[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Niamh,

Thanks for your post here. I am sure by the end of the course you will have experienced a range of AT tools that you may find useful to mix with your pedagogical approaches in class. The SETT framework is a really useful tool to have in mind and can complement a child’s school support plan. Seeing a case study is often the catalyst we need to be able to apply it to our own classes and contexts.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Ciara,

Thanks for your post. I think this SDG might strike a chord for many. Poverty is a word that is generally considered to be referring to the plight of people living in third-world countries. However, poverty is a very real issue in all communities in Ireland. It is likely that the majority of classrooms will have children living in poverty in some instances. The surging prices of groceries, childcare, housing and rents has led many individuals to have to make decisions around what they can and cannot buy. Recent surveys around the ‘back to school’ costs have heightened this further and show that a huge financial burden on families can cause them to live some aspects of their lives in poverty. Exploring the wider definition of the word is something that may be very beneficial.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Kevin,

I think all children in our classes would have first hand experience of this SDG in relation to food waste. Some schools who are already signed up to the ‘hot lunches’ scheme have also noted that this is one of the major problems and concerns they have noted. Too often we can throw out perfectly edible food for the sake of convenience – the recent recall of various food products could also be something to explore in terms of production and consumption of processed foods which moves beyond this specific SDG, but could warrant exploration.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Luke,

Thanks for your post and for sharing your thoughts on the SDG relating to climate change. The final module of this course will also explore this theme through the context of development education. The installation of solar panels offers an ideal opportunity to explore this aspect of renewable energy in schools – indeed, it is likely that many teachers will be unaware of the potential savings that can come from their use in school, and also in their own homes. Apps are available to track how much energy has been generated each day and this may be useful to explore as it would allow children to correlate the factors that present for greater energy generation (outside of the obvious factor of sunlight).

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Anthony,

Welcome to the course and thank you for your post here. You have spoken so clearly about the specific benefits you can see in your classroom through the teacher’s use of AI to create resources and learning experiences that are more personalised to individual learner needs. International tests like PISA and TIMSS show Ireland have fewer learners scoring both notably low and notably high. Our traditional methods of teaching to the middle and attempting to provide scaffolds and support to build those struggling up has been effective in this regard. However, AI tools now offer us the opportunity to easily differentiate content and ideas to ensure all children, including those of high academic ability, are challenged appropriately.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Mary,

Thank you for sharing your thoughts here and for outlining your own positive experiences of engaging with AI to date. Like many, Chat GPT may have been your first interaction with AI tools, which can provide a certain comfort in its use. You have mentioned Pictory AI, which is a more specific AI tool. This course will allow you to explore more of these tools that can be specifically tailored to an educational context. Some of these may be very useful to you, while some may prompt you to think that your current use of Chat GPT would be more effective. Many of these tools boil down to personal preference as they are pulling from the same banks of data and information.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Sean,

Thank you for sharing this sample resource with us which touches upon some extremely important and pertinent issues in relation to children’s interactions online and use of the internet. You have mentioned the Webwise suite of resources and one activity from the ‘My Selfie and the Wider World’ programme springs to mind here. Children can calculate if an image is seen by 10 people and they then share it and a further 10 people see it that it can be seen by up to a million people within a couple of hours. This really strikes home how easily things can go ‘viral’ and may prompt children to think about what they are posting or engaging with online.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Kevin,

Welcome to the course and thank you for your post here. You have identified a very relevant point around the importance of a cross-curricular approach to development education. The subsequent modules will outline how some of the key themes of development education can be brought to life in the classroom. However, looking at these in an integrated manner is key and ensuring the learning across different disciplines is reflective of this will allow for deeper learning and engagement with these key themes.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Aidan,

Thanks fir your post here and for your overview of how the SETT framework could be used to support children in an autism class. I like the way you have identified how this could be one approach to compliment the child’s school support plan and how it can prompt us to think specifically about both what and why we are doing something or using a particular tool.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Emily,

It’s great to hear that this module has offered you the opportunity to explore some AT tools that will be useful tools in your repository for the coming years. Dictate is a tool that is probably underused and undervalued, both inside and outside education. There are so many uses for this, from making searches and records easier to opening up the writing process to more children, including those with literacy challenges. Other versions of Dictate are also available through Google and Apple for those using those devices and operation systems.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Gabrielle,

Thanks for sharing your experiences here. I’m struck by what you have said around residual issues occurring after covering and broaching the topic of gender stereotypes. It is likely that these thoughts and opinions have been present for a large number of years, potentially subconsciously due to marketing of various companies and businesses. In reality, it is probably something that we need to discuss at various times throughout a child’s progression through school as different class levels will present different challenges in this regard.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Pamela,

Thank for this post. One of the key points you have raised is around the ‘personalisation’ of the learning. It can be very difficult to achieve personalised learning goals through textbook-led approaches. However, AI tools can be used to create and design content specifically around the interests of the class or children. For instance, AI could create a series of reading passages around the importance of the local agricultural show to the town’s economy. This is extremely difficult to achieve without the use of AI and really highlights how it can be used to tailor experiences around the interests and needs if those you teach.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Rhonda,

Thank you for this overview and summation of some of your key learning from the course. Your post highlights that you have taken many key messages from the course content. What hits home is how you have identified different AI tools with different strengths which lend themselves to specific areas. Treating these tools as a sort of ‘pick and mix’ is crucial in finding the balance of how AI and effective pedagogy can integrate.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Maria,

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on Ehigie’s article here. It could be argued that global citizenship and awareness around this is more important than ever in present times. When you see some of the horrible atrocities going on across the world, it does call into question a range of issues that can be looked at through the lens of development education. Looking at inequalities and migration through the Sustainable Development Goals could be particularly useful and would knit really well with the theme of citizenship.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Orla,

Thank you for your post and for sharing your thoughts on this SDG. As you have aid, Zero Hunger is so topical at the moment when you see images of the horrific starving of children and babies in Gaza. It is impossible not to empathise with their situation and wish for it to come to an end. Using this as a catalyst to think about the importance of healthy eating, diet, sustainability, etc. on a local level is a great way for children to think about the role we all play in these SDG’s.

[Author]

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