[G Nagle]

Thanks for replying, I could not find it and it was very confusing. The assignment hadn’t mentioned them. We must get microsoft so we can get an account to see what it is all about

[G Nagle]

AI-Generated Wildlife Poster

Class stage: Stage 3 — Third and Fourth Class

Curriculum area and learning intention:
STEM Education and Primary Language.
Pupils will examine an AI-generated wildlife poster, identify possible errors and explain why digital information should be checked before it is shared.

AI concept being explored:
Generative AI, accuracy and misinformation.

Activity outline:
The teacher presents an AI-generated poster about Irish woodland animals containing several deliberate errors, such as an incorrect habitat, diet or animal feature. In pairs, pupils identify statements or images they think may be inaccurate. They then check the information using teacher-approved books or websites and create a corrected version of the poster.

Critical question:
How can we decide whether AI-generated information is accurate enough to trust or share?

Responsible-use consideration:
Pupils should not enter personal information or upload photographs of themselves into AI tools. Any AI-generated material used in class should be selected and supervised by the teacher.

Supporting critical thinking:
The teacher prompts pupils to ask:

* What evidence supports this claim?
* Could this information be incorrect?
* Where could we check it?
* Who is responsible for correcting mistakes before sharing?

Evidence of learning:
The teacher gathers evidence through pupil discussion, completed fact-checking sheets and corrected posters. An exit ticket asks pupils to record one AI error they found, how they checked it and one rule for using AI-generated information responsibly.

[G Nagle]

The tutorial supports coding and computational thinking by introducing sequencing, repetition and cause and effect. Pupils can predict what will happen, test the program and change the timing or image to see how the output changes.

To strengthen the integrated STEM link, pupils could measure their heartbeat before and after exercise, compare the results and adjust the Micro:bit’s flashing speed to represent a resting or faster heartbeat.

A practical support would be to use large picture cards showing each coding block so pupils can arrange the sequence away from the computer. As a simple assessment, ask pupils to explain what they changed and what happened as a result.

[G Nagle]

 
<h2>Where did you find this activity?</h2>
<h2>Peer Response</h2>
A key strength is the clear link between Science and Technology. Pupils classify objects while training, testing and improving an AI model.

The activity supports age-appropriate AI literacy by showing that AI learns from examples and can make mistakes when its training data is limited.

One question is:Could the model become biased if it only sees a narrow range of leaves, shells or backgrounds?

A useful extension would be to compare two models: one trained with a small set of similar examples and another with a wider variety. Pupils could record which model is more accurate and explain why.

For SSE, the school could ask:Can pupils explain why an AI prediction may be wrong and suggest how to improve it?

[G Nagle]

Reply to

Hour of Code: Inclusion – A Tale of Two Villages

supports purposeful game-based learning because pupils use coding to solve clear problems within the story. They predict the Agent’s movements, sequence commands and correct mistakes through simple debugging.

The lesson supports STEM learning through:

Technology: using block-based coding;
Engineering: designing, testing and improving structures;
Mathematics:counting, sequencing and using positional language;
Science: discussing plants, environments and building materials.

The game makes learning meaningful because pupils use these skills to help the two villages cooperate and share resources.

Link to Another Curriculum Area: SPHE

The lesson links well with SPHE through friendship, inclusion, fairness and cooperation. Pupils could discuss how it feels to be left out and how they can include others in classroom games and activities.

As a follow-up, pupils could create a class “Inclusion Village.” Each child could draw a building or character and explain one way to help everyone feel welcome.

[G Nagle]

Minecraft Education Demo World Reflection
Name of the demo world
CyberSafe: Bad Connection?
Overview of the lesson or world
CyberSafe: Bad Connection? is an online-safety learning experience in which pupils work through three scenarios involving peer pressure, suspicious online behaviour and unsafe requests for personal information. Pupils make decisions about whom to trust, when to block or report another user, and when to seek help from a trusted adult.

The central message of the lesson is that a child will never be in trouble for asking for help. Even when a pupil has shared something they should not have shared or feels embarrassed about an online interaction, it is never too late to tell a trusted adult.
Lesson plan, learning objectives and resources
The lesson follows a three-part structure: pre-lesson preparation, gameplay across Acts 0–3, and post-lesson reflection.

In the tutorial, pupils learn the Minecraft controls and meet the main characters. In Act 1, they begin to recognise warning signs when an unfamiliar online player asks for information such as their age, email address, school and location. Act 2 introduces stronger peer pressure, harassment, inappropriate jokes, fear of missing out and an invitation to meet offline. In Act 3, the situation escalates to threats and the misuse of previously shared information. Pupils must decide whether to block the user, leave the server and tell a trusted adult. Different choices produce different endings, helping pupils see how online decisions can have consequences.

