Module 1 – Introduction to Microsoft 365

[Pat Brennan]

Use Sway to create a digital story and enhance with copyright free images and video or create a 5 question multiple choice quiz​ and share a link to either here.

Engage with two Microsoft Learn Education Centre courses ​

Reflect on the potential classroom use of these tools and how this can impact on the school self-evaluation process. Post a reflective piece (150 words minimum) as a reply to this post.

Please Note:  Participants who use Word to write their assignments and then copy and paste these into the forum may find that additional extraneous formatting is brought across. To avoid this, right click in the post window and choose ‘Paste as Plain Text’. Alternatively, you can first paste the content into Notepad (Or similar) and then copy it from here to the topic window.

 

 

[Muirne Bennis]

Based on what I have learned in this module, I would hope to explore both MS Sway and MS Forms a bit further in the coming year.

MS Forms:

I am thinking that MS Forms could be used for

• Mulitple Choice Assessments
• Multiple Choice Homework Assignments
• Children’s Self-Assessment
• Options to create forms allowing children’s voice to be heard
• Feedback from parents

 

MS Sway

• I think children using Sway for project work would be a very worthwhile skill to teach.  I need to play around with MS Sway a little more before I introduce it to children.
• I like the idea of a class newsletter – not sure if I will have the time, but I will definitely think about it.
• I love the idea of having a template for children to record their learning, particularly when I use written templates for many activities at the moment (elements of a story, writing planning templates, science lesson recording templates etc.)

 

• This reply was modified 2 years, 7 months ago by Muirne Bennis.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Muirne,

Welcome to the course and thanks for your post here. You have certainly covered all the basics and more of the primary features of both Sway and MS Forms. In terms of using Forms for self-assessment, the creation of short ‘exit tickets’ can be really effective in gathering real-time, authentic feedback that you can put to use immediately. I like how you have realised the potential of Sway as a tool in which students can showcase their creativity. There are multiple uses of this for content creation, and it can add greater variety to the presentation of text and artefacts.

[Muirne Bennis]

Here is the link to the Swayhttps://sway.office.com/CaBs7E3KfHghGyHV?ref=Link ( a very rough newsletter)

And to the quiz  https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=xcRWV-zBDUyVyTaAgZ7lIGbm-EnipW1Ht2mScEvFAL1UODZSMDYxVzUxTzJBRTZNM09JQ085VU5KUi4u

I hope I am posting these in the correct place – I can’t see any place to upload them.  Please advise if I have missed something.  Many thanks

[Margaret Enright]

I used sway as an introduction to the My Community module in Social Education.

I inserted a video on research and was able to stack images so that I could flip through them on my sway presentation.

I can allow anyone to share or edit my sway. I can share the sway with myself in my school account or with students. I believe I will use a lot of interactive resources this year with students with disabilities who need technology to access the curriculum.

https://sway.office.com/cieLnWa3V5t6zLDf?

I have also created a form in Forms which can be used for my new class.  It contains multiple choice, and text answer format questions.  The forms and the quiz options will be of great value in class for formative and summative assessment and targeted support.  The ease of sharing and grading should enable students with limited mobility and the ability to write for periods of time to complete and submit work that would otherwise have been very time consuming.  It was mentioned that these forms and sway presentations could be shared in one note and I hope to create interactive class notes for one particular student next year.

LCA new class survey (office.com)

 

[Michelle Griffin]

https://forms.office.com/Pages/DesignPageV2.aspx?subpage=design&FormId=DYLM3-RkbUKGAQvvduXFbL6vWAUgUHVDgad3p6fFysZURURQVTZUQjFLWVc0NjBOT1lIV0c3MVhHRy4u&Token=13e8339c74444aa1aad181953f1a8e1c

[Michelle Griffin]

I think that Microsoft Sway and Microsoft Forms have tremendous potential for primary schools and their self-evaluation process.

When it comes to self-evaluation, Microsoft Sway can be an invaluable tool for primary school teachers. With Microsoft Sway, students can create captivating presentations that showcase their progress . By incorporating multimedia elements like images and videos, students can express their understanding of various subjects in a visually engaging way. These student-generated Sways can then be compiled and presented to provide evidence of effective teaching and learning during the self-evaluation process.

In the context of self-evaluation, Microsoft Forms also offers advantages. By using Forms to create quizzes and surveys, teachers can gather insightful data on student performance and learning outcomes. The ability to analyse this data at the class or school level allows teachers to evaluate the effectiveness of their teaching strategies. By identifying areas of strength and areas that need improvement, schools can make informed decisions to enhance the learning experience for their students.

[Pat Brennan]

Hi Michelle,

Thanks for sharing both your Sway and Form and I agree both tools are powerful learning tools when used appropriately with a class.  Forms is an extremely powerful tool for assessment, both AfL and AoL and its reporting and tacking facilities make keeping tabs on progress easy and more efficient. As for Sway I see it as a powerful yet simple to use tool for digital storytelling, picture or photo stories but also great for illustrated narratives. Often teachers (particularly at the senior end of the school) think that when they’ve access to the full 365 suite, PowerPoint should be the tool of choice but particularly with storytelling, I believe, less is more and the simplicity of Sway lets students focus on their content instead of getting distracted by the advanced functionality/bells and whistles of PowerPoint.

[Julie Lyons Murphy]

Here is the link to my multiple choice questions on microsoft forms:

Counties and Provinces of Ireland (office.com)

Here is a link to my Sway:
“Should Animals Be Kept in Cages for Our Amusement?

Should Animals Be Kept in Cages for Our Amusement?

