[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Anna,

Thank you for your post here. You have made a really important point when you have stressed the need for ‘regular’ acts to make the world a better place for all to live in. Very often we can get caught up in trends or fads that make small changes, but are not sustained for the long term. Through the pursuit of development education goals in primary school, children can really see the value of small, consistent actions that are taken on a large, collective scale (and the changes these can bring about).

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Desmond,

Thank your for your post and sharing your thoughts her. I really feel you have made an excellent point when you mention how practices will develop as educators gain more experience in using AI prompting – we are very much at an entry level at the moment, and with more sharing of practice we will refine our use of these tools.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Aisling,

Thank you for your post and for the suggestions you have offered. As you have said, climate change is certainly a topic that is dominating discourse in this area in recent months and years. Based on the suggestions you have offered, are there any ways in which the student body could be empowered to take ownership of these? Often we can be guilty of engaging in a number of initiatives without focusing on maintaining these beyond a short period of time. I would be intrigued to learn of any suggestions that may create a level of intrinsic motivation in children to pursue these.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Aisling,

Thank you for your post and for the suggestions you have offered. As you have said, climate change is certainly a topic that is dominating discourse in this area in recent months and years. Based on the suggestions you have offered, are there any ways in which the student body could be empowered to take ownership of these? Often we can be guilty of engaging in a number of initiatives without focusing on maintaining these beyond a short period of time. I would be intrigued to learn of any suggestions that may create a level of intrinsic motivation in children to pursue these.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Rian,

Thank you for your contribution here. I posted a video in an earlier post from Professor Douglas Clements that really speaks to what you observed yourself. He spoke about how boys generally gravitated more towards construction, while girls were more likely to engage in socio-dramatic play. The focus for girls was not on the construction, but rather where certain characters could play and interact, etc. It’s really important for children’s social and academic development across the board that they have opportunities to engage in all types of play.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Ferghal,

Thank you for your post and for sharing your experience of your schools links with the work of EROC. Contrary to what may be perceived at the present time, organisations have been helping migrants and refugees in Ireland for many years. Your post is a testament to this, and it is likely that your school community has seen the value that can come rom collective work across communities. You have mentioned the work of certain organisations such as the GAA and Foróige – it is so important to recognise the massive social and cultural impact these organisations have across communities, and how they can rally to welcome new members from many nationalities and backgrounds.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Martina,

Thanks for your post. You have raised a really interesting point around the gender imbalance when it comes to performance in shape and space activities. Data from international tests such as PIRLS and TIMMS points to a significant imbalance in this regard. This video from Professor Douglas Clements may be of interest to those who are interested in the overlap between play and maths in the early years: •https://vimeo.com/167398222

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Máire,

Thanks for your post. It is great to hear that you will be embracing the use of Google Classroom in your tools. As you alluded to, it offers much more freedom and allows both teachers and students so much extra scope to engage in deeper learning. This is especially true for pupils in senior classes. You have mentioned how many third party apps can be linked seamlessly with your Google Classroom. Some popular apps at the moment like WordWall also have this functionality.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Stephanie,

Thank you for your post in which you have really captured the sentiment of this course and the work of Plan. The school motto you have mentioned carries significant weight within these principles. It is great that children are exposed to the power of the collective as they move throughout their school years. Constant reinforcement of this school motto allows children to get a true sense of the value of collective effort, and how one small action can have a spiral effect way beyond what may have been imagined.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Muireann,

You are very welcome to this course. You have touched upon a number of relevant points in relation to the incorporation of development education practices in our classrooms. Making the content accessible and relevant is such a key part of this. Some of the methodologies and approaches that you have mentioned, such as story and role-play, carry significant weight in the existing curriculum areas of drama and history. This means that it is very possible for development education themes to be interwoven with the strands and strand units of the 1999 curriculum.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Cora,

Thanks for your post. I love the way you have been able to identify such a quantifiable example from your own practice in which AI can be used to enhance current practice. I have been in a similar situation as 1st class teacher – not knowing exactly where children are at in a specific area, as it is the other teacher’s ‘station’ is a difficult place to be in. These interventions are being used to assist those who need it most, and help all learners progress at an appropriate level, but there can be a certain amount of guesswork for groups being taught by other teachers. AI can certainly play a role in streamlining this – indeed, it may also be used to crate scripts that may be commensurate with the reading levels of the different groups.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Desmond,

Thank you for your post. You have touched on some interesting points and I’m sure many here will agree with the sentiment of them. AI has enormous potential for building resources and taking the burden off some of the ‘mundane’ tasks you have alluded to. You may see some specific examples and ideas later in the course, but did anything from this module stand out in terms of specific things we must be mindful of when delegating certain tasks to AI systems?

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Niall,

Thanks for your contribution here. You have raised a number of key points on how changes to our climate are directly affecting the city of Dublin. You have also included some references to some of the indirect implications of climate change – few j0urnalists and columnists have been pointing to the significant economic impact that extreme weather events can have on regions. There is significant costs associated with repairs to property and services, as well as the knock on effect for ‘regular’ consumers in terms of insurance premiums, etc.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Janet,

Apologies for only picking up on this now – could you clarify what you’re looking for and I’m sure we’ll be able to locate it.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Oliver,

Welcome to the course and thank you for your contribution here. Like so many daily Google users, there are many hidden gems that we are often unaware of. I stumbled upon the Teacher’s Centre a few years ago and couldn’t believe the depth of resources available within the Applied Digital Skills platform. The Scrapbook selection is a great one. Hopefully, the course will help you uncover other little bits of knowledge relating to the Google tools.

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