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I love this idea of working in groups to re design the principal’s office. the children would see this as a very funny, engaging activity. It is also very much a real world problem, using all curricular areas and is preparing the children for when they have a house etc. to design, source materials and do costings for.
This is a very adventurous lesson plan, focused on topics that are very relevant in the media at the moment. ie the idea of fake news. I also lik the idea of mixing literacy with digital learning.
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1b9mAOpKFULeWIpbW2IGyglep-lKwC3OOwp17eV25CCA/edit?usp=sharing
This is a link to a short slide show created in google slides that could be used during Gaeilge class when teaching the topic Bia
Although I have a school google email address, I have not used any of the google workspace tools in the past. I have mostly used Word and Powerpoint and have taught students to use Word and Powerpoint and save pieces created to USB key.
However google workspace tools have some great advantages for our school especially for administrative purposes. I would still have a lot of reservations about giving students email addresses though!
Clearly Workspace tools allow for the organisationof all resources needed by a class teacher and by the Admin in a school. Google Workspace promotes collaboration across the whole school community. Google Drive could be used to store worksheets, short term and long term plans and policies for all teachers to access. Teachers can edit when necessary. Google Docs allows teachers to edit documents. This is great for staff meetings, agenda, green school meetings, student council meetings, policies etc.Google Sites could be set up to for e-portfolios for each pupil depending on school digital learning policy. Slides allows for links and videos to be embedded into presentations which makes learning more fun and targeted, and supporting hands on teaching.Google Calendar allows staff to share dates and times of events, organize, talks, matches etc.And Google Forms would be great for surveuing the whole school community in relation to SSE. We have used this with parents for Bí cínéalta survey.This is a link to a short quiz for senior Infants based on the story Jack and the Beanstalk
Our main aim for our pupils would be to enable them to take control of their own education by setting goals, monitoring progress, and reflecting on outcomes.
This fosters independence, critical thinking, and adaptability—skills essential for lifelong learning and success.
By actively engaging in the learning process, students become more motivated, focused, and effective in achieving their targets.
I would constantly talk about setting goals for the term and then look back and see how we have worked on those goals and sometimes it is important to notice that not all goals are always achieved but that improvements have been made.In my opinion, Redesigning Education: Meeting the Challenges of the 21st Century is all about the child as an active learner and encourages them to take ownership of their learning. This is of course what we are aiming to develop in all our students to prepare them for their adult life. Learning must be meaningful for children to gain a proper understanding. The emphasis is on skills development. Nowadays , ICT plays an important role in gaining and sharing knowledge.
As a teacher moving from 6th class down to senior Infants l feel that many workspace apps would be too difficult for children to use independently but I think Google Slides would be a good starting point as it would provide them with an opportunity to gather and share information with their class and others.
An idea for using Google Slides with Senior Infants children in September would be to gather evidence of seasonal change within the school garden and grounds. They could take 3-5 photos which show Autumn, upload them to slides and then label or add a voice message and present to the rest of the class as a group. However I do not agree with email addresses for senior Infants, so I will probably do this on the Seesaw app.https://classroom.google.com/u/1/w/NzkwOTkxOTk2NzYx/t/all
Although I have access to a school domain email , we are not a google school so our students do not have emails and therefore I cannot add students to my class, but I have assigned work and attached a file form my drive
I can see some Benefits of Using Google Classroom in school.
The main benefit for me would be a place for Centralised Shared Resources. Teachers can upload lesson slides, videos, PDFs, quizzes, and links in one organised place. This would reduce photocopying costs and organisational issues with physical resources
It would also help with differention in a classroom. Teachers can assign different tasks to different pupils within the same class, based on learning needs or support plans. Enables scaffolding through uploaded sentence starters, worked examples, or video tutorials for targeted groups.
Another benefit would be the ability to create e-portfolios.Pupils would be enabled to build a digital portfolio over time: Uploading completed assignments, videos of oral presentations, photos of artwork, or written reflections. Supports assessment of progress over months or years, and can be shared at parent-teacher meetings or during transitions to secondary school.
However I do have some major issues however especially with primary children; the main one would be the requirement for Personal Email Accounts. Pupils need a Google account to access Google Classroom.
For very young children, setting up and managing personal accounts can be challenging. Also this raises data protection, privacy, and GDPR compliance concerns for under-13s. I can see the benefits of google classroom in a secondary school setting, but as a teacher and a parent I feel we should not be encouraging it in Primary school.
Alternatives like Seesaw or Class Dojo may provide safer, developmentally appropriate access without personal emails.In todays world we have to keep upt tp date with digital technology and also have to teach our students how to use it productively, but we also have to be very mindful of too much screen time and encouraging a social classroom too! This module has shown us that one way to enhance student learning through digital technology is by integrating tools from Google for Education, such as Google Jamboard, Google Forms, and Google Classroom, to promote interactive, collaborative, and personalized learning experiences. For example, using Google Jamboard allows students to visually brainstorm, problem-solve, and collaborate in real-time, supporting differentiated learning and creative expression.
Applying the School Self Evaluation (SSE) Guidelines, particularly the domains of Teaching and Learning and Learner Outcomes, I can reflect on the impact of digital integration on student engagement and progress. By using digital tools, I can gather formative data via Google Forms or Classroom to inform teaching strategies and identify areas for improvement. I think this is one very beneficial use of Google for education.
At the school level, developing my use of digital technology supports a whole-school digital learning culture, aligns with the Digital Learning Framework (DLF), and encourages peer collaboration and professional development. This promotes consistent digital integration and supports the SSE process by providing tangible evidence of progress and learner achievement.
From Google for Education’s Teacher Centre, I chose:
Create a quiz in Google Forms
I hope to use Google Forms to create interactive quizzes aligned with our curriculum, especially SESE. I’ll include curriculum-specific vocabulary, visual supports, and even voice instructions for students with additional needs. I will also tailor the difficulty level based on ability groups, enabling me to support differentiation and student autonomy.
In class, I plan to use the quizzes as revision tools, and assessment for learning (AfL). Students will receive immediate feedback, and I can quickly analyse data to adjust future lessons.I completely agree. As a parent of a primary school child I would not like them to have an email address. I can see the great use that Google classroom has, but very much in a secondary school setting. It is also very unfair on the students who would not have access to Internet at home, and I feel that parents who believe in a screen free environment for their primary school child would feel very much bullied by the school. I have a fifth class child…she does not own a phone, tablet or laptop and I want to keep it this way as long as possible.