Module 5 – Slides, Groups and Meet

[Pat Brennan]

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ASSIGNMENT

Use Slides to create a short interactive digital story and share it with other participants.
Consider how the Workplace tools (Groups, Classroom, etc.) and Meet can enhance teaching and learning inside and outside the classroom. Reflect on this forum as a reply to this post (150 words min) on your own practice over the past number of years and consider the implications for your practice going forward, and the suitability of the Google Workspace tools for a blended approach.

• This topic was modified 4 months, 2 weeks ago by Pat Brennan.
• This topic was modified 4 months ago by TeachNet Support.

[John Rehill]

My Digital Story:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1pqRKI0tGDCXMN-B8rqGNFhDsWhX1UytL70sgPpX72HU/edit?usp=sharing</span></span></span></p&gt;

• This reply was modified 3 months, 2 weeks ago by John Rehill.

[Una Feeley]

Over the past number of years, my use of digital technology has developed from mainly presenting information to using technology to encourage pupil participation, reflection and collaboration. For this assignment, I created an interactive Google Slides story based on the assembly theme, The Power of Stillness. The story guides pupils from external noise towards inner calm through images, simple choices, a glitter-jar metaphor, the story of Elijah and a short period of silent reflection. Pupils can choose a breathing, prayer or mindfulness strategy and identify a time during the week when they might use it.

Going forward, I would use Google Classroom to share the Slides story and a short follow-up Google Form. This would allow pupils to revisit the learning and reflect on whether they used a quiet pause during the following week. Google Meet could support a shared reflection with another class. Google Groups could help me as principal share with staff what I planned to do at assembly and feedback from children could be shared by teachers identifying areas that may need further attention.

These tools are suitable for a blended approach because the learning begins collectively at assembly but can continue in classrooms or at home. My main concerns are ensuring equal access, protecting pupil privacy and avoiding unnecessary screen time. Digital tools should therefore complement, rather than replace, personal reflection, discussion and shared experiences. Clear organisation and response choices will be important so that technology supports inclusion rather than creating additional barriers.

[Alana Gilsenan]

Hi Una,

That sounds like a fantasic use of the google classroom tools and has definetly given me some inspiration for next year.

[Kelly Faulkner]

The interactive story sounds lovely

[Marie Sharkey]

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1CvMxw0ZK9SwbdjkYJ_JyNiiqbYtYyOf5-uvNT6arK94/edit?usp=sharing

This is an example of slides to teach the seasons in Irish, more can be added such as images and audio/voice.

Over the past few years I’ve slowly moved from hardly using digital tools  to making them a regular part of my teaching. During school closures I relied a lot on Google Classroom and Meet, and that experience has definitely changed how I work now.

I find Classroom very useful for keeping everything organised – notes, links, assignments and feedback are all in one place for pupils and parents. Even in a normal school week, it supports homework, project work and revision. If a child is absent, they can still see what we did.

Going forward, I can see Google Workspace working well in a blended way:

• in class for collaborative tasks (Docs, Slides),
• at home for follow‑up, revision and quiet reflection (Classroom, Forms).

It also supports inclusion, as pupils can work at their own pace and revisit instructions and materials when they need to. I still want to keep a strong focus on books, talk and concrete materials, but I now see Workspace as a practical layer on top of that, rather than something extra or separate.

• This reply was modified 3 months ago by Marie Sharkey.

[Marie Sharkey]

Yes I agree that it is to help our workload not make more work for us.

[Alana Gilsenan]

For this activity, I am sharing a Google Slides resource I created for a 5th class Maths lesson on tessellations. The Slides introduce pupils to tessellations using visual examples and activities, allowing them to explore patterns and develop their understanding of how shapes can fit together without gaps or overlaps.
I have used Google Workspace tools regularly in my teaching and have found Slides particularly useful for presenting learning in a clear and visual way. Google Classroom is also useful for sharing resources and allowing pupils to access their work both in school and at home.
Going forward, I would like to continue developing how I use these tools to encourage greater pupil participation and independent learning. Google Classroom, Slides and Meet also lend themselves well to a blended approach, as resources can be accessed outside the classroom when necessary. However, I would continue to use digital technology alongside practical activities, discussion and collaborative learning rather than as a replacement for these.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1LDWD0GTCzKqhnpuBXN7tzU11EHzkOMv3/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=110562706625210547449&rtpof=true&sd=true

