[Michael Keville]

Coding helps to improve many facets of a child’s development.

Persistence – Using Minecraft coding requires persistence. This was very evident to me when trying the Hour of Code lessons. Very often the solutions are not directly evident and need to be investigated and searched for. It can be frustrating. In a world of immediate gratification, this resilience is something that will benefit children in all aspects of learning and life in general.
Problem solving skills – Coding presents children with problems, which they need to break into simpler parts to construct a solution. These skills are transferable to other parts of the curriculum and day to day life.
Digital and technological knowledge – with the increasing reliance on digital technology coding will form an ever increasing part going forward.
Collaboration – Coding provides an excellent opportunity to work collaboratively with others. Consequently this will enhance communication skills and confidence working in groups.
Employment opportunities – With the world moving further and further into the digital age, employment opportunities in the area of coding and software development are only going to increase. Being proficient in coding would also be beneficial in other careers outside the area of tech.

Even though I had no experience with coding and am quite technologically illiterate, over the last 2 school years I have worked with my class with the Lego coding kits. The engagement and interaction has been excellent. The children I introduced to it 2 years ago continued to develop their skills and knowledge with their new teacher, and last year went on to represent the school in the First Lego League and won the All Ireland, representing Ireland in the World Championships in Norway. Working with the Lego kits has eased my fears of coding and I look forward to combining this with Minecraft in the coming year and into the future.

Teacher confidence in teaching coding could be an obstacle to consistently providing children with the opportunity to grow in this area. It is important that teachers share their knowledge in this area with teachers who have limited knowledge. Using Croke Park hours and staff meetings to share knowledge would be advantageous, as would informal discussions at lunch time etc.

[Michael Keville]

Build Challenge –

Create a multi-activity centre on Sports Campus Ireland for children with physical disabilities. It should include at least 5 separate sports activity zones. Document your project in a portfolio.

Curriculum areas –

PE, Geography, SPHE, Mathematics, Engineering, Literacy

Learning Outcomes –

– Research the Special Olympics and Sports Campus Ireland

– Learn about sporting activities in which children in wheelchairs can participate in

– Plan and design the Activity Centre taking into account access for children with disabilities

– Build the Activity Centre using Minecraft, taking into account scale.

– Add descriptions to each activity zone

– Collaborative group work

– Research skills

– Digital design

– Use critical thinking and problem solving skills

Student Roles –

Team leader/Timekeeper – Oversees the entire project making sure that tasks are being completed and that all members of the group are on task. Also responsible for encouraging other children and complimenting good work. Keeps track of time and keeps task momentum moving forward.

Research leader – Oversees the research and pre-design discussion. Ensures that all discussed aspects are being researched.

Design leader – Assigns children to design certain aspects of  the build.

Build leader – Responsible for designating different parts of the build to children.

Presentation leader – Creates the presentation for the group, ensuring that all aspects of the build are included. Organises the final presentation to other groups

Supporting Work –

SPHE – Inclusivity

Maths – Area, Perimeter, Scale

Brainstorming previous knowledge and creating a KWL chart

Research – difficulties for children with physical disabilities, solutions, Special Olympics, facilities in the local community

Cooperative and collaborative learning throughout

[Michael Keville]

Digital tools form a pivotal role in education, providing multiple benefits regarding children’s learning. Digital whiteboards, tablets, educational apps, movie-making software etc. bring teaching and learning experiences in line with how the world has adapted to the digital age. Digital technology provides us with the tools to be more innovative in our teaching and create more diverse lessons in class. They enhance engagement, curiosity and interactivity in the classroom. Motivation to participate and learn has been one aspect that digital technologies have added in recent years. They add an extra dimension to the traditional, non-digital, methodologies used in school. I do think it is important not to depend on digital tools in isolation, but rather in combination with other methodologies.

Our school has invested significantly in digital technology and it is well incorporated in the curriculum at this stage. Each class grouping have access to their own class set of tablets. These have been great in supplementing and enhancing teaching and learning in the classroom. Using these for presenting, research, games based learning, problem solving, collaborative and cooperative projects etc. has certainly improved engagement and diversity in learning within our school. There are lego coding sets which are timetabled so that each class gets a six week block of working with them. These have proved to be very popular and have fostered incredible creativity and innovation from the children when developing their own coding and engineering projects. Critical and creative thinking are encouraged and fostered through this area.

The digital learning team in the school are constantly improving our stock of digital technology and, more importantly to me, helping and developing teachers who are less comfortable in this area to embrace these technologies and use them effectively in the classroom. Collaboration within the school is vital for improving the overall effectiveness of using digital tools for learning, and ensuring that we move forward collectively with how we implement the use of such technologies in the future.

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