[Paul Munroe]

Thanks for sharing your plan for using Diffit Padraig. A major problem for teachers in today’s classrooms is to be able to provide differentiated materials and texts for the range of abilities in their classes. It’s so tough to keep up with every child’s different learning needs, but this is where Diffit can be such a valuable tool. I like your paired task activity where the students compare the original and simplified text. It’s a great example of how AI can add value to the teaching and learning process

Here’s a small suggestion. You could also have the children use Diffit in reverse. For example, give them a simple story and have them use the tool to make it more complex or formal. This would challenge the more able students and get them thinking about vocabulary and sentence structure, not just reading comprehension.

[Paul Munroe]

Hi Shaun. Thanks for your contributions to the forum and your reflection on the potential of AI in education. As you say, some of these tools can take pressure off teachers, especially when it comes to planning and dealing with so many individual needs in the classroom. I fully agree that Immersive Reader is a simple but powerful digital tool that can really support struggling readers. It’s full of effective and efficient features. Make sure you take lots of time to make the children aware of all the possible supports that are available through this tool. That way, they will be able to tweak the various options to suit their needs best.

[Paul Munroe]

Hi Orla. I’m glad you are seeing the positives of using Google Classroom. It’s great for allowing students to show their learning and understanding in a variety of ways. As you point out, the opportunities Google Classroom gives for managing assessment and feedback are fantastic. Try to use the rubric feature also, if you get a chance, Orla. It allows you to create clear criteria for assignments, and this will allow the children to fully understand what is expected of them before they start the task. It also allows you to clearly structure your feedback to pupils

[Paul Munroe]

Hi  Catherine. Thanks for your post. You have presented an effective example of how tailored support can meet the needs of pupils with specific learning difficulties. Your use of font, highlighting, and spacing in Immersive Reader allows the child to access text in a meaningful way that will help understanding and comprehension. You could also try building in a visual element in conjunction with the text. Maybe have the child create a simple mindmap or storyboard of the key points they have researched. This could help them to sort their notes visually and make it easier for them to recall information when answering questions.

[Paul Munroe]

Hi Lisa. Thanks for your post. You have done a good job of highlighting the positives and the difficulties with the new emerging AI technologies. While they might be a great help and support to teachers around planning and preparing differentiated materials, there are many potential problems emerging from the use of AI in the school setting. You have also highlighted the concerns around too much screen time for pupils. One idea teachers could try is setting limits to on-screen AI tasks by pairing them with unplugged or off-screen hands-on tasks. So after using Immersive Reader or Minecraft in a lesson, the pupils could work in small groups creating posters or written activities that build on their learning. This will help to consolidate their understanding of a topic while also keeping a balance between digital and offline learning.

[Paul Munroe]

Hi Rafe. Thanks for your post. You have described the strengths of Teams really well. In particular, when it comes to resource sharing and planning. Having everything in one place makes everything more efficient and, of course, saves time. If you are getting students to use Teams to share and collaborate, then I would definitely have agreed rules and protocols around this. This can be agreed upon when you are demonstrating how the tools work. This will allow the children to build their digital literacy skills and also learn how to use these tools respectfully and safely.

[Paul Munroe]

Hi Roisin. Thanks for your post. You make a great point regarding the importance of continued professional development and learning in the teaching profession. I agree that the sheer pace of change in education is staggering, especially when it comes to technology and digital tools for learning. Teachers must upskill if they want to be effective teachers. One thing you could try in school is to set up a small professional learning group. You could meet once a term to share strategies, educational tools, and tips, and pass on knowledge that you picked up from CPD courses completed. It’s a simple way to keep learning fresh and build a sharing culture amongst staff.

[Paul Munroe]

Hi Derbhla. Thanks for your post and reflection on the use of AI in education. You have highlighted both the benefits and challenges this new technology presents to schools, and you have done it in a very balanced way. You point out one great benefit of AI, the planning of personalised learning materials for a wide range of abilities and levels. This is where AI can be a real time-saver for the teacher and, as you say, can feed into the development of the child’s SSP, especially when it comes to creating Smart Targets. Consider including the child’s voice when setting their targets. For example, after using Century or Squirrel to help you identify an area of difficulty, you could encourage the child to help decide on a short-term goal or target they’d like to work on.

[Paul Munroe]

Hi Kieran. Thanks for your post and reflection on coding with Robo Garden. Robo Garden is an application that I haven’t used before, but it sounds like a fun way to introduce coding to your class. I like the way that you link it back to everyday examples, and I like how you allow the pupils to engage with it in pairs. Working this way encourages problem-solving and peer support. One thing you could try is to have a short feedback and reflection activity at the end of each coding session. You could let the children write or draw one thing they learned and one difficulty or challenge they faced. This is a great way for the children to consolidate their understanding, and it gives the teacher feedback on where support might be needed for the next lesson.

[Paul Munroe]

Hi James. Thanks for your post and reflection on AT. I love how you highlight the importance and relevance of simple low-tech solutions. It’s often easy to forget how effective these can be. The idea of carrying out a whole school audit is a great idea. One suggestion you might find useful is to run a short staff session where each teacher brings along one assistive technology resource or strategy they already use, even if it’s something small. Collecting those ideas in a shared folder could quickly build the resource bank you mentioned. It would also help raise awareness among colleagues of what’s already working well in different classrooms.

[Paul Munroe]

Hi Aoife. You make some good points in your post, especially regarding the debate around the opportunities AI tools can give us in the classroom versus the challenges and problems that come with the new technologies. I agree that AI can have many advantages when planning and creating resources for language learning, particularly for EAL pupils. One idea would be to use AI to create vocabulary games and simple listening tasks for Gaeilge or English. This will save valuable time for you as a teacher to focus on providing effective teaching and learning experiences for your class.

[Paul Munroe]

Hi Isobel. You have clearly highlighted why SDG 13 should be central to the primary curriculum. The link you make to SSE is also important because it forces us to think long term when planning programmes of work around development education and climate action. You could also involve the home in this planning for climate action. Maybe send home simple challenges like tracking energy use or trying to cut down on food waste. This will help to extend the impact of your programmes beyond the classroom.

[Paul Munroe]

Hi Louise, and welcome to the course. You have highlighted both the positives and negatives of using AI in schools. You have made a very important observation that the human connection that exists between teacher and pupil can never be replaced by AI. As you say, we must always look on AI as a support and never a substitute. One way AI can definitely help, especially in DEIS settings, is to provide differentiated materials for the many ability levels we have in DEIS classes.

[Paul Munroe]

Hi James. You’ve presented a nice plan for using technology that could make a big difference for the child in question. I like your combination of Immersive Reader for literacy and Maths Solver for numeracy. These digital tools will help to support the child both academically and emotionally and will also help build confidence.
One other thing you could try James is to use a speech-to-text programme for written work. For children who find spelling and writing a struggle, being able to just say their ideas can allow them to express themselves effectively. Over time this could make them more independent and help build their confidence

[Paul Munroe]

Thanks for your post Aileen . You have given a clear picture of how Microsoft Forms and Microsoft Sway can help with both teaching and school self-evaluation. One other step you might find useful is getting the students involved in making their own quizzes or Sways. For example, after a topic in maths or SESE, small groups could design short quizzes for their classmates. This will help deepen their own understanding of the topic just covered.

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