[Luke Hogan]

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1YCmeHGwyBAK8f3-6njZG7fx9p-bJkK84NaFVVeXgQYI/edit?usp=sharing

My digital story on starting up a class contract at the beginning of the school year with children being able to input with what they think is important when creating a contract.
Google Workspace will be a valuable tool for me in my teaching, particularly as I become more confident using technology in the classroom. In the past, I have been somewhat reluctant to rely too heavily on technology, as I often preferred more traditional teaching methods. However, after completing this course, I can now see the many benefits it can offer both teachers and children.
Tools such as Google Slides, Docs and Forms can make lessons more interactive, engaging and accessible. They can also encourage children to collaborate, share ideas and develop important digital skills. Google Classroom will help me organise resources and assignments in one place, making it easier for pupils to access their work and for me to provide feedback. This will be particularly important as I am teaching 6th class this coming year.
I now see technology as something that can support and enhance my teaching rather than replace traditional methods. Going forward, I hope to find a good balance between both approaches.

[John Rehill]

I have always tried to incorporate digital technologies into my teaching practice to support both classroom-based and remote learning back during Covid times. From my studying of the material on this course, I can see that Google Workspace tools have the potential to significantly enhance teaching/learning by creating opportunities for greater collaboration, communication, and accessibility. These tools very much encourage active participation through collaborative documents, presentations, and discussions, while Google Meet supports live lessons, parent communication, and collaboration between colleagues. Together, these tools can help foster and support continuity of learning
Reflecting on my own practice, I recognise how my use of technology has evolved over the years. In the early stages of my teaching career, digital tools such as PowerPoint were primarily used to present information in a teacher-centred manner, with students acting as passive recipients. As technology has developed, I can see how it can be used to place a greater emphasis on student interaction, exploration, and collaboration. Interactive Google Slides, shared documents, and Google Classroom activities encourage pupils to take a more active role in their own learning.
Going forward, I hope to continue embedding Google Workspace tools (along with others such as Bookcreator) into my teaching to further support pupil engagement and collaboration. Their accessibility across devicesn make them very suitable for a blended learning approach while equipping pupils with valuable digital skills for the future.

[Robert Corish]

Hello John,

Similarly to yourself, I understand the importance of incorporating the effective and practical features of Google Workspace into my own teaching and learning to further support pupil engagement and collaboration. Luckily, in my school we have fantastic ICT resources including interactive whiteboards, a chromebook trolley and Ipad trolley as well as classroom chromebooks. This proves our students with excellent opportunities to use a number of Google Workspace features. With increasing numbers of students using assistive technology, these features are central components of our students’ digital skills being enhanced.

 

I find it interesting how you referenced the journey from using teacher-centred PowerPoints to the use of shared Slides which can be edited as learning continues to evolve. I think a lot of this comes down to CPD sharing opportunities within a staff. I feel teachers currently see the value of sharing ideas and teaching strategies which enhances teaching and learning nationwide.

[Michael Ryan]

It was great to be reminded of Power Point, John! We thought it was the bees knees when I first started teaching. Many’s an hour was spent playing around with animations and trying to ‘lift in’ images. It is amazing to see how far technology has come in the years since I first started teaching.

[Una Feeley]

My Digital story on Being Well – a presentation for Early September

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Op1sgzcGV4Ti_0eMd4mfojkPTOtRlw98nZXMI5l-Gn0/edit?usp=sharing

[Niamh Murray]

I believe that my own practice over the past number of years has been shaped and moulded by the level of expertise around me from my colleagues, friends and the strong focus my school has placed on using and implementing digital technology effectively. In my role as an Assistant Principal II I shared a number of assessment strategies and resources with my staff. By creating focus groups, as a staff, we were able to foster and develop leadership capacity. Newly qualified teachers had a real voice in sharing new assessment strategies with more senior members of our school whose vast experiences was pivotal in outlining potential advantages and pitfalls to implementing new strategies.