I can remember when I was much younger, my Dad and Mom taking me to the zoo in Atlanta. I was amazed when I first set eyes on all of the tiger, elephants, lions, seals, and bears. I remembe…Go to this Sway

[Julie Lyons Murphy]

Reflect on the potential classroom use of these tools and how this can impact on the school self evaluation process:

 

Classroom use

 

Sway: Sway could be used to present projects and presentations in any area of SESE, for example a science report, history essay or Geography project.

It could also be used in art, music or SPHE.

Sway would be particularly useful at the publishing stage of English writing.

It would help children to share their work with an audience.

Children can co-author work which gives them a real-life sense of the editing and publishing process.

The fact that Sway presents the work in such an attractive and appealing way would encourage children to take pride in their work.

Sway has many features to benefit SEN students as it has an accessibility checker.

It would be very suitable for class blogging and creating a school newsletter.

Sway would be an excellent resource for teachers using the ‘flipped classroom’ approach as they coyuld share information presentations in advance of the lesson in an enaging way with multimedia.

 

Forms: Forms is great for both gathering evidence and for creating quizzes. It provides both formative and summative assessment.

In terms of differentiation it’s particularly useful as you can provide individualised feedback and even attach instructional videos which will show if you get an incorrect answer.

Its easy to gauge where a class is at as you can give whole class assessment that give an average percentage.

The fact that the quizzes are interactive and digital make them more engaging.

 

School self-evaluation

Sway: This year our school chose writing for our sse focus. Sway would be a good way to improve presentation at the publishing stage.

 

Forms: The survey function on forms is perfect for the gathering evidence and analysing and making judgements stages of school self evaluation.

It could be used again at the evaluating impact stage. Children’s progress could also be monitored using before and after quizzes.

[Emer Magee]

Hi Julie,

Two things have stood out to me from your post.

1. That sway could be used at the publishing stage for writing. This is a great idea. We have several pupils who use assistive technology so providing this opportunity for all pupils to use Sway is a great example of UDL in the classroom. (provided you have the technology for all to access)

2. Before and after quizzes would be a very easy and visual way to assess pre and post in-class intervention! I will be suggesting this to special ed!

[Elaine Begley]

Capital Cities of Europe Knowledge Check.Capital Cities of Europe Knowledge Check.

Go to this Sway

[Elaine Begley]

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the first module.

MS Forms:

I see lots of potential for this in school. I have recently just being organiser for our Summer Programme for the first time and I used Google forms for a Post Summer Programme questionnaire for the parents but I could use Microsoft forms in school with the children in advance of Summer Programme next year in the computer room. I could see myself doing a pre summer programme questionnaire.

It would be super for self-assessment.

Options like Summer Programme to include the childrens’ voice.

With being a newly DEIS rural school status I see great potential for DEIS surveys.

Also with so many children with assistive technology in our school it would work great as part of their computers skillset.

Sway:

I see huge potential for Sway in my school. I coordinate the assistive technology in our school. We currently have 17 children with devices.

Sway is super it’s ideal for viewing on any screen be it a laptop or an iPad.

It allows the students to show their learning in a style that is a strength.

It’s also a great way to show what’s happening in class or around school.

Great for a class newsletter.

Could be used after a school tour if the teacher uploaded photos to One Drive.

 
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[Annmarie Lannery]

As a school we have been using Google forms since Covid times – I had no idea that there was the option to do it through Microsoft 365. We have recently started using 365 across the school for storing all our files and we find it brilliant. I would hope to switch to Microsoft forms in the new year as well. One of the thing we are hoping to focus on in the next academic year is homework and how we assign it. I have made a sample questionnaire that we could send to parents. https://forms.office.com/Pages/ShareFormPage.aspx?id=Oxi8nLXaIk-WEBMKkbR9bd3U7gcQYzpKv-bBFbcn26BUNVFUR0EzNEFSSlIxRkdOWEVDS0pZOE9QSS4u&sharetoken=C8KGBQ4cfUnivLGu32Er

These would also be very useful for classroom teachers for assessment purposes. Our IT team put together a list of useful resources at the beginning of each year- this is definitely something that could be added to the list.

Again, I had never heard of Sway before. I think it would be very useful for our weekly parents newsletters, our termly ‘Good News Newsletters’ and our staff newsletters.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Annmarie,

Welcome to the course and thank you for your post. I’m sure you will have noticed that the functionality of Google and Microsoft Forms is very similar, and many of the skills you developed with Google would be transferrable. The issue of homework is one which is certainly contentious in many schools, and it is very challenging to reach a consensus among staff/parents. However, the use of a survey tool to gather as much data as possible is a great first step in this area. You will find the 365 tools very useful in this regard.

[Megan Doheny]

Here is a link to the sway multiple choice quiz I made on Australia.

https://sway.office.com/Yj9DmqvkGRgCCpQA?ref=Link

One drive: I’ve had for years, it’s pretty good however I use it for storage rather than stuff I need quick access too.

Sway: I liked this resource, I do find it harder to use than powerpoint but I like how easy it is to share in comparison therefore to get the children to create a project on sway and then link it in our class blog. I think this would be nice as the children could then look at each other’s presentations easily. It also would be a good way of using our blog space and keeping the parents updated while reducing my workload.

Forms: I really like forms. I created a maths quiz and I can see the children getting really involved in this quizzes. I think it would be a brilliant early finisher idea to have a quiz that the children could engage in. Also would be useful for homework and assessments. The children in our school don’t have emails this is my only issue with implementation.

