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I love the idea of creating a song to support your lesson. I would not have thought of this and it is great to see a fantastic idea such as this which can work across the curriculum
I plan to use AI as part of a 5th Class lesson on sustainability, linking it with the SESE curriculum. The lesson will begin with a discussion about what sustainability means and how our everyday choices can affect the environment. I will use an MagicSchool using lesson plan generator: prompting “Sustainability and protecting our environment”. I will outline that the lesson is for 5th Class, learning objectives and the length of the lesson. MagicSchool will help generate a starting lesson plan which I can review and adapt.
I will be looking for MagicSchool to generate ideas about reducing waste, saving energy, protecting biodiversity and making more sustainable choices. Pupils will work in small groups to use AI to research one sustainability issue and suggest practical solutions for our school, such as reducing plastic or food waste.
As a class, we will discuss whether the information provided by AI is accurate and how we can check it using reliable sources. I will also use AI to help create differentiated worksheets, quizzes and discussion questions to support different learning needs. This lesson will allow pupils to develop digital literacy while learning about sustainability. I believe AI can be a useful teaching tool, but pupils should always think critically, question the information they receive and use AI responsibly.
Hi Martina , I love the idea of using a game to learn steps, directions and instructions before ever using the technology to do it. Real world practice before the excitement of the iPad. I will certainly adopt this tactic when introducing Scratch
I would use Scratch to introduce pupils to the idea of AI, partly because I find it less scary to use than some of the other AI tools, but also because I think it looks fun and interactive for children. I also like how it introduces simple coding and how computers can be taught to respond to information. I would begin with a simple Scratch project that uses if/then commands for example, a character that responds differently depending on what the user says or does. I think this will help pupils to explore the idea that computers follow instructions and do not think in the same way that we do.
Pupils can create their own Scratch project or game where a character responds to different codes or instructions. I would ask questions such as, “How does the computer know what to do?” and “What happens if we give it information it has not been programmed to recognise?” This could lead to a discussion about how AI systems learn from data and why the information they use is important. I believe it is important that children understand how AI works and how it must be used with care and responsibly.I agree with Mary that this module introduced me to many resources that I was unaware of which would all be useful in my 5th class classroom. I loved the Copilot image creator and using it for descriptive writing. I look forward to trying this out during the year.
Part 1:
The two tools from module 3 that stood out for me in relation to my own class were MagicSchool and Microsoft Reading Coach.
I have been teaching 5<sup>th</sup> class for the last two years and again this incoming year. I could use MagicSchool AI to help me differentiate a lesson without having to create completely different lessons for individual pupils. For teaching a comprehension lesson based on a class novel or a non-fiction text, I could use MagicSchool to create questions at different levels of difficulty. Some pupils could work on questions focusing on retrieving information and understanding vocabulary, while other pupils could complete questions requiring inference, explanation and higher-order thinking. I could also use it to create writing prompts, sentence starters or additional challenges for pupils who need more support or extension.
I feel that Microsoft Reading Coach could be particularly useful in my class because pupils can practise reading independently at a level appropriate to them. I like how it uses fluency detection to provide personalised reading practice. I think for some pupils this tool takes away the anxiety of reading in front of the whole class and comparing themselves to others. I like the immediate assessment and accuracy results, which then help pupils practise the words they found difficult.
Part 2:
I think AI has the potential to have a positive impact on my teaching, learning and assessment in my class. As with most classrooms there are a wide range of abilities which means MagicSchool AI could help me differentiate resources more efficiently, allowing pupils to work towards the same learning intention while receiving different levels of support or challenge. Reading Coach gives children more opportunities for independent reading practice and immediate feedback. It also allows pupils to practise words that they have found challenging, which could help them become more aware of their own learning.
I do feel that I will become better at using AI in my classroom as a tool to help me plan lessons, create resources etc and from this module I learned more about how to use AI
I agree with Arlene, I also think AI could have made the experience of joining my classroom better for Ukrainian children when they arrived. Although we used iPads for games and learning progress was slow both on my part and on the part of the children. AI tools could have helped with creating worksheets / games to enhance the learning of a new language.
I also agree that I feel so behind with AI that I look forward to learning the best tools to use that can help my teaching and time management and not make classroom preparation more difficult.
AI has the potential to transform teaching and learning in my classroom by making learning more personalised, creative and accessible. One way I could use AI is to differentiate activities for pupils with different abilities. For example, I could use AI to create different levels for a reading comprehension or maths activity while still focusing on the same learning objective. This could help me to meet the needs of individual pupils and allow children to work at an their own pace.