Going forward, I am extremely cognisant of ensuring I have the right balance from a teaching and wellbeing perspective in identifying one/two areas to upskill in and then embed it over the course of the year. I feel with the new curriculum being enacted, it is imperative I do not take on too many things or try out too many ideas from CPD as what can possibly happen is a number of ideas being explored with average results as opposed to mastering the effective instruction of one or two – e.g. google forms and slides.

[Pat Brennan]

Hi Niamh,

I couldn’t agree more encouraging peer mentoring/sharing is a great way for a school to built confidence and capacity with digital learning across a staff  As you’ve highlighted.

I also agree regarding being selective when adopting new tools and resources, often less is indeed more. With so much change taking place, there is real value in focusing on one or two areas, mattering them and then moving on from there.

Returning to the mentoring idea, identifying a group of staff who are particularly interested in digital learning and supporting them then as digital mentors/ambassadors that try out tools such as Google Forms, Gemini, NotebookLM and then share examples of effective practice with colleagues (Croke park hours are ideal for this). This again will build capacity across the school.

[Helen O Sullivan]

Hi Niamh

I really admire your practise of having focus groups and sharing skills and knowledge

Thank you

[Darragh Cushen]

Looking back over the past few years, my use of Slides, Groups and Meet has changed a lot. I used to use Slides purely as a teacher-facing tool – a static set of slides I would talk through at the top of the room while the pupils listened. Meet was something I only really used during remote learning, and I hadn’t used Google Groups at all in a classroom context.

 

For this module’s assignment I created an interactive digital story called “The Secret of the Nile”, which follows on from my Ancient Egypt Forms exit ticket in Module 4. Rather than a straight run of slides, the pupils make a choice near the start of the story (follow the River Nile or enter the Great Pyramid), and their choice brings them down a different path with different content, before both paths meet up again at the marketplace and finish together. You can view it here: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1PMTJ3UVSH_zv9bkisioP3KMZTqsFtP7aOhykE2H0l7U/edit?usp=sharing

 

Building this showed me how Slides can move from being a presentation tool to a genuine pupil-facing activity, where the linking between slides mimics a “choose your own adventure” book. Going forward I can see this approach working well across other SESE and literacy topics, shared out through Classroom so pupils can work through it themselves or in pairs, at their own pace.

 

Meet also has real potential for a blended approach, for example allowing a pupil who is out sick to join a class walkthrough of the story live, or connecting with another 4th class to compare which path they chose and why. My one caution is that with younger pupils I would model the story as a whole-class activity on the board first, so the technology supports the learning rather than becoming a distraction. Overall I think Slides, Classroom and Meet together offer a really practical and flexible way to blend in-class and remote learning.

[Niamh Murray]

Hi Darragh,

 

This is a fascinating digital story that you created. I am a huge fan of Ancient Egypt and it is a topic I really enjoy teaching but also learning about myself! It is a good link to your previous activity also regarding your Google Form. This provides teachers and learners with an alternative way of exploring the culture and traditions and customs of the Ancient Egyptians.

I think your second paragraph is an excellent summation of the benefits of Slides when used correctly with your students.

[Nicola Corcoran]

I really liked the idea of choosing your own adventure Darragh and have used it in my own storybook – I also think children would lobe the idea of creating these kind of books for themselves.

[Dearbhla O’Donnellan]

That’s a really good point about how slides can be more than just a presentation tool. This course has shown me that and showed me how to make slides more interactive for students. It’s something I’ll definitely include in my teaching this year.

[Darragh Cushen]

Hi John,

 

Thanks for sharing your digital story and your reflection. I really related to your point about moving away from teacher-centred PowerPoints towards more interactive, pupil-led Slides – that’s exactly the shift I’ve been going through too, and building an interactive story for this module made me see the difference straight away compared to a normal slideshow.

 

I also liked your comment on accessibility and using tools like Bookcreator alongside Slides for a blended approach. It’s a good reminder that these tools work best when they’re used together rather than in isolation – in my case I’ve paired the Slides story with a Forms exit ticket from Module 4, and Classroom to share both, so pupils get a joined-up experience rather than a series of separate tasks. Great work!

