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Hi Eoghan,
Before Covid, I was unaware of all the digital tools. Digital technology has had a significant impact in the classroom and it has allowed students to progress in their learning. This digital technology also makes learning more fun and students benefit from it. Digital technology increases access to education and knowledge while empowering students with a mindset and capabilities that set them up for success in their present and future. Seesaw is a tool that we used a lot during Covid and still use it. It allowed me to provide effective feedback to students and they enjoyed recording back their work to me.
All my students had their own iPads in the class which enabled us to use digital technology within the classroom e.g. NearPod, Padlet and Seesaw. I will make use of the resources that have been mentioned in this course.
Thank you for the positive feedback Eoghan. This year, I have incorporated a range of technology into my lessons and have also used Padlet. I look forward to trial testing Menti in September.
Below are links I have found beneficial and have worked very well in my lessons.
I believe 21st-century skills are important to students as it prepares them for the future world. Without even realising, we use all of the 21st-century skills in our everyday lessons.
Thank you for the feedback, Eoghan. Yes, I have also used Entry and Exit tickets and found them beneficial.
This year, my class really enjoyed self-assessing and peer-assessing work. It did take a lot of training but the outcome was phenomenal. I look forward to trying out other digital assessment tools.
I have picked the collaboration skill as I feel it plays an important role within the classroom and helps students prepare for the future world. Collaboration is a key skill to have, and it will help the student to understand the importance of working as a team and interdependently. Practicing collaboration and teamwork help students understand how to address a problem, pitch solutions, and decide the best course of action. Collaborating will help students to learn and understand that other people don’t always have the same ideas that they do. In fact, as students practice collaboration more and more, they’ll learn that they have almost none of the same ideas that others do. As a teacher, it’s crucial that you encourage students to look at themselves through that second lens. That way, students learn that they should speak up when they have an idea. In my current school, there is a big focus on students collaborating. Let me give a brief description of how collaboration takes place within my classroom.
This year, the students were learning all about the digestive system. To assess their prior knowledge, students were asked to type out the keywords that came to mind when they thought about the digestive system. Using the Nearpod app is an effective and quick way of assessing prior knowledge. A lot of students were familiar, with the mouth, stomach, and teeth. Students were then shown a magnified image of the digestive system and told that it was inside their bodies. In their mixed ability groups, children were asked to describe what they saw and think it might be. Students were able to name and identify the parts but did not know the functions of the organs. Students were asked to carry out research – ordering the parts of the digestive system. They worked collaboratively and used their iPads to explore an animation about the digestive system. After looking at the animation, the students were asked to label the digestive system using the labels that they were given. Students were now able to identify the parts of the digestive system, In the second science lesson, students were asked to think of a question about the digestive system.
Further research – the function of the parts.
The students worked in their groups and each group was allocated a part of the digestive system. They worked with a partner from their group using iPads to learn about the functions of their part. They then shared and compared what they had learned with the rest of their group and decided on the three most important facts they wrote on a large strip of paper and presented it to the class. A range of open-ended questions was posed to each group, and this led to group discussions.
I believe collaboration plays an important role in education as it gives students the opportunity to work and collaborate and grow from each other. From experience, collaboration is a skill that will take time and students often need to learn how to work effectively with others and as part of a team. At the beginning of the school year, we must help students to understand the importance of collaboration. The difference I saw in my students at the end of the year as opposed to the start year was incredible. Through collaborative learning, the students developed higher-level thinking skills, and boost their confidence and self-esteem as well.
Digital Technology provides numerous tools that teachers can use in and out of the classroom to enhance student learning. Digital Technology can support student collaboration in creating new knowledge, reflecting on what they are learning, or working together to achieve a deeper understanding of course material. Over the last 2 years, I have found myself moving away from traditional teaching and toward technology. I now use a range of technology that I never used previously e.g., Seesaw, Padlet, Loom, and Nearpod. The list Is endless! The use of technology for AFL and Assessment of Learning is beneficial and effective. It is important teachers are well trained in using a range of technology before implementing it into the classroom. School self-evaluation empowers a school community to identify and affirm good practice, and to identify and act on areas that merit improvement.
School self-evaluation is primarily about schools taking ownership of their own development and improvement. I can apply School self-evaluation to my teaching by reflecting on my day-to-day practice and the learning that the pupils achieve.
Digital technology can enrich the learning experience for all our children and young people. We know from consultation activity that our learners already have strong exposure to digital technology and that they would support its increased use as part of their own education.
I will be making suggestions to SLT about implementing OneNote into the school. OneNote can be used to collect and organise a wide range of content, whereas your paper notebook can only cope with text, drawings, and perhaps glued-in pictures. I really like OneNote because it allows you to clip content from websites and link to videos. Another useful feature of OneNote is the ability to share notes or notebooks with other people. This could be great for collecting material for a group project. I also agree that OneNote would work well in upper primary and could be used for a range of activities. Differentiation can be demonstrated and used effectively. I am excited to use OneNote in my class! Laura Craig
In my school, Microsoft teams were implemented into our school two years ago. I have used Microsoft teams to communicate with teachers and SLT members. SLT delivered training remotely during covid restrictions. I don’t overly enjoy using a Microsoft team as I have missed important communication and would occasionally check my Microsoft teams notification. At the beginning of the year, members of SLT tried to communicate via Microsoft teams but they moved back to Outlook as they found it more beneficial. During remote learning, I recorded a lot of my PowerPoints. I was able to correct any mistakes and it made editing a lot easier. I was then able to upload my PowerPoint recordings which allowed me to create an interactive lesson. Having recorded PowerPoints allowed the children to work at their own pace and they could back and listen to previous slides. Laura Craig
Hi all,
I have never heard of Sway until I started module 1. I look forward to using Sway in the classroom. It is very interesting how you can turn a blank page into an interactive and visually enjoyable information page. There are plenty of options and templates to use and make an exciting lesson. I have used forms in the past, for Assessment of Learning and found it very beneficial. Children are very excited when they see they see a quiz appears on their screens. Forms is brilliant! A quick way of finding out what children have retained from the lessons. In my current school, we use forms for a range of things e.g. timing for parents’ meetings, Assessment for Learning, and Assessment of Learning.<I use Microsoft Office on a daily basis, to access my outlook emails. I find Microsoft Office easy to access and it allows me to communicate with my school team and parents. Laura Craig
