[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Fionnuala,

Thank you for your contribution here. The caseload you speak of (and their specific needs) are well suited to a myriad of assistive technology tools, many of which will have been referenced in this course. It’s fantastic that you have been experimenting with assistive technologies in recent years, and that you have found Dictate useful. Immersive Reader will complement this, and in my view, it is the most comprehensive assistive technology out there for children with literacy difficulties. The fact that you are all pulling in the same direction in terms of making small steps towards digital integration and transformation is amazing, and is a journey that will be very worthwhile.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Deirdre,

Thank you for your post. It’s amazing to hear of your experience teaching in America. From what I have been told, Google is really the dominant platform in American schools (whereas a power struggle exists between Google and Microsoft in Europe). The beauty of the Google Workspace tools is that they are continually evolving and small alterations and additions happen a couple of times a year. You have mentioned the ease at which differentiation can occur – one of the things I love most is how discrete the differentiation is and how it can very much be focused on the particular task.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Myriam,

Thanks for your post. The 21st century skills you listed there are central to our work and development in schools. In some ways, we should be looking at how technology can be used as a vehicle in developing skills such as communication and collaboration. I feel you have touched upon an important point when you mention how digital technologies can be used to support busy teachers and, essentially, make their lives easier. The onset of AI and Chat GPT can be used in this regard. Using technology ethically and smartly can certainly reduce unnecessary workload and help you to manage your class in a more streamlined fashion.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Margaret,

Thank you for your post. The uses of digital technology in a school setting, from teaching and learning to office administration, really are endless. You have succinctly summarised some of the features of digital technology we use most often. SSE and the Digital Learning Framework are very effective vehicles through which digital transformation can be brought about. You have hit on one of the most important points when it comes to technology in education within your post – the teacher must have the pedagogical knowledge and skill to know how and when to use the technology most appropriately.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Seán,

Welcome to the course. The choice of resource here is a strong entry point into the writing process. The process is presented in an engaging manner, with various templates there to structure the work for both teacher and children. This provides a sort of scaffold for those reluctant writers and can be used very effectively for differentiation. There is also the scope there to allow more competent writers to extend their writing through various prompts and questioning. All in all, the Applied Digital Skills website is an excellent source for engaging classroom content.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi James,

Thank you for your post. The Office 365 suite has so much potential for use in the school setting, both in the classroom and for office administration. PowerPoint and Sway are great presentation tools, and can be used by the teachers to share information with pupils. They can also be used by pupils as a medium to respond to certain learning activities. ‘Seesaw’ is a really useful learning platform, and I have loved using it with the younger classes. However, it is quite limited as you move up the school and there are not as many opportunities for pupils to delve deeper into their learning. Using Microsoft (or Google) platforms allows pupils the chance to take greater ownership of their own learning.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Tara,

Welcome to the course! Thanks for sharing your thoughts on both Sway and Forms. As you have mentioned, Sway goes further than simply allowing children to show off their attainment of learning objectives – it allows them to express themselves and be creative in their response to a given task. Forms (again, as you have said) is really effective when used as an AoL and AfL tool – very often people simply think its main purpose is to gather attainment at the end of a unit of work. However, it is possible to use it as an ongoing assessment tool through the use of exit tickets, which helps gather feedback and inform your planning for the next stage of the lesson/unit.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Catherine,

Welcome to the course. Thank you for your post and for sharing your Form and Sway. I have seen some schools using Sway to create their newsletters, and it really does create a nice, polished finish. As you have said, it is cost effective and included as part of your school’s Office 365 license. Having the names recorded is a great feature of Forms, and can be so effective in tracking progress across various learning outcomes over time. As principal, Forms can be a great tool for gathering staff feedback on initiatives, or getting them to log tickets on any issues or problems they’re having.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Alan,

Welcome to the course. Thank you for your post and for sharing your earlier Forms quiz. Sway is such a versatile and interactive tool that can be used to great effect in school administration, and teaching and learning. Children have the opportunity to creatively respond to tasks and showcase their imagination when using Sway. The addition of audio recordings provides another medium through which students can respond, and supports a UDL approach. Forms is a super assessment tool, and you seem to have mastered the central features of it, from looking at your geography quiz.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Katie,

I fully agree with you regarding the class stream. While it is a useful tool, there are probably too many potential negatives to offset any small positive benefits its use can bring about. Classroom has such an accessible interface, and experience with various other social platforms will certainly be beneficial. Classroom would be well suited to children at 4th class level – they are at an age where they will benefit from the additional depth in tasks that Classroom, and its related tools, lends itself to.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Megan,

Thank you for sharing your Sway with us. I really like a number of the ideas you have listed, and it is clear to see how collaborative work would be enhanced as a result of this. The use of OneNote is quite creative and innovative, as it allows for both individual and collaborative work. Providing children with responsibility for one area, but then getting them to critique and proofread each others work may be very beneficial for improving their ability to ‘edit’ and critique their own work in time.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Emma,

Thank you for your post and for summarising some of the digital tools which will inform your teaching next year. Given that you are working in a special class, the tools you will use will be quite varied to the individual needs of the 6 children in the class. You clearly have a wide repertoire of digital tools that can be used with the entire group, and then with individuals. The Seesaw library is an amazing resource, and has numerous filters that can allow you to find the activities you want much quicker.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Fionnuala,

Immersive Reader is such a powerful tool and one which really does take your interest when you see it for the first time. Its integration with the Microsoft tools is seamless and it really does offer up so many opportunities for those who struggle with literacy. There are other alternatives available through Chrome extensions for schools without a 365 license. It really is a tool which can level the playing field, and allows pupils to achieve and access content at the same level as that of their peers. The ‘Dictate’ tool within Word offers the opposite function (speech to text) and can be used in conjunction with the Immersive Reader.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Maria,

Welcome to the course! The SETT model is an excellent framework, and you will have the opportunity to practically engage with it in subsequent modules. The importance of looking at the entire picture of the child (academic, social, emotional, cognitive as you have put it) when devising a plan. It is important that all those involved in working with the child are consulted about this plan, and that it feeds into the overarching targets in his/her School Support Plan. In terms of AT, the level of intervention is really important, as you have alluded to, and the teachers knowledge of the child and the particular tool will be essential in this regard.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Annmarie,

Thank you for your post. I have heard of Olus and skimmed their advertising in school last year. It is great to hear some positive feedback and there is certainly a broad range of areas and topics which they offer support in. With each child having their own profile, it is easier to differentiate instruction and ensure that children are being adequately challenged. The evaluation stage of the SSE cycle is so important, and I’m delighted that you have highlighted this. We need to think of the improvement plan as a multi-year project, rather than simply ticking a box each year. We need to monitor the interventions and decide what steps need to be taken to improve upon what we have already done.

[Author]

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