[Helen O Sullivan]

I came into the whole technology later and ever since I have been playing catch up and so I think I have been continuously leaning which is a good thing!

I mastered the whole Word era and slowly but surely have been moving onto the Google Classroom era!!

I was lucky enough that our school was one of the schools chosen to be part of the Department Digital Assessments for Learning Portfolios during the year. A younger more knowledgeable colleague and myself went off to Athlon 3 times during the year. This really made me more aware of tools and practises.

Going forward and with the information I have gathered on this course this will really set me up for my final few years teaching. I would hate to be feel that I wasn’t able for this!!!

I love the idea of the Google slides as they are so interactive and the children will really enjoy using them. They have loads of features which they will enjoy designing and so will feel so much more involved in the whole process.

 

 

 

[Elaine Chavan]

Hi Helen, I really enjoyed reading your reflection. I think many teachers can relate to feeling like they are playing catch-up with technology, but it’s great that you embraced the opportunity to learn and develop your skills. It sounds like being involved in the Digital Assessments for Learning project gave you valuable experience.

[Emma O’Reilly]

Hello Helen,

How does your school get chosen for the Digital Learning training. I feel this would benefit my school.

[Elaine Chavan]

Over the past number of years, digital technology has become an increasingly important part of my teaching. Like many teachers, I relied on online platforms during Covid-19, but since completing this course I have developed a much greater understanding of how Google Workspace can be used to support learning in meaningful ways. Rather than simply sharing resources, I now see Google Classroom, Slides, Forms and Meet as tools that can improve communication, increase independence and provide more opportunities for pupil engagement.
Reflecting on my own practice, I have always used visual supports and structured routines, but this course has shown me how Google Workspace can enhance these approaches. Google Classroom provides one central place where pupils and parents can access resources, while Google Forms allows me to gather pupil voice and monitor understanding. Google Meet also offers opportunities to collaborate with parents and other professionals when required, helping to strengthen communication and consistency of support.
Going forward, I plan to continue embedding Google Workspace into everyday teaching. It will support collaboration between teachers, SNAs and parents while providing pupils with familiar and accessible resources that they can revisit at school or at home. I also see Google Workspace as supporting a blended learning approach, ensuring continuity of learning if a pupil is absent and allowing families to reinforce classroom routines at home. Overall, this course has increased my confidence in using digital technology to create a more inclusive, engaging and supportive learning environment for all pupils.

For this module, I created an interactive Google Slides story called “My School Day” for my primary autism class. The story uses photographs, visual symbols, simple language and audio to guide pupils through their daily routine. Interactive buttons allow pupils to move through the story independently while encouraging communication and participation. This type of resource is particularly beneficial for autistic pupils, as it provides predictability, reduces anxiety and supports understanding through visual learning.

 
<p data-start=”2300″ data-end=”2908″>https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1IHquzY9ieugzNvF9Z03Z3hvdcOp8yo7r/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103748778509597440565&rtpof=true&sd=true</p&gt;

[Luke Hogan]

Hi Elaine, your digital story using google slides sounds brilliant and I am sure will be a huge hit in your class when you get back to school.

[Michael Ryan]

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1umAETyGU814rh8Lmi-1sdeJVMt1lxqY9pobf0hTmmw8/edit?usp=sharing

 

I have created a short Google Slides presentation on Rivers for a senior class. It is a brilliant tool to pull everything into one place. I liked how I could easily add videos, images and web links to the presentation. This would ensure children do not ‘wander off online’ while roaming the internet on the iPads or Chrome books.

There are many uses for the tools explored in this course. As a school, we have started to adopt the Google Workspace tools and I look forward to exploring how we can further enhance teaching and learning with some of the tools covered in this course.

I have previously used Google Groups for various different tasks including sharing calendars, emails and files on Drive. It is a handy tool for sharing files to the board of management etc.

Google Classroom as a means of assessment is also something I plan to explore with the teaching staff. We have previously used it as a means of setting tasks but having completed the course, I feel there are far greater possibilities for its use in my own school having completed the course.

Google Meet and Google Chat is a handy feature for messaging staff during the school day with urgent messages.

