[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 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 Dee,

Welcome to the online element of this course and thank you for sharing our thoughts with us here. The child-led approach to education that can be facilitated through digital integration is certainly an important factor in prioritising their increased use. In schools, very often the use of digital technologies (or any other subject/methodology) can vary widely from teacher to teacher. The SSE process is a great way of streamlining the integration across the school, and ensuring that all members of the school community are working towards this improvement initiative. Monitoring the progress of the plan is so important – some staff members may be encountering issues and there may need to be revisions made to ensure its success.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Ruth,

Welcome to the course and thank you for your post. It is certainly fair to say that there are a number of options out there when it comes to assistive technologies. In some ways, there are too many and there is limited expertise in this area. Children who are granted AT use often have very specific needs, and a tool that works for one child may not be as effective for another. The SETT model is such a useful framework for you to use and think about the different AT’s that may be useful for the child.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Deirdre,

Thank you for your post. You have provided us with a comprehensive overview of the features that Immersive Reader offers. The breadth of its use can really be seen in your post, which encapsulates just how powerful an assistive tool it is. The ‘visual crowding’ is a feature that I wouldn’t often highlight. However, now that I see it mentioned I can tell you that a number of students have found this to be hugely effective. Being able to isolate 1 or 3 lines of text can be huge in minimising distractions – changing the background colour and font are other small changes that have worked for some children I’ve taught.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Ríona,

I love how you have taken such a STEM-themed approach to a classic children’s book. I always loved using The Very Hungry Caterpillar with younger classes, and there are a number of messages that can be taken and teased out from the story. There is a clear progression and sequential order to the lesson, e.g. oral recount, picture steps, creating symbols as representations, etc.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Lorcan,

The education landscape has certainly changed over the past number of years, and will likely continue to change over the coming years. The onset of the Primary Curriculum Framework over the coming years will likely lead to changes in what and how we teach. I’m interested in your thoughts on how the incorporation of multimedia content can demystify complex concepts. I feel that being able to present material to children in different media forms allows all children to access it at some point – e.g. a child with reading difficulties may benefit from a video / the use of an assistive tool like Immersive Reader. We wish you the very best for the year ahead.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Sarah,

Welcome to the online part of this course. You are correct to point out the importance of identifying your goals at first. For buy-in to occur across the board, teachers need to know why you are planning this and what the benefits will be. This really steps to the ‘identify a focus’ step in the SSE process. As Ríona has already mentioned on this forum, the dynamism of digital technologies is one of their main benefits. As you have said, information can be presented and consumed through video, movies and infographics (to name but a few) – highlighting their dynamic nature.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Ríona,

Welcome to the online element of this course. I really like your use of the word ‘dynamic’, and find it so relevant in these contexts. We always hear talk about digital technologies can transform education, but I think the level of dynamism they carry are their greatest strength. The versality you have with a digital device and the ability to create learning experiences that go beyond what can be achieved with concrete materials is a clear benefit. The emergence of personalised learning pathways on your digital learning journey is something to be proud of, and it’s great that the SSE guidelines helped you on the process.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Lorcan,

Thank you for your post and for sharing your lesson with us. It is fair to say that this is a truly integrated lesson that navigates and develops a series of STEM skills. There is a strong structure to the lesson with development and progression noticeable throughout. I really like how you have discussed and expanded on the way’s in which you plan to assess the lesson – it showcases the integrated nature of the assessment continuum with provisions for both child-led and teacher-led assessment. I’m sure many of us will be taking inspiration from this lesson for next year.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Conor,

Welcome to the online element of this course. Thank you for your post. You have identified many interesting points regarding the use of digital technologies in classrooms, and the links that can be forged with SSE. One of the key things you have mentioned is the importance of identifying the outcomes you want to achieve – if a change initiative is to be successful, the overall goal needs to be shared. Together with the teaching staff and school leadership, you can then set about making small goals that will help you on your way. The provision of real-time feedback for both the teacher and the children is something which can really help you clarify misunderstandings ‘in the moment’, and I’m delighted you have identified it here.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Deirdre,

Thank you for your post and for contributing an outline of the SETT plan and interventions you would put in place for this fictional child. It is clear that this child has a range of complex needs that emanate from a physical disability and a learning difficulty. Identifying this helps you to see that a range of different interventions at low-tech, medium-tech and high-tech are likely to be required over a period of time to achieve the best results. Obviously, the pupil would benefit from a high-tech assistive tool like Dictate to make the writing process more attainable. However, other interventions such as a visual timetable, move and sit cushion, movement break, etc. may need to be factored in.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Grace,

Thank you for your post and detailed overview of the module’s content. As you have said, it’s important to have some interventions and aids at each level of the SETT Framework – a series of low-tech interventions may make a significant impact for some pupils, whereas others will require some medium- or high-tech interventions. It is so important that ‘schools evaluate the effectiveness of AT based on individual learning experiences’ – we must reflect on how the AT worked with the child in question – Did it meet the student’s needs? Why? Why not? Once we have built up a picture around this, we need to continue/modify our approach to best meet the needs of the child.

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