[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Vera,

Thanks for your post here. I like how you have explicitly linked to SDG with goals and targets that can be achieved within the school and would be specifically related to benefiting the school in terms of sustainable practices. Whilst engaging with this, you have also noted the possibility for expanding the learning through projects – learning around supply chains could be particularly interesting and enlightening for older children.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Emma,

Thank you for this contribution. Scratch Junior is a really excellent option to introduce the basics to younger children. It works very well on iPad – there are a number of short books available that take you through sequences of lessons that will enable the children to operate it independently and create more complex stories by themselves. In terms of accessibility you have raised an excellent point around multi-sensory approaches being beneficial for all children. It is rare that only one children will benefit from particular accommodations which means we shouldn’t shy away from introducing these to all children in a class.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Mary,

Thanks for your post here. It is so valuable to have specific groups of children to be thinking of when exploring an AI tool. Having a purpose in mind is key to exploring the effectiveness of these tools, as often aimless exploration can leave us with more questions than answers. Involving the children themselves in this learning and creating problems that are embedded in a real-life context and relevant to the children is actually listed under the ‘applying and problem solving’ element of the PMC. Sometimes a small switch in the wording of a problem can be all it takes to see it in a different light and aid exploration.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Brian,

Welcome to the course and thank you for your contribution here. The phrase ‘today’s expert is tomorrow’s novice’ is one that rings so true when talking about the evolution of AI in recent years. This is what makes professional development in this field so challenging. We need to be developing transferable skills, thinking about ethical issues and other matters when looking at upskiling in this field. You have referred to a number of huge positives around the use of AI by teachers in this post and the subsequent modules will explore how various AI tools can be utilized for this purpose.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Bianca,

Thank you for your post here. It’s great that you have been able to see the benefits of using Magic School and the specific areas where it can help you as a special class teacher. The sheer variety of resource available and the different layouts available in Magic School makes it a real ‘one stop shop’ when it comes to creating classroom resources and learning materials. Indeed, you have also pointed to other uses of AI within the special class setting, particularly around the creation of assessments. The sheer time this can save us as teachers is something we need to embrace.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Fiona,

Thank you for your post here and for your engagement throughout the course. I think the content of your post speaks to this – the acknowledgment that a variety of AI-tools can be used in combination to create the resources required for the ideal lesson is an important recognition. In much the same way as a number of textbooks on the same subject from different publishers will have different takes on certain topics, AI tools will be the same. Dipping in and out of your repository of AI tools is something that will benefit you going forward and allow you to create the most effective learning experiences possible for your classes.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Barbara,

Thank you for your post and your contribution to the discussion here. The use of SDG13 is particularly pertinent as children have a number of reference points in their own locality to point to when it comes to the impact of climate change, and the extreme weather events brought by this. The interconnected nature of global citizens was referred to in Module 1, and it becomes really important here. Small actions at a local level, as you have pointed out, can have a significant impact if they are undertaken by global citizens all around the world.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Caitriona,

Whilst Shane’s post below focused on the importance of developing responsible global citizens,. you have highlighted another key point around global interconnectedness. Acknowledging and understanding the interconnected nature of the world is essential when looking at these development education themes. Global inequalities might be less apparent in Ireland than other countries in the world, but this does not mean that we don’t or can’t have a role to play in tackling these. Creating those links as responsible global citizens is a key aim of development education.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Shane,

Welcome to the course and thank you for your contribution around Ehigie’s paper here. Your use of the term ‘responsible global citizens’ is one that I think hits the nail on the head – through equipping children with knowledge and understanding around these development education themes at an early age, we can only hope that they will be able to make informed decisions and actions when faced with these issues in their own lives and communities. The subsequent modules will all look at specific development education themes and how this can be developed throughout the school.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Edwina,

Thank you for your detailed and comprehensive post here, where you have raised a number of very interesting points around gender stereotyping. Play choices is a place where I would have also experienced a lot of this with junior classes, and this can then be carried through to games and activities that happen in the classroom or on the yard in later years. Your point around bringing development education in straight away in the junior classes, with a focus on looking at gender roles is so important in stifling this before it becomes a larger issue as they get older.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi David,

Welcome to the course. Thank you for your post here. You have accurately pointed out how AI can be just one tool in effective teaching and the creation of engaging learning experiences for the children in our classes. The coming modules will outline how specific AI tools can be used to achieve this, as well as prompting some thought around ethical considerations when it comes to AI use for and with our pupils.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Norma,

Thank you for your post here and for your engagement throughout the course. The reality is that Google (and Microsoft for that matter) have so many useful tools in their suite of projects that we all feel like we are not utilising them to their full capacity. Hopefully this course has provided some ideas on how one or two additional Google tools can be used to enhance your teaching and administration next year. Setting up personal Google accounts is an important step in achieving this and opens up many possibilities, including the use of Classroom and potentially the development of digital portfolios.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Harriet,

Thank you for your post here and for sharing the world being carried out by this organisation in Finglas. Reading this forum is heartening when you see the generosity and goodwill that exists in communities up and down the country in terms of making those fleeing war and conflict welcome. The community partnerships that could be forged here, including the hosting of guest speakers, is a great idea to raise awareness of the work being done and could strengthen the sense of social justice in the school and community that is focused on upholding the rights of all.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Daniel,

Thank you for your post here and for sharing this engaging resource with us all. Big books and animated film can be such an effective tool for engaging children in a conversation around certain development education topics. While deforestation might not be something they can tangibly see the effects of in our own communities, the use of a resource like this allows us to see the real effects it can have on local communities and the knock-on effect for us all in our own homes and communities in Ireland.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Thomas,

Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us here and your experience of using AI enhanced tools with your class. You have raised an excellent point around the barrier of effective CPD for all teachers in this field. What makes this especially difficult is the rapidly evolving nature of AI and AI tools in education. CPD needs to be centred on equipping teachers with a core set of skills and knowledge that can be adaptable and responsive to any future changes related to the evolution of AI.

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