Having completed this course, I see Google Slides as a way of capturing student understanding. This is not something I would have used the tool for previously. In addition to this, Google Slides has many uses across the senior classrooms for pupils and across the whole school for teaching staff. It is very user friendly and the ability to add images from the web makes things very straightforward.

In terms of using Google Workspace as a blended approach, it would be a great tool to keep parents informed at home. Google Slides can be used seamlessly between devices so I would envisage students working collaboratively on files between home and school.

[Aine Maguire]

Hi Michael

I see that you have used Google groups for sharing calendars, emails and files. That is something I would like to work on with our staff as we currently use a variety of other tools to communicate mostly Aladdin. I agree that Google Slides is a nice way to capture student understanding and I will add this to google docs and forms as well of carrying out assessment on students.

[Anita Hendrick]

I would love to use Google groups for sharing calendars, emails and files too. I am really looking forward to getting the staff more involved with Google Workspace this year. Like I said in the last module forum, I am having serious trouble trying to get Google Workspace for Education set up for the school. If anyone has had similar issues please let me know.

As someone working in a team in SEN I think that the Google Docs are an excellent resource. The ability to edit and add to forms at the same time is super. It lessons the use of paper and photocopying and keeps everything in one space. It will also help when we are working together on SSP targets and resources.

The ability to share Google calendars is huge. As a staff of nearly 20 teachers we have so many different activities and timetables to navigate that it can be very difficult to get SET times in line with a class teacher’s P.E timetable, swimming lessons etc. This is one area I will be suggesting to my SEN coordinator to use as a resource when we return next week.

[Diarmuid O’Brien]

The idea of adding the links is excellent to ensure the pupils stay focused.

[Grainne Corry]

Hi Michael,

Your digital story is a really good example of how facts and information can be presented in an interesting interactive way. All the important information is available in one space and it is easy for students to navigate.

[Nicola Corcoran]

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1jyuP_5fwcv9Zoq7cNqqEUpJ8dMQlWCnT0gq0-6LyaTU/edit?usp=sharing

The above links to a digital story I have made about a child’s journey through the great famine. Allowing the children to decide what the family should do gives them agency and ownership and will help them to empathise with the plight of families during the great famine and the life that their decisions may have led them to.

I have begun using Workspace with the senior classes in our school this year – particularly Slides and Docs – but I am hoping to use Classroom and Forms a lot more this year. I can see that Forms will be a great assessment tool giving children instant feedback and helping teachers to quickly see if their class has understood each topic or whether they may need to adjust the way that they are teaching. I love the idea of keeping a log of all of the results of each child’s quizzes which will help to build a better picture of their overall learning. I hope that classroom will help teachers to assign tasks quickly and easily as well as providing useful feedback for each child.

[Sarah Whelan]

Hi Nicola,

I really like your digital story about the famine.  I thought the addition of having to make the decision for the family was really interesting and a great addition to your story.  I agree that it really would help the children to empathise with what people went through during the famine. There was a nice mix of text, images and videos to keep the class interested and engaged.  I’m only getting started with digital stories and look forward to seeing how I can use them with my class this year.

[Ben Ben Leahy]

Love this, great way to make clear the key elements of the Famine while also incorporating the “choose your own destination” storyline would have hooked even the most reluctant pupil.

[Aine Maguire]

My digital story is on the Solar Eclipse. As it was a timely subject, I used video links, audio and images to talk about eclipses. The interactive portion allows the student to create a slide to show how to make a pinhole camera.
Link https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/16g6kxUhJeMN1wIssnxJcoA_K68b-XYqQTjhypIYvmiQ/edit?usp=sharing

Workshop Tools such as Groups, Classroom and Meet enable the teacher to communicate more efficiently and in an interactive fashion with students, staff and management in the school. I liked the idea of groups for working on core curricular and interest areas for school self improvement utilising one email address per group. This makes the sharing and uploading of files much easier and efficient. Google Meets is also helpful for liaising with outside and inside educators to discuss current work and the link with the calendar is helpful for planning and scheduling ahead.
In the past, I would have used Google Forms to help with surveys and Google Docs to read and amend essays being submitted by students and had a fragmented understanding of how Google Suite works. Going forward I may utilise Google Classroom for my SET students although I don’t currently have access to ipads or chromebooks unlike my classroom colleagues. My students (some of them) have assistive technology which we use to do SET work. I do intend to use Google Slides for classroom content and Google forms/sheets to continue with the collection of data for school improvement planning. This will allow for blended work with staff and the in school management team.
For students’ work, I hope to use the interactive student blogs to blend with work covered in the learning support room and classroom on how students managed to solve problems and how they feel about Maths. I think the use of tik tok, instagram and students blogs will motivate the students further as they use their assistive technology to improve their writing skills.