SSE: Forms could be used to compile data from the school staff/ parents/ kids for use for SSE. The microsoft learn educator courses would be good for Croke park hours.1 staff member facilitates and the rest watch/ work on it on their own laptops.

 

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Megan,

Welcome to the course and thank you for your post. I like the way you used Sway to create your Australia quiz. I understand how you feel that PowerPoint is easier to use and navigate, but this potentially could be borne out of greater familiarity. Sway certainly creates that more striking and visually appealing look and is quite ‘polished’. Forms is a great assessment tool, and as you have said, it could be used as a homework tool. It may be particularly useful in a ‘flipped classroom’ approach, and could be used to ensure students study or read-up on a topic prior to introducing it in class the following day/week.

[Myriam Gately]

Link to a brief experimental Sway: https://sway.office.com/JN5P4saL1ufGRMUc?ref=Link

Loved experimenting with Sway. It seems to be an accessible and fun way to make a presentation quickly that looks good and is easy for children and teachers to work with.

It could be used for reports on field trips, for projects, for writing and illustrating stories, for a sixth-class end of year event -the list is endless. I imagine as one became more familiar with it the possibilities for use would expand.

Forms are quite like Google Forms but the main difference I have noted so far is that there are better themes and formats available in Forms. Children will find the colour and variety in Forms appealing. Goggle Forms are widely used in education and beyond and Forms can be put to the same uses including for assessment, for surveys, for feedback, for evaluations. Forms will support AoL and AfL and can be developed to be  presented in interesting and attention grabbing formats. Forms could be employed at the beginning of the year as a Getting to Know You exercise or to support the introduction in maths to graphs/pie-charts as a Form could be share with the children asking a variety of questions and then graphs could be generated from the responses.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Myriam,

Welcome to the course and thanks for sharing your Sway with us. I really like the multi-modal approach that you used. The incorporation of video, images and text affords more opportunities for children to access the content. It is such a useful tool for creating engaging and interactive content. Children can really show their creative side when they are making their own Sway’s. However, I have found that it’s important that clear guidance is provided on the content that is expected in the Sway (as time can often be spent trying to experiment with different features rather than getting down to the core of the task).

[Melissa Campbell]

Here is a link to a bilingual sway on the Red Fox.

And quiz https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=DQSIkWdsW0yxEjajBLZtrQAAAAAAAAAAAAO__cxbeBRURVlVVTJNUzNQR0o0WU1QUzA3TTRZVUVZSy4u

Students could create a sway on their topic for a peer group. The peers could then be asked to create the exit quiz based on the sway.

Both of these tools can be very useful in education.

Sway can be used for a range of purposes in classrooms. Benefits of sway include the ease of use and how it allows students to represent their learning in mulitple ways including audio, video,text and images. Sway has multiple uses in schools:

Students can use sway as a digital portfolio to record and reflect on samples of their learning.

Students can create a range of digital stories including reports, newsletters, project reports, websites and presentations.

Teachers can also create content on sway to share with students, for example in a flipped classroom the students might study the information in the sway before coming to class.

Schools can also use sway as a communication tool, e.g. to share information about the school.

Forms also have a range of uses from the more traditional surveys or collecting information at school level, to being used for formative and summative assessment purposes in the classroom. Examples of their use include:

Pre-topic knowledge check

Entry and exit tickets

Graded quizes

Quizes that branch into differentiated learning experiences depending on result.

Students can also extend their learning by creating quizes related to their learning.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Melissa,

Thank you for your post and for contributing your Sway and Form. Your Form showcases mastery of the common skills needed to make a self-correcting Form, with point values assigned and questions marked as compulsory. Sway is an excellent classroom tool, and it can afford students the opportunity to demonstrate their creativity, once a basic level of computer literacy has been developed. I really like the potential uses of Forms you have outlined – exit tickets are something I frequently use and find them extremely useful in informing future learning experiences.

[James Tobin]

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<p class=”Paragraph SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space-collapse: preserve; vertical-align: baseline; font-kerning: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext;”><span class=”TextRun SCXW244588521 BCX8″ lang=”EN-US” style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif;” xml:lang=”EN-US” data-contrast=”auto”><span class=”NormalTextRun SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;”>I terms of presenting a story, I took the theme of a ‘Day in the Life of An Artist</span><span class=”NormalTextRun SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;”>’.</span><span class=”NormalTextRun SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;”> Th</span><span class=”NormalTextRun SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;”>is is an opening lesson to give pupils the opportunity to see the life and routine of a live artist. </span><span class=”NormalTextRun SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;”>Sway has allowed me to present the story in an interesting manner with text and photos/ pictures. I believe </span><span class=”NormalTextRun SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;”>that using sway as a story-telling tool for </span><span class=”NormalTextRun SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;”>pupils</span><span class=”NormalTextRun SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;”> presents the material in a far more interesting manner. It</span><span class=”NormalTextRun SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;”> could be extended throughout </span><span class=”NormalTextRun SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;”>the school</span><span class=”NormalTextRun SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;”> to allow pupils the opportunity </span><span class=”NormalTextRun ContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2Themed SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-repeat: repeat-x; background-position: left bottom; background-image: var(–urlContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2, ); border-bottom: 1px solid transparent;”>top</span><span class=”NormalTextRun SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;”> present their </span><span class=”NormalTextRun SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;”>writing</span> <span class=”NormalTextRun SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;”>genres and</span><span class=”NormalTextRun SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;”> see as they go from year to year the progress they can make. The features of sway e</span><span class=”NormalTextRun SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;”>ncourage pupils to present their work in an interesting and appealing way, in </span><span class=”NormalTextRun SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;”>which</span><span class=”NormalTextRun SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;”> I would hope </span><span class=”NormalTextRun SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;”>they would</span><span class=”NormalTextRun SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;”> take </span><span class=”NormalTextRun SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;”>great pride</span><span class=”NormalTextRun SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;”> and joy in interacting with the features to present their work.</span><span class=”NormalTextRun SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;”> The good thing about sway is that it allows pupils to self-corre</span><span class=”NormalTextRun SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;”>c</span><span class=”NormalTextRun SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;”>t their work as spell checker is part of the feature. In our school it is already used </span><span class=”NormalTextRun SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;”>for posting monthly newsletters and the feedback </span><span class=”NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-repeat: repeat-x; background-position: left bottom; background-image: var(–urlSpellingErrorV2, ); border-bottom: 1px solid transparent;”>from parents</span><span class=”NormalTextRun SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;”> is fantastic. It also allows pupils to </span><span class=”NormalTextRun SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;”>contribute articles</span><span class=”NormalTextRun SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;”> for the newsletter that they create themselves on sway and </span><span class=”NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-repeat: repeat-x; background-position: left bottom; background-image: var(–urlSpellingErrorV2, ); border-bottom: 1px solid transparent;”>powerpoint</span><span class=”NormalTextRun SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;”>.</span></span><span class=”EOP SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif;” data-ccp-props=”{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}”> </span></p>

