in King’s College, Dublin. From the moment we walked in the door on the first morning we were bombarded with ideas on digital learning in our own classrooms. One in particular that appealed to me as a great starting point was the animation workshop. Having only
Animation in the Classroom Read More »
The SENTeacher http://www.senteacher.org website is a long time favourite of mine for accessing quick, easy to use, adaptable printable resources in Literacy and Numeracy. With a renewed focus on Literacy and Numeracy in all our schools it is an opportune time to visit SENTeacher and take a look at what it offers busy teachers. While
There are a number of software packages that I always install on a new computer when I’m first setting it up. One of these is a free application called SUPER, which stands for Simplified Universal Player Encoder & Renderer. Basically SUPER is a free piece of software which can be used to convert a video
SUPER Conversion Software Read More »
The Tarsia programme is a free download that enables the user to make a kinaesthetic test in which students can match up correct pairs of facts or questions with answers. The maker has control of the difficulty of the test to be generated, and there is a choice of format – triangular or rectangular jigsaw,
Testing with a Tarsia Twist Read More »
Literacy and numeracy have become major issues for concern in recent times. Several reports on these topics are in the public domain and in one report, “Incidental Inspection Findings 2010”, inspectors call for “urgent school improvements” and the provision of CPD (continuous professional development) for teachers to focus on the teaching of literacy and numeracy.
Digital Storytelling Read More »
In my last post I looked at some Web 2.0 resources and said I would continue with some others. But as it’s holiday time I abandoned that idea and instead decided to focus on something for the holidays! Whether you are travelling far afield or staying put in Ireland this little device will make your
The power of Twitter for educators has been well illustrated by others in previous posts on this blog. For most of us, when we first set up our Twitter account, we tend to use the Twitter website as the place we go to read and post tweets. This is how I started also; however as
Pushing Twitter further with Tweetdeck Read More »
Over the past year, schools have received additional grants for computer equipment to update the ICT infrastructure within schools. In TeachNet, we believe that in addition to funding ICT equipment, teachers need high quality professional development to help them realise the potential of this investment. The international research clearly indicates that quality CPD is essential
Online Summer Courses for Primary Teachers Read More »