[Ross Mulvihill]

I like your idea of using topical events to create lessons.

[Emma O’Reilly]

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1GA8ubQ37Iowhr_yk0-N8eUyfx4xNssMi_90Cbf2sSI8/edit?slide=id.g3f700ea09d0_0_16#slide=id.g3f700ea09d0_0_16

[Ross Mulvihill]

Google Workspace tools have made a real difference in my 5th class, even though I’ve only used them a small bit in the past and wasn’t very consistent with them. Having a basic setup in Google Classroom showed me how handy it is for keeping resources in one place, but there’s so much more I can get out of it.

Looking ahead, I want to use these tools much more intentionally. Classroom will give pupils a clear, reliable spot to check assignments and catch up if they miss a day. Google Forms will be brilliant for quick end-of-lesson checks and homework quizzes that grade automatically, saving time and showing me where kids need extra help. Plus, features like voice-typing in Docs and collaborative Slides will help every student work together and build confidence. Moving forward, sticking with Workspace will make my teaching more organised and help the kids become far more independent learners

My Google Slides Digital Story is about the Renaissance as it is a topic we cover in September. It also includes a Google Form to help plan what we may do for art based on this lesson.
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1sjLdwmuHg27UQ9_fkCgA04CowZB1mj7fvMirx6Po_50/edit?usp=sharing

• This reply was modified 2 months, 3 weeks ago by Ross Mulvihill.

[Sarah Whelan]

My Google Slides story is about the life cycle of the frog and it is designed with First Class in mind.  I am very new to Google slides so this attempt is very basic.  I look forward to becoming more familiar with Google slides and can already see how beneficial this tool could be across all class levels.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ucvkBHh8QuVoKLY-OWzu0kMrzXNTUC1QcOwtNEs7eTg/edit?usp=sharing

Over the past umber of years I have used digital technology more and more in my teaching.  I have progressed from mainly a teacher-led, one-sided approach to one where pupils are more actively engaged in using and creating digital content.  This is as a result of my own personal development and interest in this area and also as a direct result of devices being more readily available and accessible for my class.

Google Workspace tools will support me as I continue to improve my own use of digital technology with my class.  Google classroom provides a great central location for lessons, tasks and provides excellent opportunities for teacher feedback.  Google Meet would be really beneficial when students are working outside the classroom and paired with Google Classroom would really work well for a blended learning approach.

I plan to use these tools as much as I can this year to hopefully develop my skills and confidence further.  I really want to focus on collaboration, independent digital work and content created by pupils. The aim is to ensure digital technology is a meaningful part of my teaching rather that simply a teaching resource.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Sarah,

Thank you for your post and for sharing this Life Cycle presentation with us. I am struck by your reflection on how your own use of digital technologies have evolved in recent years. Department funding and grants mean that access to digital devices is probably at an all-time high in schools. However, access does not mean that these are being effectively used or having a positive effect. Moving away from teacher-dominated use and towards promoting children constructing their own learning with these tools is crucial to achieving this impact, and certainly a road you seem to be on.

