[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Helen,

Thank your for your post here. I’m sure that the experiences you have shared will resonate with others on this course. I have noticed similar when teaching senior classes. The frustration that reading difficulties can cause for children with dyslexia can really impinge on their ability to fully access the curriculum to the best of their ability. Often these children are capable of producing work of a very high standard, but are hindered in their ability to access the content. Immersive Reader plays such an important role in removing these barriers, and can free up thinking space for children to focus on what their ‘output’ work will be.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Paul,

Thank you for your post and for sharing your experience with us. It is great that you are able to share your experience of the education system, both as a teacher and as a parent. You have made an excellent point surrounding the notion that AI may replace teachers – AI cannot complete the multi-faceted role of the teacher, but it can help us with some of the mundane, cumbersome and time-consuming tasks that eat into our time and indirectly impinge on our ability to provide the highest quality learning environment for our children.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Carrie,

Thank you for your post. You are correct to point out the significant administrative burden that can be lifted through the targeted use of AI. As you have said, the module highlighted the need for prompts to be specific and the different outputs that can derive from even slightly different prompt inputs. Over time, we will get kore adept at prompting the chatbot to produce exactly what we are looking for, and enhance our productivity and efficiency even further in the process.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Cora,

Thank you for your post. It is great that you have been able to identify such actionable targets for the coming year. The BeeBots will be an excellent resource for this class level and give the children a great introduction to coding and programming. Within your post, you have also mentioned how Scratch Jr. can be used to create an animation. These two tools are extremely complementary of each other, and will allow the children to engage in creative learning experiences and develop critical thinking/problem solving skill.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi David,

Congratulations for reaching the end of the course and thank you for your comprehensive post here. It is clear that you have a targeted plan of action on how you are going to put some of the content from the course into action. I think you have focused on really relevant and topical areas that are going to enrich the learning experiences of children in your class. The focus on the promotion of critical thinking is a clear example of this.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Anna,

Thank you for your post and for offering some concrete examples of how children can get involved in small initiatives that can reduce their energy use. I really like the idea of an hour each week where no power is used. This could be really beneficial for both pupils and teachers. Thinking of my own classroom, I can see a number of times where lights, whiteboards, heaters, etc. were using power with no real need at that particular time. It can really open our eyes to the amount of energy we waste needlessly.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Rían,

Thank you for your post and for sharing some of the first hand impacts of climate changes on your own locality. I think the idea of children tracking climate trends is a really interesting one – very often we are trying to get children to give informed opinions that are backed up with relevant research or evidence. This is a perfect example of an action research project that can be conducted, giving them experience of validating opinions or thoughts, and also providing some first-hand information of the rate of climate change evident in the local area.

[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.

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