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<div class=”OutlineElement Ltr SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; overflow: visible; cursor: text; clear: both; position: relative; direction: ltr; color: #000000; font-family: ‘Segoe UI’, ‘Segoe UI Web’, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;”>
<p class=”Paragraph SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space-collapse: preserve; vertical-align: baseline; font-kerning: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext;”><span class=”TextRun SCXW244588521 BCX8″ lang=”EN-US” style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif;” xml:lang=”EN-US” data-contrast=”auto”><span class=”NormalTextRun SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;”>The use of forms as an assessment tool can be adapted very simply to all scenarios.</span><span class=”NormalTextRun SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;”> While all pupils may not have access to a lap-top or personal device, the work can be presented on the </span><span class=”NormalTextRun ContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2Themed SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-repeat: repeat-x; background-position: left bottom; background-image: var(–urlContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2, ); border-bottom: 1px solid transparent;”>teacher</span><span class=”NormalTextRun SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;”> device and pupil</span><span class=”NormalTextRun SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;”>s can work </span><span class=”NormalTextRun SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;”>collaboratively</span><span class=”NormalTextRun SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;”> in discussing </span><span class=”NormalTextRun SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;”>possible answers</span><span class=”NormalTextRun SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;”>.</span></span><span class=”EOP SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif;” data-ccp-props=”{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}”> </span></p>

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<div class=”OutlineElement Ltr SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; overflow: visible; cursor: text; clear: both; position: relative; direction: ltr; color: #000000; font-family: ‘Segoe UI’, ‘Segoe UI Web’, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;”>
<p class=”Paragraph SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space-collapse: preserve; vertical-align: baseline; font-kerning: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext;”><span class=”TextRun SCXW244588521 BCX8″ lang=”EN-US” style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif;” xml:lang=”EN-US” data-contrast=”auto”><span class=”NormalTextRun SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;”>I set out a quiz on solids, </span><span class=”NormalTextRun SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;”>liquid</span><span class=”NormalTextRun SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;”> and gases. It is something that would be used at the beginning of a theme in the middle years to </span><span class=”NormalTextRun SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;”>establish</span><span class=”NormalTextRun SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;”> prior knowledge of the pupils.</span></span><span class=”EOP SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif;” data-ccp-props=”{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}”> </span></p>

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<div class=”OutlineElement Ltr SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; overflow: visible; cursor: text; clear: both; position: relative; direction: ltr; color: #000000; font-family: ‘Segoe UI’, ‘Segoe UI Web’, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;”>
<p class=”Paragraph SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space-collapse: preserve; vertical-align: baseline; font-kerning: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext;”><span class=”TextRun SCXW244588521 BCX8″ lang=”EN-US” style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; font-family: Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif;” xml:lang=”EN-US” data-contrast=”auto”><span class=”NormalTextRun SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;”>Forms also </span><span class=”NormalTextRun ContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2Themed SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-repeat: repeat-x; background-position: left bottom; background-image: var(–urlContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2, ); border-bottom: 1px solid transparent;”>allows</span><span class=”NormalTextRun SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;”> me </span><span class=”NormalTextRun ContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2Themed SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-repeat: repeat-x; background-position: left bottom; background-image: var(–urlContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2, ); border-bottom: 1px solid transparent;”>consider</span><span class=”NormalTextRun SCXW244588521 BCX8″ style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent;”> doing pupil feedback forms relating to their own learning.</span></span></p>

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Solids Liquids and Gases (office.com)

https://sway.office.com/cyaU8A1tGPB57MXa?ref=Link
<table class=”visualLinkTable” style=”color: #000000; font-family: ‘Times New Roman’; font-size: medium; text-align: center; border: 1px solid #d2d2d2; margin: auto; width: 600px;” role=”group” border=”0″ cellspacing=”0″ cellpadding=”0″ aria-label=”A Day in the Life of an Artist”>
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<td class=”visualLinkDescriptionCell” style=”padding: 13px 20px 0px; vertical-align: top; text-align: left;” aria-hidden=”true”><span class=”visualLinkDescription” dir=”ltr” style=”color: #424242; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px; font-family: ‘Segoe UI Regular’, ‘Segoe UI’, Helvetica, Tahoma, Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif;”>I wake up and make tea.</span></td>
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<td style=”border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #008272; word-break: break-word; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 3px 20px;” align=”center”><span style=”color: white;”>Go to this Sway</span></td>
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[Alan Weston]

