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Hi Aoife,
I’m sure you share the same feelings as almost all teachers when a child in their class is granted AT. It is very difficult to know how to best use the technology to meet that child’s needs. Even those of us who may feel competent using technologies to teach can find it difficult, as the needs of the child are extremely specific, and there is often a dearth of information and guidance in this regard. There is huge potential in the use of AT, and with a certain element of ‘trial and error’, we can all improve. Getting feedback from the child, particularly if they’re in a senior class, can be a great benefit when deciding whether to persist with or abandon a particular tool or software.
Hi Arlene,
Thanks for your post. You are very correct to point out that professional development is essential to improve as a teacher. Cosán allow us the freedom to reflect on our own practice and identify areas for improvement, specific to our own practice. Being reflective allows us to identify these deficits, meaning that both reflection-in-practice and reflection-on-practice is key. As the saying goes ‘if you do the same things; you will get the same results’. We are duty-bound to do our best to provide the best learning experience possible for our students, and the Cosán principles allow us the space to do this.
Hi Cal,
As you have alluded to, Google Classroom is a powerful LMS. It has so much potential and certainly allows teachers and children to go much further in their learning than the likes of Seesaw. It is particularly suitable for children in senior classes. The ‘Drawing’ tool is one that has come on so much in recent years and it can now be used for the children to engage in ‘drag and drop’, ‘labelling’ or ‘cloze’ activities. In terms of assessment and the use of Google Forms, there is a new AI powered tool called Quizalise that will automatically convert a Chat GPT generated quiz into a Google Form (all that is left for you to do is add the point values for each question if you wish).
Hi Eamonn,
The Microsoft Lens and integrated Immersive Reader can be a real game-changer for children with literacy difficulties. The ability to use the translate tool in either the Google or Microsoft Lens also means that it is a tool that could greatly support EAL learners. Speech to text is a wonderful feature that allows children who are competent orally in transferring this to the ‘written’ word. I have seen it do wonders for the confidence of a child, who was previously demoralised with writing difficulties.
Hi Arlene,
It is without question that assistive technologies can hugely benefit children with additional needs. You have pointed out five huge benefits in your post, which link directly to standards from the Digital Learning Framework. I think ‘meeting diverse learning needs’ is what it all boils down to. Many of us have first-hand experience of children who struggle with traditional modes of instruction,. of children who are far better orally than in writing, and of children who struggle to begin a task for ‘fear of struggle’. Providing the child with a piece of technology that can alleviate these challenges is something which we should be embraced – hopefully, the remainder of the course will highlight some specific programmes that may be used with these assistive technologies.
Hi Damian,
Welcome to the course. It’s great that you have had some experience of working with Google Classroom over the last year. Hopefully, you will be able to draw on this experience and gather some new ideas as you move through the course. The ‘Applied Digital Skills’ element of the Google Suite is an excellent and under-utilised resource. One of the best elements of it is the ‘step-by-step’ nature of its layout and how easy that makes the process for teachers. The ability to seamlessly work collaboratively is one of the main features of the Google Workspace tools, and it’s clear that you are thinking in this way with your suggestions.
Hi Deirdre,
Welcome to the course and thank you for your detailed post here. You have pointed out so many benefits that assistive technologies can bring to a child, and how they can be transformative in helping him/her overcome their learning difficulties. I always find it quit frustrating that a child is granted assistive technology and then it is the responsibility of the school and class/SET teacher to decipher how it should be best used. I think this leads to too many children missing out on the full benefits of assistive technologies – there should be a centralised support service (potentially within the NCSE) offering support in this area, and schools should have a policy in place about the steps that must be taken when a child is granted AT. These measures would help ensure more equity among those whose AT applications were approved.
Hi Aoife,
Welcome to the course and thank you for your comprehensive response here. I am unfamiliar with the A.R.R.O.W programme, but it certainly sounds like it is worth researching. The Spellings for Me programme has so many positive elements to it – it is particularly useful in senior classes when children have been exposed to a good base of phonological awareness and phonics instruction.
