[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Orla,

Welcome to the course and thank you for your insightful post. NCCA research from 2016 points out to how upskilling ourselves as teachers can allow children experience different learning opportunities in school. I feel the tone of your post really speaks to this – it is so important that we ourselves become education on these global development issues. You have correctly identified ongoing CPD as a significant factor in enhancing our knowledge around this. I also like the way you have incorporated ideas around getting the whole school community involved, such as the Global Citizenship Days.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Laura,

Thank you for our post here. It’s fair to say that there really are a plethora of apps that are available for tablet devices that can make the learning process that bit more engaging. The ability for children to respond to tasks through the creation of videos and presentations supports a UDL approach to teaching and learning. This approach is well suited to our classrooms, and promotes more inclusivity through the availability of choice.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Amy,

Thank you for your contribution here. It is heartening to read your opinions on the use of digital technologies and how your use of them has led to improvements for the pupils across the school. Whatever your focus is, this should always be what you set out to achieve with SSE.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Claire,

Welcome to the course and thank you for your contribution here. I am fully in agreement with you in regards to the assistive technologies that are often recommended on psychologists reports – in some cases, a plethora of assistive technologies are listed on the assumption that one may be useful. However, as teachers, it is us who must go through the trial and error stage with the children. If more knowledge was freely available in this area, it may be possible to narrow down the list of assistive tools that may be useful for a child based on his/her needs. Perhaps, schools could benefit from assigning responsibility for assistive technologies to a member of the management team.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Ciara,

Welcome to the online part of this course. Thank you for your contribution here. The ease at which digital tools allow students to access content at their own pace and own level make them very useful in schools and classrooms. It is great to hear that your school has been in a position to invest in its digital infrastructure in recent years. It is very challenging to implement a Digital Learning Plan with poor access to devices for students – once the infrastructure is in place, you can work as a team to ensure that a plan is being put in place to ensure the full benefit is being reaped from their use.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi James,

Thank your for your contribution here. You have raised a central point that is really at the core of what SSE should be, when you point out that staff, students and the wider school community are all at the core of SSE. It is a whole-school effort to enact the improvement plan, and all parties should be consulted at different stages. With regard to the incorporation of digital technology use within SSE, we must ask students (as well as staff) how they found the new initiative when you are monitoring and evaluating the actions within the improvement plan.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Ruth,

Thank you for your post here and for sharing your lesson outline with us. I have often completed a similar lesson that involves children creating the strongest and tallest structure possible with the materials you have listed. However, I love how you have incorporated a strong maths focus into this. There is plenty of room for differentiation and you will see higher achievers attempting to manipulate materials to create new shapes – indeed, there’s also the possibility of introducing the children to the concept of tessellation.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Ciara,

Thank you for your post. ‘Futureproofing’ is a buzz word that is used in many professions these days. However, it is equally applicable for use in relation to teaching and education. We must attempt to create a learning environment that is robust and capable of handling future developments in technology. Technology is evolving rapidly, and as you have said, students are ahead of the curve in many ways. It’s so important (but not easy) that teachers have the requisite level of knowledge in this area to challenge students and to ensure the safe and constructive use of digital technologies is provided for.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Fiona,

Thank you for your post here and for sharing your MakeCode with us. I love how you have shown a level of creativity in creating a location for your project. Like Gráinne above, I feel like this is a very clever idea. As you have outlined in your post, there is a huge body of work which could be completed around this, which ties in with so many curricular areas. This type of activity develops STEM skills, but also promotes the development of language around the specific topic, which is hugely beneficial.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Brona,

Welcome to the online element of this course. Thank you for your comprehensive reply here where you have raised many interesting points. You have mentioned that different learning styles can be accommodated and reached through the use of digital technologies, and I am in full agreement with this. Using a learning platform, research information can be provided in audio, video or written formats (giving an element of choice in how they access the material also supports a UDL approach). Similarly, children will have the means to respond through these different medias also.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Philip,

Thank you for your post here. You have raised a great point here around the evolution and change in this space. It is constant and there are always new tools and apps coming on board that can be highly effective. It is so important that teachers remain ‘up to speed’ in this area. However, this is definitely easier said than done – perhaps the allocation of Croke Park hours in a school might allow teachers to undertake CPD in groups on different digital tools – the main points from each could then be fed back at a staff meeting.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Elizabeth,

Thank you for you post here and you are very welcome to this part of the course. Like one of the earlier  posters, you have mentioned how the use of technology can promote inclusion within classrooms. I fully agree with this – children are working with the same device and ‘everyone is the same’ visually. However, there is scope to provide alternative media types to some children, allow them to respond orally to certain actions or to use an assistive tool such as the Immersive Reader. The scope it offers certainly allows pupils to maintain pace with their peers, which may not be possible through ‘traditional’ means.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Dee,

Thank you for your post and for sharing this lesson outline with us. The lesson you have provided has been a staple in our school with our junior infant classes. There is so much scope for development across the curriculum with this activity. Indeed, we have tried to incorporate some concept cartoons for this investigation to tie in with disciplinary literacy (within the PLC). This allows children to read and analyse like scientists.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Kate,

Welcome to the online element of this course. When used correctly, I agree that digital technologies can provide that learning environment that is more vibrant and engaging. The amount of access children have to devices varies hugely from school to school. Unfortunately, we have to work with what we have in our own school. As you said, shared devices can be workable and can have a serious impact if utilised correctly. Should the next tranche of funding from the Digital Strategy arrive in the next school year, many schools will be in a position to invest further in their infrastructure.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Gillian,

Thank you for your post here. It is certain that approaches to the use of digital technology in education have changed radically in recent years. You are correct to point out how important it is that a balance is maintained across all teacher-led instruction. We must ensure that children are developing the digital skills required for the 21st century, whilst also ensuring they have other relevant knowledge and skills that can be acquired through education. Certain approaches to the development of use of computational thinking programs can allow for this balance to be be achieved.

[Author]

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