Here is the link to my Forms quiz. It is a great assessment tool, especially for assessment for learning.

https://forms.office.com/e/MgDB2GmHVu

[Alan Weston]

Sway is an excellent tool to allow children to bring together so may of their digital skills and 21st century skills. They can take and edit photographs, make and edit videos and make and edit voice overs. They can work on these together in pairs or groups as well as independently. They can hone their writing and presenting skills. Children can undertake projects but also Sway can be used in individual lessons and not always as part of a project. The same with homework – Sway can be used for homework but we need to be careful not to just use it for homework. Sway offers so many options, from presentations to newsletters to possible social media/website posts (it is not unlike Canva) or more. There are also options here for recording oral language lessons in English and Irish, or the recording of work in many lessons. It also provides opportunities to save children’s work as an ongoing assessment record or for assessment for learning.
Forms is also excellent for assessment purposes. Children can also make their own multiple choice quizzes – so, like Sway, they can continue to produce as well as consume/use this tool.
Forms is an excellent tool for gathering information in the SSE process. It can be used to survey parents, staff, BOM or pupils – with ready-made, accessible data to hand. A student council could also make their own Form to survey the pupils on any topic.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 6 months ago by Alan Weston.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Alan,

Welcome to the course. Thank you for your post and for sharing your earlier Forms quiz. Sway is such a versatile and interactive tool that can be used to great effect in school administration, and teaching and learning. Children have the opportunity to creatively respond to tasks and showcase their imagination when using Sway. The addition of audio recordings provides another medium through which students can respond, and supports a UDL approach. Forms is a super assessment tool, and you seem to have mastered the central features of it, from looking at your geography quiz.

[Tara Walsh]

Here is a link to a quiz, created based on a short story read to the children – https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScXrfgVNzRdl1oMWFw-d1aZTHS1vhifh7pR4UPs5QinINEcCQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

Sway

I believe Sway is a fantastic tool that allows both teachers and students to develop not only their digital skills, but also their expressive and presenting skills when preparing work and presenting it to an audience. It is also a brilliant tool that can encourages co-operation and sharing of ideas when working together. Sway also allows the child to put their own ideas into their work by using visuals, voice recordings, editing tools and many more features.

Forms

Forms is a tool I have really enjoyed using as I feel I would benefit greatly from using this as an assessment tool in the classroom, both for AFL and AoL. I also feel as though it is really efficient in creating small quizzes for the class based on any topic covered in the classroom. There are many different ways of asking questions and giving ideas along with providing the multiple opportunities for supporting children’s learning.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Tara,

Welcome to the course! Thanks for sharing your thoughts on both Sway and Forms. As you have mentioned, Sway goes further than simply allowing children to show off their attainment of learning objectives – it allows them to express themselves and be creative in their response to a given task. Forms (again, as you have said) is really effective when used as an AoL and AfL tool – very often people simply think its main purpose is to gather attainment at the end of a unit of work. However, it is possible to use it as an ongoing assessment tool through the use of exit tickets, which helps gather feedback and inform your planning for the next stage of the lesson/unit.

[Catherine Murray]

Here is a link to my Sway

 

[Catherine Murray]

Here is a link to the quiz

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=xo7UZOpw4kusYEFcJeJRk-cJgFvkXyRDkUUGRjbFz_1UNUsyQkRGVVdVRzUyNzVMTFZIWDcxOVlSRS4u

[Catherine Murray]

As a principal I think that Sway would be a great way of creating newsletters to share events and activities and information with parents. It is a quick user friendly way put together a nicely presented newsletter to be shared in a very cost effective manner. It also would be a great way for me to keep staff up to date on new projects that we will be running in the school and how various staff members can participate. It will be something I look forward to exploring in the coming year.

The quiz is something that I was familiar with using before but I never knew about the settings for recording names etc which is great as that is a setting that I have struggled with before. Many times I used a form where i probably should have been using a quiz instead.

 

I think the quiz would be great for getting feedback from staff on various initiatives or curricular areas that would be strengths or weaknesses in the school for school self evaluation. Often people are more comfortable giving feedback online rather than in person so I believe this would be a great way of getting honest feedback and opinions from staff.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Catherine,

Welcome to the course. Thank you for your post and for sharing your Form and Sway. I have seen some schools using Sway to create their newsletters, and it really does create a nice, polished finish. As you have said, it is cost effective and included as part of your school’s Office 365 license. Having the names recorded is a great feature of Forms, and can be so effective in tracking progress across various learning outcomes over time. As principal, Forms can be a great tool for gathering staff feedback on initiatives, or getting them to log tickets on any issues or problems they’re having.

[Catherine Murray]

Back to School
School will be back on August 30th
Go to this Sway

• This reply was modified 2 years, 6 months ago by Eoghan O'Neill.

[Conor Mc kenna]

Here is a link to my Forums Quiz.

https://forms.office.com/Pages/DesignPageV2.aspx?origin=NeoPortalPage&subpage=design&id=DQSIkWdsW0yxEjajBLZtrQAAAAAAAAAAAANAASHMGTRUMDlVSVZROTJUNjVKOTlXMDdYMDFDQ0gxUi4u

I think forums is an excellent tool that can be used in may different ways to engage children’s learning in the classroom. I think that using this combined with good IT resources can be very useful in helping engage children who otherwise would not be interested in the topic you are doing. this would also be great and helping those weaker children who feel pressured when it comes to writing things down.