By the end of the lesson, pupils should be able to:

• recognise warning signs in unsafe online interactions;
• identify personal information that should remain private;
• set appropriate boundaries and say no;
• use safety tools such as block, report and leave;
• ask verification questions when evaluating online relationships;
• seek help from a trusted adult;
• support peers who may be at risk;
• understand that online actions can contribute to a permanent digital footprint.

The accompanying resources are particularly comprehensive. They include an Educator Guide, a Student Activities Workbook, printable Scenario Cards, a Parent/Guardian Letter, presentation slides, exit tickets, a pre- and post-lesson knowledge check, a standards-mapping document and a Family Toolkit. The Scenario Cards also provide an offline alternative for pupils who cannot or would prefer not to play the game.

Curriculum link or Focus of Learning
A strong curriculum link would be with Social, Personal and Health Education, particularly the strand units Safety and protection, Myself and others, and Relating to others.

The lesson supports pupils in recognising situations in which they may feel unsafe, responding assertively, identifying trusted adults and seeking help. It also explores bullying, respectful communication, personal boundaries, peer influence and responsibility for the wellbeing of others. These areas closely reflect the aims of the Stay Safe approach, which seeks to reduce children’s vulnerability to abuse and bullying through personal-safety education.

A suitable Focus of Learning could be:

Pupils will recognise unsafe or manipulative online interactions and demonstrate appropriate responses, including protecting personal information, setting boundaries, reporting harmful behaviour and seeking support from a trusted adult.

The world could also contribute to digital citizenship education by helping pupils interact safely, ethically and responsibly when using digital technology. The NCCA identifies privacy, security, online relationships, empathy, ethical behaviour and responsible participation as important aspects of children’s digital learning.

Reflection and classroom use
I would use the main world and its core message, but I would modify the pacing, preparation and follow-up discussion for my pupils.

Because the lesson includes harassment, manipulation, personal-information sharing, sexist comments, threats and blackmail-style language, I would not present it as an independent gameplay activity. I would first establish clear ground rules and remind pupils that they could speak privately to an adult if the content raised any concerns. I would also review the school’s child-protection and mandatory-reporting procedures before teaching the lesson.

I would divide the experience into two sessions. The first session would cover the tutorial and Acts 1 and 2, followed by discussion of personal information, warning signs and peer pressure. The second session would cover Act 3 and include a structured debrief about trusted adults, reporting tools and the consequences of different choices.

I would pause at important decision points so that pupils could use think-pair-share before making a choice. This would prevent pupils from rushing through the game and would allow them to explain their reasoning. I would also use the Scenario Cards as an accessibility option and provide sentence starters such as, “I am not comfortable sharing that,” “I am leaving this conversation,” and “I need to tell an adult about something that happened online.”

Finally, I would finish with an exit ticket asking pupils to identify one warning sign, one safety tool and one trusted adult they could approach. This would ensure that pupils understood not only the dangers presented in the story but also the practical actions they could take to protect themselves and others.

• This reply was modified 3 months, 3 weeks ago by G Nagle.

[G Nagle]

Can I ask where is the home sweet home demo? Am I missing something, I’ve only 4 demo lessons

[G Nagle]

One feature I liked in the Happy Bird game was the way the player controls the bird and tries to guide it safely through the game.

This supports the player experience because it requires concentration, good timing and quick reactions. It also makes the game challenging and encourages the player to keep practising to improve their score.

One practical suggestion would be to add different difficulty levels. For example, the obstacles could move faster or become closer together as the player’s score increases. This would make the game more challenging and keep the player interested for longer.

[G Nagle]

Game Type
Timed catch-and-collect game.

Game Title
Bubble Breath
https://makecode.com/_Xmc0h4CKE8fK

Curriculum Area and Learning Objective
Curriculum area: Geography – the local natural environment
Learning objective:
The children will identify a river as a local natural habitat and understand that fish and other living things depend on suitable environmental conditions to survive.
The game can support learning about the local river, river habitats, water quality and the plants and animals found in the area.