The SETT model is really effective for a teacher, as it identifies particular areas of focus and allows you to keep your interventions focused to the specific need of a child or group of children.
Hi Catherine,
Welcome to the course. While the DES may get some criticism (sometimes warranted), I think that recent documentation has certainly shown some ‘joined up thinking’ Looking at Our Schools, the Digital Learning Framework, the new SSE Guidelines and the Guidance on Preparation for Teaching and Learning all ‘sing from the same hymn sheet’.
It’s great that you have had the chance to take some early steps towards the development of your digital learning plan. The DL Planning website contains a huge repository of good practice videos and resources which you may find useful. In terms of finding specific AT’s for particular students, this link may be useful.
Hi Caroline,
Welcome to the course! Your experience of working in a special class will be invaluable to you throughout the course, and I’m sure we’ll all learn and take so much from your forum postings. Technologies can be powerful for students with additional needs – I know of one pupil in our special class who uses the picture cards on the iPad as their primary means of communication. It’s that ‘sense of ownership’, as you put it, that we must strive to create when integrating technologies in these settings. You have given an excellent (and very practical) example of how the SETT model could be used. Collaborating with families, professionals, etc. is so crucial if we are to create an approach that meets an individual child’s needs in the most specific ay possible.
Hi Kevin,
I agree with you about the new Curriculum Framework and how it is moving us towards a more competency- and skill-based curriculum that focuses on the development of 21st century skills that are necessary for lifelong learning. While many see the revised time allocation as a negative (less time for literacy), I feel it may alter the methods we use and lead to more thematic-based learning across subjects and disciplines. Disciplinary literacy, as explored in PLC webinar 7, could be a powerful tool in this regard.
Jamboard is a tool I used heavily in the senior classes last year. Once clear boundaries and expectations are set for its use, it can be very powerful. Students can brainstorm and very often will take inspiration from what others have written. This is particularly true with writing ‘as Gaeilge’, where sentence structure can be repetitive.
Hi Jen,
Welcome to the course. Thank you so much for sharing this activity with us. I wouldn’t like to admit how long I have just spent messing around with it. It turns out my online playing of musical instruments is very similar to my offline playing! There is plenty of interactivity in the link, and major ties can be made to the music curriculum. ‘Arts and Culture’ is an amazing resource – I often spend hours moving from one collection to another, totally mesmerised by the available content.
Hi Ellen,
Thank you for sharing your practice with us – of all the learning difficulties, dyslexia is the one with the greatest suite of assistive resources available. There are a myriad of apps and tools that can assist children with these difficulties. Microsoft and Google Lens are a perfect example of this. In terms of Google Lens (and I’m sure Microsoft Lens is the same) you can simply take a picture of the textbook/novel and have it read aloud/translated. This saves the work of copying the text onto a Word document.
Hi Siobhan,
Thanks for your post – the SETT plan works really well in conjunction with a student’s school support plan, and can often be included as an appendix. It can be useful to survey the child, class teacher and parents before designing your SETT plan, and allow them to have some input as to where they feel they need support. This can be very effective for pupils in senior classes. I think SETT plans are really good in that they focus you on the four key areas (student, environment, task and tools). Here, we can put very focussed interventions in place to assist the child’s priority needs. In reality, collaboration between both class teacher and SET is imperative to ensure the best results are achieved for the child.
Hi Jennifer,
I think it’s very clear that the vast majority of our profession buy-in to being ‘lifelong learners’. The fact we have such large number engaging in summer courses and voluntary CPD through local education centres during the year is a testament to this. Cosán underpins this desire in teachers to upskill and develop professionally. It gives us the autonomy to select our own priority needs and undertake professional development in these areas. Building knowledge, skills and understanding can only benefit our pupils, as we return to the classroom with these new attributes.