[Dearbhla O’Donnellan]

Google Workspace tools can enhance teaching and learning in many ways. It allows for collaboration among teachers in the school and it gives students opportunities to collaborate on projects, stories or other tasks using digital technologies. It can also be used as a tool to enhance access to curriculum content for students and can be used as a link between home and school. As others have mentioned, it is a great tool to be used alongside other methodologies rather than replace them. My own practice has changed significantly over the last couple of years. I’ve definitely increased my use of digital technologies in the classroom since the pandemic with teaching from home. Since then, I’ve looked at ways to incorporate it more into the classroom to enhance teaching and learning. This course has really helped me to learn more ways to enhance teaching and learning with Google Workspace in a meaningful way. I’ll be using it more this year to support differentiation and assessment. This is my digital story based on Italy: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ydHUDO2x4qmsQ13MGacj38IhNUoYYlsTelEtp0RVYyM/edit?usp=sharing

• This reply was modified 2 months, 3 weeks ago by Dearbhla O'Donnellan.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Dearbhla,

Thank you for this post and for your engagement throughout the course. A key word you mentioned in your post is increasing the use of digital technologies in ‘meaningful’ ways. If it is not meaningful, it is simply taking time away from other approaches which may have more positive impacts and creating an unnecessary workload burden on us. The ‘effort-impact’ access that was mentioned on PCF Day 1 this year is a really good reflective tool when looking at some of our practice in all areas.

[Diarmuid O’Brien]

Over the past number of years, I have seen how digital technology can enhance learning by making lessons more interactive and providing pupils with different ways to engage with content. For this activity, I would use Google Slides to create a short interactive digital story, allowing pupils to explore the story through images, text and links. This could be particularly useful for literacy, as pupils could make choices within the story and discuss the different outcomes.

Google Workspace tools such as Classroom and Groups could support learning both inside and outside the classroom. Google Classroom could be used to share resources, set tasks, provide feedback and allow pupils to access learning materials at home. Google Meet could also support communication and learning when pupils are unable to attend school or when collaboration with others is beneficial.

Going forward, I would like to use these tools more consistently as part of a blended learning approach. They could provide greater flexibility, support collaboration and allow pupils to continue learning beyond the classroom. I would also need to ensure that activities remain accessible and purposeful rather than using technology simply for the sake of it.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Diarmuid,

Thanks for this post. I agree that Google Slides can be a really effective way to share stories and facts with children around different topics. I like the idea of embedded videos, links, images, etc. that direct children to specific areas (selected by you), as this ensures children are consuming reliable information that is appropriate to both their age and stage.

[Kelly Faulkner]

Over the past few years, technology has become a much bigger part of my teaching. I have used Google Classroom to share work and resources, and I have found Google Slides useful for making lessons more visual and engaging. Creating the interactive story in this module has made me realise that there are even more ways I could use these tools with my class. I think Google Slides would be particularly useful in 2nd class for storytelling, where children could make choices, answer questions and become more involved in the story. They could also create their own stories and share them with others. Google Classroom could make it easier to organise and share work, while Google Meet could be useful if children ever need to learn from home. I also like the idea of using Google Workspace to encourage children to work together and share ideas. I would like to use these tools more regularly, while still keeping a good balance with practical, hands-on activities. I think Google Workspace has a lot to offer and can make learning more engaging without replacing the important parts of classroom learning.

[Leo McHugh]

Hi Kelly,

 

I hadn’t thought about Google Meet for if children had to learn from home. That’s a good idea!

• This reply was modified 2 months, 2 weeks ago by Leo McHugh.

[Kevin Phelan]

Hi Kelly

I really like your idea about using Google Slides for storytelling in 2nd class. Allowing children to make choices and create their own stories would be a really engaging activity while developing creativity and communication skills.

[Leo McHugh]

Slides: Interactive Story of 10 for Infants Class

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1gVLQapty4zppy6ql5Dkh_ideWoa5w_A-viEBgtBPFmw/edit?usp=sharing

Google Workplace Advantages:

Over the past number of years, Google Workspace tools have been central to my practice. I have regularly used Google Classroom for announcements and homework, Google Slides for content delivery, Drive and Sheets for documentation and tracking assessment data, and Google Forms for pupil surveys and self-assessment.

Looking ahead, incorporating tools like Google Meet and Google Groups presents potential opportunities to extend learning beyond the classroom. Meet enables remote check-ins, guest speakers, or parent meetings, while Groups provides a structured space to streamline peer communication and collaborative project work. Prior to engaging with this course, I had limited experience in both.