 

I think Sway is an great tool to creative projects. I think it is a great way to promote collaboration in the classroom between the children as well as develop their presentation and oral language skills. I will be using this in the future. I feel like sway can be used to take the sting out of those big projects that children do throughout the year. They will be able to work together with each other and not have to worry about stationary or resources like that. it will also be easier for them to to work on it when it suits them and their daily schedule.

[Tara Walsh]

Hi Conor, I totally agree with you that forms is an excellent tools that can be used in many ways, especially to engage the children’s learning in the classroom. It is an incentive that allows the children to view learning from a different perspective. Sway is a great tool for creative projects as it allows for collaboration on projects and the development of many presenting, co-operation and communicating skills. Like you have mentioned, it is a great substitute for providing lots of resources in lessons. By having iPads or computers the children just need the one resource to complete the activity.

[James Tobin]

As we have had access to Microsoft teams in school for the past few years, I am delighted to take this opportunity to learn a little more about the opportunities it provides in a whole range of areas of school and classroom life.

I terms of presenting a story, I took the theme of a ‘Day in the Life of An Artist’. This is an opening lesson to give pupils the opportunity to see the life and routine of a live artist. Sway has allowed me to present the story in an interesting manner with text and photos/ pictures. I believe that using sway as a story-telling tool for pupils presents the material in a far more interesting manner. It could be extended throughout the school to allow pupils the opportunity top present their writing genres and see as they go from year to year the progress they can make. The features of sway encourage pupils to present their work in an interesting and appealing way, in which I would hope they would take great pride and joy in interacting with the features to present their work. The good thing about sway is that it allows pupils to self-correct their work as spell checker is part of the feature. In our school it is already used for posting monthly newsletters and the feedback from parents is fantastic. It also allows pupils to contribute articles for the newsletter that they create themselves on sway and powerpoint.

The use of forms as an assessment tool can be adapted very simply to all scenarios. While all pupils may not have access to a lap-top or personal device, the work can be presented on the teacher device and pupils can work collaboratively in discussing possible answers.

I set out a quiz on solids, liquid and gases. It is something that would be used at the beginning of a theme in the middle years to establish prior knowledge of the pupils.

Forms also allows me consider doing pupil feedback forms relating to their own learning.

 

[David Moroney]

Microsoft Sway is an easy to navigate digital storytelling app for creating interactive reports, presentations, personal stories and more. Its innovative tools help one to create professional designs in minutes. Multimedia is key here as images, text, videos, and other multimedia all flow together in a way that enhances a story. Sway can be used by educators to present content, but also by students to interact with educators and present what they have learnt. It has an collaborative aspect which is especially relevant in the current climate. Teachers and students alike can share in the creation of stories on Microsoft Sway. Teachers can collaborate in creating teaching content and pupils can collaborate in groups for project work so that the collaborative approach we use in schools is not lost through distance learning. Similarly, Microsoft Forms lends itself to collaboration among staff, parents and children alike. Various parties can be surveyed with regard to different school matters, such as opinions on policy, voting for holidays, choosing of books, etc. Microsoft forms would be an instrumental tool in providing information for school self evaluation. It has proved to be an important resource in the roll out of distance learning by providing a platform for communication.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 7 months ago by David Moroney.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi David,

Welcome to the course. Thank you for your overview of both Sway and Forms. Both Microsoft tools are extremely useful in an educational setting, for both students and teachers. I like how you have recognised this point within your description of Sway. The opportunities for collaboration within Sway have also been identifies and this is a key selling point for technology enhanced learning.

[David Moroney]

Eoghan, I have used Forms a lot in recent times but have never used Sway. rom this module i can see that it will be a very valuable tool.

[Selene Lambri]

I think Forms is a good tool to gather data in a classroom or group setting, to create custom forms, surveys, polls and quizzes to make better informed educational decisions and more accurate feedback. I work in a special school and I think to use this app for polls and quizzes would certainly be useful in my class, it’s very intuitive and extremely visual and it would help my students to be able to express themselves in a very direct way.

Sway could be considered as a digital portfolio in which every student could highlight their written and visual or artistic work and share it with peers through games of show and tell for example. My students love to create digital storybooks to tell about their weekends/ outings/ favourite characters and this would be facilitated also by simple and intuitive settings.

https://sway.cloud.microsoft/hJ10nkB7yQmO7muL?ref=Link&loc=mysways

• This reply was modified 1 year, 7 months ago by Selene Lambri.

[Selene Lambri]

https://sway.https://sway.cloud.microsoft/hJ10nkB7yQmO7muL?ref=Link&loc=myswayshttps://sway.cloud.mhttps://sway.cloud.microsoft/hJ10nkB7yQmO7muL?ref=Link&loc=myswaysshshsicrosoft/hJ10nkB7yQmO7muL?ref=Link&loc=myswayshttps://sway.cloud.microsoft/hJ10nkB7yQmO7muL?ref=Link&loc=myswayshttps://sway.cloud.microsoft/hJ10nkB7yQmO7muL?ref=Link&loc=myswayshttps://sway.cloud.microsoft/hJ10nkB7yQmO7muL?ref=Link&loc=myswayshttps://sway.cloud.microsoft/hJ10nkB7yQmO7muL?ref=Link&loc=mysways.microsoft/hJ10nkB7yQmO7muL?ref=Link&loc=mysways

[Pat Brennan]

Hi Selene and welcome to the course.

