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Hi Robert. Thanks for your message. As you say, seeing others use voice messages is something which many students are already familiar with. Thus, practicing the skill as part of their broader learning can allow them to share information in a way that feels natural and accessible.
I have always tried to incorporate digital technologies into my teaching practice to support both classroom-based and remote learning back during Covid times. From my studying of the material on this course, I can see that Google Workspace tools have the potential to significantly enhance teaching/learning by creating opportunities for greater collaboration, communication, and accessibility. These tools very much encourage active participation through collaborative documents, presentations, and discussions, while Google Meet supports live lessons, parent communication, and collaboration between colleagues. Together, these tools can help foster and support continuity of learning
Reflecting on my own practice, I recognise how my use of technology has evolved over the years. In the early stages of my teaching career, digital tools such as PowerPoint were primarily used to present information in a teacher-centred manner, with students acting as passive recipients. As technology has developed, I can see how it can be used to place a greater emphasis on student interaction, exploration, and collaboration. Interactive Google Slides, shared documents, and Google Classroom activities encourage pupils to take a more active role in their own learning.
Going forward, I hope to continue embedding Google Workspace tools (along with others such as Bookcreator) into my teaching to further support pupil engagement and collaboration. Their accessibility across devicesn make them very suitable for a blended learning approach while equipping pupils with valuable digital skills for the future.I suppose the article highlights how formative assessment has evolved from being mainly teacher-led to placing greater emphasis on students becoming more active in their own learning through self-regulation, clear learning intentions, and success criteria. In my classroom, I currently use formative assessment through teacher observation, questioning, checklists, and regular feedback to monitor my students’ understanding. I then try to adapt my teaching as needed. While these approaches provide valuable information, there is scope to involve pupils more actively in assessing their own progress. In the future, Google Workspace could support this by enabling pupils to reflect on their learning using Google Forms, monitor their progress with digital checklists, and respond to feedback in Google Docs or Classroom. These tools could promote greater pupil ownership of thier learning while providing teachers such as myself with real-time evidence of progress. Combining more established assessment practices with these new digital tools has the potential to make formative assessment more responsive to individual learning needs. This would be an important advancement in my view.
I chose a 3rd Class Science activity on plant growth. I feel that it could be made more accessible using the built-in accessibility features in Google Workspace. Students could record observations in Google Docs using Voice Typing if they find writing challenging, while screen reader support, zoom, and high-contrast browser settings can help students with visual or reading difficulties. Images of plants could include alt text, and clear headings and checklists in Google Classroom would help students follow the activity independently. These features allow students with a range of learning needs to participate and demonstrate their understanding in different ways.
In a general sense, Google Workspace can also support SSE by making it easier to gather and analyse feedback from students, parents, and staff through Google Forms. I know in my own school we have recently done this in terms of student/parent attitude to the teaching of Maths. Responses can be automatically organised into charts, helping schools identify strengths, areas for improvement, and monitor progress over time. Shared Google Drive folders also allow staff to collaborate on SSE documentation efficiently and consistently.I really like the inclusive approach, especially the sensory supports for neurodiverse students. I also like the use of the Glitter Jar as a visual tool to make the concept of stillness accessible for all ages.
Creating a learning sequence using Google Workspace/Classroom for a 4th Class lesson on food chains helped me think about how these digital tools can support learning. One design choice I made was to create clear, student-friendly resources, including a Google Slides presentation on food chains, videos as well as a simple Google Docs worksheet. Presenting these resources in the order they are required should make it easy for the children to follow each step of the lesson independently and reduce the possibilities for confusion. The consistent layout and clear instructions would also support those who may need additional guidance. If I were to improve the sequence, I would include more opportunities for collaboration, such as a shared Google Jamboard or collaborative Google Slides activity, to encourage discussion and peer learning. This approach also links well with SSE, as student responses and completed tasks in Google Classroom can provide useful evidence of learning and help inform future planning/teaching.
I believe that digital technology has a lot of potential in terms of making learning more engaging, collaborative and accessible for all students. A broad range of digital tools, including Google Classroom, Google Docs etc. as well asBook Creator and Wordwall (I have used the latter two more in my practice so far), can support active learning, creativity and differentiation across curriculum subjects. These applications also provide opportunities for formative assessment through quizzes, interactive activities, collaborative tasks and digital portfolios, allowing teachers to monitor pupils’ understanding, provide feedback and gather evidence of learning progress.
The SSE process provides a valuable framework for inserting digital technology in a purposeful way. By gathering evidence through pupil voice, assessment data and classroom observations, I can identify strengths and areas for development in my own practice and set realistic targets for improvement. These digital tools could also support the assessment and monitoring of SSP targets for pupils with additional educational needs by providing easy/accessible ways to record progress, collect evidence and track individual learning outcomes.
Hopefully, as my confidence with digital technology grows, I can contribute to whole-school improvement by sharing effective strategies with my colleagues and supporting the school’s Digital Learning Plan.
In terms of he teaching resources area of Google for Education’s Teacher Centre, I think I would chose the Create Comic Strips with Google Drawings resource: https://edu.google.com/teacher-center/. I would adapt this activity by having pupils create comic strips linked to our literacy and SPHE topics. This would support the development of sequencing, storytelling, dialogue etc. Outside of the whole class context, I could also use Google Drawings to create personalised social stories for certain children with additional needs, helping them prepare for new routines and social situations in a visual, engaging way.Hi Darragh. I really like your timeline idea. It’s a creative way to help students build digital skills while getting to know one another, and I think including local and national events adds a great cross-curricular element. Anything that might get children to pay attention to major news/events is a good thing.