However, I feel that at this stage AI is much more beneficial to me as a planning tool rather than an interactive tool in the classroom. I feel that Irish schools, certainly our school, are not set up to fully embrace the technological advances of AI. We have limited access to devices, and even our Wi-Fi is not fully reliable. We also have the need for many whiteboard updates, therefore while I fully embrace the concept of using AI and the many tools shown in module two, I feel that they are more useful to me in a planning and assessment capacity at the moment.
I also found the video of the children in China with the headbands excessive. I do not feel that education is solely about academic achievement. I feel that children need hands on, creative learning that is not connected to technology; leading to a more holistic education.
I am the same as use Mary, this course is a necessity for me, as many of my colleagues are already comfortable with using AI in the classroom, I feel unprepared for this. Module one alone has introduced my to AI tools I have never heard of and have enjoyed trying out.
AI can have a significant impact on teaching, learning and assessment in the primary classroom. I think AI tools can support teachers by helping to create lesson ideas, differentiate activities, create resources and provide suggestions for pupils who may need additional support, with the ultimate benefit being better use of time for overstretched teachers.
I also believe that teachers need to double check any lessons, images or information produced by AI. I know of a case where a teacher asked AI to create comprehension questions based on a novel being read and that one or two of the questions asked were about a person who was only briefly mentioned in the story but the questions were being asked as if this person was a main character. This issue is highlighted in the video on the ethical use of AI, which reminds us of the important issues around accuracy, privacy, bias and appropriate use that teachers must be mindful of.
AI can provide pupils with opportunities for creativity, problem-solving and personalised learning, helping them explore ideas and ask questions. However, I believe it is important that AI is used as a tool to support learning rather than replace thinking. The development of essential skills such as communication, critical thinking, creativity and collaboration is essential in the holistic education of the child.
While, I see AI as a valuable addition to the classroom, provided it is introduced thoughtfully, safely and responsibly, I personally feel the need to complete this course and other similar training before I feel comfortable using AI more fully in my classroom. As teachers, we will need to help children understand both the possibilities and limitations of AI and prepare them to use these technologies critically and ethically. Module one introduced me to AI platforms I had never hear of which is a step in the right direction for me.
I love the connection to our Irish storytelling and in particular the history or oral storytelling. I also love when the children connect with older relatives and are excited to tell their story in class. I love how this lesson plan brings both history and the night sky to life for the children.
Consider how many Songs / Poems /Art can you think of to connect us with the Night Sky? For example: Look up President Michael D Higgins’ “Stardust”
I love to connect the Arts to my lessons and often use music, paintings or poetry as a stimulus for a lesson. I loved thinking about this topic and how many songs etc connect us to the sky.
One of the songs which popped into my head in an earlier module is Somewhere Out There by James Ingram and Linda Ronstadt . The opening verse makes me think of the night sky and the stars and moon that shine on our world
Somewhere out there beneath the pale moonlight
Someone’s thinking of me and loving me tonight
Somewhere out there someone’s saying a prayer
That we’ll find one another in that big somewhere out thereI also love both the artwork by Vincent Van Gough The Starry Night and the subsequent song by Don McLean Vincent Starry Starry Night.
A song that the children are familiar with and would work well as a stimulus is Counting Stars by One Republic Also A Sky Full of Stars by Coldplay is a song that the children love.
A couple of years ago my class learned Rocket Man by Elton John while learning about space and satellites. The children loved learning this song and I think that it would work well when learning about the sky.
A poem we read when I was in secondary school by Gerard Manley Hopkins, called The Starlight Night begins with the line Look at the stars! look, look up at the skies. As a child and still as an adult I find the night sky fascinating and love to teach about and encourage and hopefully inspire children to enjoy it and feel the sense of wonder it holds.
I love the idea of a nature walk to investigate your school’s biodiversity and to provide a stimulus for the children to begin work on this topic.
How you would incorporate the needs of nocturnal species, especially those that rely on dark skies into school biodiversity plans?
I believe that the children in my class would be very inspired by this topic and be keen to incorporate the needs of nocturnal species into our school biodiversity plan. Many of the children have taken part in a local Bat walk organised in April/May by our local Teagasc & Irish Heritage run amenity.
To being I would brainstorm, mind map and do a KWL about the children’s understanding of the words nocturnal, biodiversity and light pollution.
I would break the class into small groups and ask them to use iPads to research what animals in Ireland are nocturnal and why do they need darkness and dark skies.
We would then research light pollution and watch a child friendly video explaining what it is and how it affects our nocturnal animals.
We would then work together to plan how our school could become more friendly to the creatures that wander our grounds and fly our skies at night.
If possible I would invite a speaker from our local Bat Walk to come and talk to the children and show the very interesting presentation that they use before the walks.