Google Workspace is ideally suited to a blended learning approach because it centralises resources and allows pupils to access materials at their own pace. Moving forward, the goal is to enable pupils to use these tools for active creation and independent learning. Crucially, this digital integration must complement, rather than replace, traditional methods like handwriting, physical discussion, and hands-on activities to prevent over-reliance on technology and maintain a balanced learning environment.

 

 

[Ben Ben Leahy]

Looking back over the last few years, the way I use technology in the classroom has transformed. It is no longer just about presenting information, but about empowering pupils to lead their own learning. Interactive Google Slides projects—like branching ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ stories enriched with voice recordings and links—have brought creative writing to life while making learning accessible for EAL and SEN pupils alike.
<p data-path-to-node=”6″>Building a blended learning environment using Google Classroom, Groups, and Meet has made sharing ideas and working together seamless. Classroom keeps our daily tasks organized, while Meet and Groups give pupils a space to collaborate and review each other’s work. My goal is to keep weaving these tools naturally into our school day, helping every child collaborate, grow, and thrive.</p>

[Kevin Phelan]

Over the last few years my use of digital tools in the classroom has developed rapidly. From mainly using the old interactive whiteboards to show powerpoint presentations to actually using technology to support lessons more purposefully to really add to the teaching and learning. Google Slides is a tool I could see myself using more regularly to support teaching and learning. It allows opportunities for greater pupil interaction and collaboration. Pupils could work together on shared slides, add ideas, images or responses, and present their learning to the class. This could support pupil voice and engagement while also allowing me to assess understanding during a lesson. Going forward, I would like to use Slides less as a presentation tool and more as an interactive learning space, particularly within a blended learning approach where pupils can access and contribute to activities both inside and outside the classroom.

Here is my presentation on 2D shapes:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1PGgIzRjSXq4xdfQZR6kGi4n0Qc0k1c6VgysVsp2scpM/edit?usp=sharing

[Grainne Corry]

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1CuHXmWWEJyIMDjoMhKkj2rzuaXOjsp3CTZYdK9oPE4M/edit?usp=sharing

I have created a Google Slides presentation about Hibernation. The Google Workspace tools are completely new to me and I have enjoyed exploring them. In this module there was a lot of information and demonstrations on how to create an interactive digital story on Google Slides. It was a good opportunity for me to explore Google Slides and I can see myself using it as a teaching and learning tool during the school year. Google slides is a great way to engage students and I will be encouraging students to create their own digital stories during the school year.

The use of Google Meets and Google Groups can allow for a lot of teacher collaboration and professional discussion and sharing of information, resources and planning documents. I think that the collaborative features in all the Google tools will save time and energy when colleagues are working together. I am looking forward to navigating the implementation of Google Classroom in my school this year for students and teachers.

[Anita Hendrick]

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1kP6lk6nyfZRJWN606UWLlQ9Pdilcoin5OMZNmJ33mEU/edit?usp=sharing

This is my interactive digital story on slides.

It is a simple presentation for children coming to my SET lessons at the beginning of the year. The digital story introduces the children to all of the adults in the school, from the teachers to the SNAs to the hot food lady, caretaker, cleaner etc. In the slides I’ve created I have left the centre of each slide blank for now. Obviously when I return to school next week I will get trigger happy with the camera and with the adults’ permission put their photos into the digital story. What I could do to make it even more interactive is have short videos of some of the adults speaking or even showing the inside of their room, the door number etc.

In terms of children with additional needs, whose auditory and visual processing skills and memory retention are more often than not poor, I think this is very important. It is very often over looked by teaching staff and I admit to fogetting this too until the child with the task of bringing a note to a class or the office wanders back into my room ‘lost’. We expect children to be able to retain names, remember who is where in the school, who teaches what class, how to get to the office etc. But it is a daily challenge for some children of all ages.

So frankly, this could be shared with my colleagues and all teaching staff right up to sixth class could show this at the beginning of every year to help children who struggle in this area.

 

[Emma O’Reilly]

Created for 5th and 6th Class students

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1D8EGabUXiNPUqAFtSeXhloGReRF-oYNh6isxhaLkVW0/edit?slide=id.g37a51240a0f_0_3#slide=id.g37a51240a0f_0_3

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