Unfortunately, I’m unable to access that link to the Sway due to sharing permissions but no worries as this part of the assignment is optional.

As for Forms, I agree, it’s an extremely powerful tool for data collection and insights. A quiz, poll or survey can be assigned so quickly and you can gather a huge amount of data in a short period. The analytics as you point out can be used to inform decision making as you can analyse particular students that may require intervention, or particular questions that may need to be revised with the whole class. I also agree that Form’s is hugely visual and can see how it could be of particular benefit to students with SEN.

[David Moroney]

Here is the link to my sway that  I created on The American Civil Rights Movement

https://sway.cloud.microsoft/0A0ZCqf13TcMdaWX

[Mairead Norlin]

Link to Sway – https://sway.cloud.microsoft/q4Jc3cUg11uM5s0l?ref=Link

Link to Forms – https://forms.office.com/e/cDRTjBMQHM

Sway has revealed itself to be an extremely valuable tool in many aspects. I had previously not made use of it myself but has always seen it in my Microsoft account and wondered at its use. I can now see that it can used to create a variety of useful projects such as a travel journal, lab report, research paper, newsletter, classroom procedures, personal stories or an arts presentation. Despite my first impression, it is an easy-to-use app that allows for the creation of professionally-looking designs. Sway is a highly versatile and interactive tool that can be effectively utilized in both school administration, teaching and learning.

Forms is great for gathering information from students, parents, fellow teachers and staff. The feature that allows anonymous submission allows everyone to submit their responses with a sense of ease. It can be used for gathering responses on surveys, self-grading assessments and multiple choice quizzes. A new great use I consider bringing to the classroom would be the use of Forms to carry out reflections and entrance/exit tickets to give to students at the start, middle and end of a lesson to assess their ability to recall the information covered in class.
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• This reply was modified 1 year, 5 months ago by Mairead Norlin. Reason: Accidental Submission

[Mairead Norlin]

link to Forms quiz – https://forms.office.com/e/cDRTjBMQHM

link to Sway – https://sway.cloud.microsoft/q4Jc3cUg11uM5s0l?ref=Link

Sway has revealed itself to be an extremely valuable tool in many aspects. I had previously not made use of it myself but has always seen it in my Microsoft account and wondered at its use. I can now see that it can used to create a variety of useful projects such as a travel journal, lab report, research paper, newsletter, classroom procedures, personal stories or an arts presentation. Despite my first impression, it is an easy-to-use app that allows for the creation of professional-looking designs. Sway is a highly versatile and interactive tool that can be effectively utilized in both school administration, teaching and learning.

Forms is great for gathering information from students, parents, fellow teachers and staff. The feature that allows anonymous submission allows everyone to submit their responses with a sense of ease and allows individuals to provide personal responses. It can be used for gathering responses on surveys, self-grading assessments and multiple-choice quizzes. A new great use I consider bringing to the classroom would be the use of Forms to carry out reflections and entrance/exit tickets to give to students at the start, middle and end of a lesson to assess their ability to recall the information covered in class. This is especially useful nowadays with the emphasis being placed on continuous assessment in the process of evaluating students.
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[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Mairead,

Welcome to the course and thank you for your overview of both Forms and Sway, as well as your submitted links. Both 365 offerings have huge potential for both classroom and administrative use in schools. From your Forms quiz, it’s clear you have been able to edit permissions, create multiple choice questions and assign point values to each. This is such a time-saving exercise when it comes to corrections, and the digital element can produce data graphs that are easy for us to read and interpret. You have also highlighted the anonymous nature of Forms (when required), and this is a huge bonus when gathering feedback from students or parents.

[Carmel Hogan]

https://sway.cloud.microsoft/GObJHPSUWxoNZAFj

Above is the sway I produced on A (brief) history of the GAA. As someone who believed I was reasonably computer literate I must admit it took me a while to get the hang of creating my sway! I can however see the huge benefits of it for our students. As part of student’s TY program some students publish a monthly newsletter – I will be introducing this app as a method of creating them rather than MS Word. I like the way, when creating the Sway it directs and guides you.

https://forms.office.com/Pages/DesignPageV2.aspx?prevorigin=shell&origin=NeoPortalPage&subpage=design&id=9cjWPhZMrUSe7WD4UYNKhCfGICfM7MpLuFhfl0p6u4pUNzYzOFhQQTdUM0QzTzZBNzAwOEJYWDk4QS4u

I also creating a multiple choice quiz, attached above. Our school does a weekly quiz for all students, historically typed up and printed. I can see huge value going forward in doing the quiz through Forms, especially the collating of results! As JCSP (Junior Cycle Schools Programme) co-ordinator I often have to gather evaluations from teachers and students alike on events run in the school. I will be using forms for this in future.

The current focus for SSE in our school is developing ICT in the school. Introducing apps like these would go a long way in doing this. I will be looking forward to presenting these apps, especially Sway to students and teacher alike.

[Emer Magee]

Here is the link to my Sway:

Here is the link to my Forms Quiz:

https://forms.office.com/e/n6BYsrvECC

 

My Forum Response:

I have quite a bit of experience using Microsoft Forms for surveying parents as part of the School Self Evaluation process. I also use Forms when surveying parents about after-school activities and other important issues that may sometimes arise e.g. change in school start time, mobile phone policy etc. As I am not a class teacher, I haven’t used Forms much in the classroom to support learning; however, it is something I will be suggesting to staff in September to promote digital learning in our school.

