[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Karen,

Thanks for your post here and for sharing many excellent ideas for promoting climate activism in schools. I love how your ideas really centre on the children taking ownership of this around the school. Maintaining the school garden, planting crops and seeds, etc. can really create a real sense of sustainability within the children. I’m sure there’s not a school in the country that wouldn’t have a significant water accumulation from the rainfall harvesting systems. Getting children involved and invested in these initiatives is a crucial part of them being able to apply these outside of the school building and in their own communities.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Ciarán,

Thanks for your post here. Particularly moving into 6th class, it is so important that children begin to look at sources through a critical lens and know what to look for when checking for reliability, bias, etc. In an era where ‘fake news’ really seems to be taking hold, and where social media platforms are being used to generate mass movements based around this, it is essential for children to be equipped with these skills. I agree with you regarding the potential benefits of using Google’s Teachable Machine. We may have some course participants who can share practical examples of its use over the coming days and weeks.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Carrie,

Thanks for your post and for sharing your thoughts on various AI tools – I share your thoughts on Diffit and can attest that it is highly unlikely that any of our imaginations can keep up with the power of AI. It’s also great to have some ideas on different activities that can be completed with those who are exempt from religion / Gaeilge. You have listed Microsoft Reading Coach as a suitable tool for this, and many other AI tools could be used for this purpose also.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Ciaran,

Welcome to the course. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and for sharing your enthusiasm for the use of Gen-AI within the classroom. You are correct in identifying the potential transformative effect of AI tools for generating assessments and differentiated learning material for students. As well as enhancing student learning, it also offers the potential to free up time for the teacher to engage in more meaningful preparatory activities.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Martina,

Thanks for your post here. I fully agree with you regarding the amount of paper waste that happens in our schools. I spoke to a secondary school teacher who estimated their photocopying costs for the year to be in the region of €40,000. Most schools have invested significantly in interactive whiteboards and panels, and perhaps more training on how these can be used would be useful in reducing the paper wastage.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Karen,

Thanks for your post. As I mentioned in an earlier reply, access to quality education is something we may take for granted at times in Ireland. However, the ‘100 people’ graphic really hammers home just how lucky we are to have widespread access to both primary and second-level education here. I am intrigued to check out the ‘most dangerous ways to school’ video series – thank you for sharing that with us.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Martina,

Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us. As educators, we are very aware of the benefits that can be brought about from access to quality education. Even in areas of social deprivation, education can be an equalising factor, and ensure that we all have equal opportunities to pursue our own interests and passions. In many cases, children in DEIS schools in Ireland can pay testament to this. We can often feel removed from areas of the world that do not have the same opportunities we have here, but the ‘100 people’ visual is very powerful in highlighting just how widespread some of these issues are around the world.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi James,

Thank you for your post and for sharing your thoughts with us. Many participants have shared their perspectives on using Immersive Reader with children that have literacy difficulties. However, its fantastic that you have been able to identify ways in which it can be used for children with ASD and autism. The picture dictionary is a great feature that can be rally useful in forging links between English and native language, and builds both vocabulary and understanding in the process.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Helen,

Thank your for your post here. I’m sure that the experiences you have shared will resonate with others on this course. I have noticed similar when teaching senior classes. The frustration that reading difficulties can cause for children with dyslexia can really impinge on their ability to fully access the curriculum to the best of their ability. Often these children are capable of producing work of a very high standard, but are hindered in their ability to access the content. Immersive Reader plays such an important role in removing these barriers, and can free up thinking space for children to focus on what their ‘output’ work will be.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Paul,

Thank you for your post and for sharing your experience with us. It is great that you are able to share your experience of the education system, both as a teacher and as a parent. You have made an excellent point surrounding the notion that AI may replace teachers – AI cannot complete the multi-faceted role of the teacher, but it can help us with some of the mundane, cumbersome and time-consuming tasks that eat into our time and indirectly impinge on our ability to provide the highest quality learning environment for our children.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Carrie,

Thank you for your post. You are correct to point out the significant administrative burden that can be lifted through the targeted use of AI. As you have said, the module highlighted the need for prompts to be specific and the different outputs that can derive from even slightly different prompt inputs. Over time, we will get kore adept at prompting the chatbot to produce exactly what we are looking for, and enhance our productivity and efficiency even further in the process.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Cora,

Thank you for your post. It is great that you have been able to identify such actionable targets for the coming year. The BeeBots will be an excellent resource for this class level and give the children a great introduction to coding and programming. Within your post, you have also mentioned how Scratch Jr. can be used to create an animation. These two tools are extremely complementary of each other, and will allow the children to engage in creative learning experiences and develop critical thinking/problem solving skill.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi David,

Congratulations for reaching the end of the course and thank you for your comprehensive post here. It is clear that you have a targeted plan of action on how you are going to put some of the content from the course into action. I think you have focused on really relevant and topical areas that are going to enrich the learning experiences of children in your class. The focus on the promotion of critical thinking is a clear example of this.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Anna,

Thank you for your post and for offering some concrete examples of how children can get involved in small initiatives that can reduce their energy use. I really like the idea of an hour each week where no power is used. This could be really beneficial for both pupils and teachers. Thinking of my own classroom, I can see a number of times where lights, whiteboards, heaters, etc. were using power with no real need at that particular time. It can really open our eyes to the amount of energy we waste needlessly.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Rían,

Thank you for your post and for sharing some of the first hand impacts of climate changes on your own locality. I think the idea of children tracking climate trends is a really interesting one – very often we are trying to get children to give informed opinions that are backed up with relevant research or evidence. This is a perfect example of an action research project that can be conducted, giving them experience of validating opinions or thoughts, and also providing some first-hand information of the rate of climate change evident in the local area.

[Author]

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