Simple Storyboard
Location
The game takes place underwater in a river. This can be linked to the river in our local town and used as part of a study of the local area.
Player
The player controls a fish swimming through the river.
Relevant Game Elements

The game includes:
• A fish controlled by the player
• Air bubbles for the fish to collect
• A countdown timer
• A score counter

What Happens in the Game
At the beginning of the game, the fish is underwater and needs to collect bubbles to get enough air.
The player uses the controls to move the fish around the river. The fish must swim into the bubbles to collect them. Each bubble gives the fish air and increases the player’s score.
The player must collect as many bubbles as possible before the timer runs out. The player may also need to avoid obstacles or dangerous creatures in the river.
How the Player Wins or Scores Points
The player earns points every time the fish touches and collects a bubble.
The player wins by collecting the required number of bubbles before the timer reaches zero.
The player loses if the timer runs out before the fish has collected enough air (5).

Link to the Local Area
The game can introduce a lesson about the river in our town. The children could investigate:
• Where the river begins and where it flows
• Animals and plants that live in or near the river
• Why clean water is important for fish
• How pollution can affect river habitats
• How people can protect the local river
The game could also begin a local-area project in which the children look at photographs, maps or observations of the river near the school.

Computational Thinking
Computational-thinking process: Decomposition
I used decomposition when creating the game by breaking it into smaller parts.
First, I created the fish and programmed its movement. Next, I added the bubbles and programmed what happened when the fish touched one. I then added the score and countdown timer. Finally, I added the winning and losing conditions.
Breaking the game into smaller tasks made it easier to create, test and improve each part.

[G Nagle]

The name of the tutorial you completed:
Coin Flipper on MakeCode for micro

A short description of what your code does:
My code turns the micro into a digital coin flipper. When the micro is shaken, it randomly chooses either heads or tails and shows the result on the LED screen. This uses chance, input from the shake gesture, and output on the micro display.

MakeCode share link to your project:
https://makecode.microbit.org/_gupHHA6M1LJx

How this could become an integrated STEM learning experience:
This tutorial could be turned into an integrated STEM activity by linking coding with Maths and probability. Pupils could predict whether the micro will show heads or tails, test it a number of times, and record the results in a table. They could then compare the number of heads and tails and discuss whether the results were fair or random link to chance in Maths

It could also link to Science and Technology, as pupils would explore how the micro responds to movement and how an input, such as shaking, can create an output. Pupils could work in pairs, test their code, debug any errors, and explain how they improved it. This would support computational thinking skills such as sequencing, testing, debugging and using data.

[G Nagle]

One strength in your reflection/action plan:
I really like how you have linked LAOS collaborative teacher practice with STEM and the new curriculum. The progression pathway from Junior Infants to 2nd class using Bee-Bots sounds like a very practical way to build computational thinking skills gradually across the school.

Why one of your actions feels realistic or well focused:
Your plan to teach one unplugged computational thinking activity a fortnight feels very realistic. It is a manageable starting point and it also recognises that computational thinking does not always need iPads, Chromebooks or robotics. We use Bee-Bots in my school too, and I think pairing them with unplugged activities first would really help pupils understand sequencing, direction, debugging and problem-solving before moving on to the device.

One helpful question or practical suggestion:
One way you could gather evidence of progress might be to keep short observation notes, photos of activities, and pupil comments about what they found tricky or how they solved a problem. Have you considered creating a simple shared folder where teachers could upload Bee-Bot activities, unplugged tasks and photos of pupil work? This could support collaboration and help build a whole-school STEM plan over time.

[G Nagle]

Digital Learning Framework / Looking at Our School 2022: Learning and Teaching – Teachers’ Individual Practice

Reflection on my own practice:
One strength in my current practice is that I already use practical, hands-on activities to support pupils’ learning. I encourage pupils to talk through their thinking, work together and solve problems, which links well with computational thinking skills such as sequencing, pattern recognition and logical thinking.

One area I would like to develop is making computational thinking more visible and intentional in my teaching. I would like to use more unplugged coding activities before moving on to digital coding tools, so that pupils build confidence with problem-solving, debugging and giving clear instructions.

Specific, measurable actions:

1. I will use one unplugged computational-thinking activity each month, such as a Dream Space Brain Bytes activity, with a small group or class.

2. I will focus on one computational thinking skill at a time, for example sequencing, debugging or pattern recognition, and use questioning to help pupils explain their thinking.

3. I will gather simple evidence of learning through photographs, pupil explanations, teacher observation notes or short reflections, and review this at the end of the term to decide the next step.

We could gather evidence through teacher observation, pupil explanations, photographs of group tasks, samples of pupil work and short reflections. This would help us identify what is already working well and what needs to be developed further.

A realistic SSE focus could be to introduce one unplugged computational-thinking activity each month and review how pupils explain their thinking and solve problems. This would support a whole-school approach to STEM and coding, while keeping the actions manageable and purposeful.

• This reply was modified 4 months ago by G Nagle.

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