Sway was new to me and I will probably use this occasionally going forward. I could see Sway replacing PowerPoint for me in certain circumstances. It is definitely a good digital tool to have a basic knowledge of, thank you!

I have completed the required courses on the Microsoft Learning website. This is something that I wasn’t previously aware of, thank you for bringing it to my attention. Currently, I am trying to promote the use of technology amongst staff in my school as it wasn’t really seen as a priority in previous years. These short courses could really benefit the staff as since January 2025, they all have a Microsoft 365 account.

[Pat Brennan]

Hi Emer,

Welcome to the course. Thanks for outlining how you’ve been using Microsoft Forms and I agrre it’s a particularly powerful tool for home-school communication. Using it for things like after-school activities and policy feedback shows how versatile it can be.

On Sway (Unfortunately your embed is not loading for me here) It’s indeed a versatile tool to have in your digital toolkit, and a simpler alternative to PowerPoint. I have found it to be an invaluable tool for digital storytelling.

Also, good to hear you’ve completed some of the Learn Educator Centre course, it’s Digital storytelling with Microsoft Sway course dovetails nicely with my point above  and it’s great that you’re thinking about how these could support your colleagues. Now that everyone has a Microsoft 365 account, those short, focused courses could be a really practical way to build confidence and encourage usage across the staff.

[Emer Magee]

 

• This reply was modified 5 months, 3 weeks ago by Emer Magee.
• This reply was modified 5 months, 3 weeks ago by Emer Magee.

[Sarah Murray]

https://forms.office.com/e/vH8UjuKDQS

I see Microsoft forms as being a quick and easy AfL tool, a way for teachers to assess students quickly and get feedback on their learning. It also always students to get immediate feedback on their learning/progress. It is great to be able to include videos and images in the questions also.

Microsoft sway could be used as a way for students to present projects in a variety of ways and allows students to personalise the design. It is a form of UDL, allowing students autonomy over their own leanring.

It could also be used by the student council to create newsletters and share information.

As part of the SSE process forms could be used to gather information through surveys with staff, students and parents.

Both sway and forms can be used to monitor and track progress in many areas of SSE

[Jamie O’Sullivan]

https://forms.office.com/Pages/DesignPageV2.aspx?subpage=design&FormId=cgAzFqdZ3E-5ZY8E8rdvkjuJpnlT87NHmYK9jyGz4CpUM1MyUkY5STczMUpDS1VWUzBZN0cwNTRKTy4u&Token=8266403f253c48e18025cd431040e2a9

Looking to further develop our approach to using Microsoft teams within our school for the forthcoming. We have had CPD in the past in this area but I find it’s necessary to use it and expose myself to it to be able to utilise it again. Particularly if I’ll be assigning work to the class. I’ve utilised Reading Comprehension and getting the class to read aloud using that. Forms can be a fun way of making homework a quiz or even checking that reading that has been assigned has been completed and it’s clear they have understood the task or reading comprehension. The use of technology can sometimes be difficult due to access particularly we find at primary level. No device at home or unable to access due to siblings or parents using it. We are looking to utilise it sparingly to expose the children to it increasing the amounts we do so as they progress up through the school

[Rafe Garland]

Link to Sway: https://sway.cloud.microsoft/qLyWGpMtzL2znfDX?ref=Link

Link to Quiz: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=JJ-xlGyFv0uREyG0iJcCwgIE8gmDvZVEjRbsuPsGl_JUNEhTMUlKTTcyVTlVVzBMUklaUFJLTVJRWS4u

I found the module informative. I especially enjoyed learning about, and engaging with Microsoft Sway. Previously I would have used Powerpoint to create similar content but I think that Sway might be more visually appealing and user friendly, especially for young people.

I believe that forms is a very useful tool, not just for the teaching and learning, but also its uses in day to day administration and communication with staff, especially in a large school.

 

The Microsoft Education centre was not something that I was aware previously. It is a resource that I will be sharing with my colleagues, especially ones that might be unsure about how to make the jump into the new age of technology that is engulfing education. The potential for professional development is great and it is presented through a clear, informative way and allows users to engage at their own pace.

[Aileen Moriarty]

Reflective Post – Classroom Use of Microsoft Tools & School Self-Evaluation

As part of this activity, I created a 5-question multiple choice quiz using Microsoft Forms based on Shape, which can be accessed here: https://forms.office.com/e/DZsbCXWX5B

I also engaged with the two Microsoft Learn Education Centre courses:

1.    Microsoft Sway

2.    Microsoft Forms

I really think these tools have significant potential in the classroom. Microsoft Sway is particularly effective for creating digital stories or interactive presentations, helping students consolidate their learning creatively. It supports visual literacy and differentiated instruction by offering multimedia integration and accessibility features.

Microsoft Forms, on the other hand, simplifies formative assessment. It provides immediate feedback and analyses test data immediately, which are valuable for informing instruction and tracking progress over time.

From a school self-evaluation perspective, these tools offer measurable data and evidence of innovative teaching practices. Teachers can demonstrate engagement, formative assessment strategies and also a level of digital competence. Moreover, the inclusive features in Microsoft products help address areas of diversity and support in school inspections or reviews.

These technologies empower both students and teachers, encouraging a shift toward more pupil centered and inclusive education something we always strive for in our school.

[Paul Munroe]

Thanks for your post Aileen . You have given a clear picture of how Microsoft Forms and Microsoft Sway can help with both teaching and school self-evaluation. One other step you might find useful is getting the students involved in making their own quizzes or Sways. For example, after a topic in maths or SESE, small groups could design short quizzes for their classmates. This will help deepen their own understanding of the topic just covered.

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