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I have chosen the 21st century skill of communication which is essential to every child in aiding their learning. Children have a variety of ways that they can communicate and more often we are finding that it is through digital learning. Developing this skill is essential to everyday life and to continue to develop their confidence.
I would start by asking 2nd class students to create a digital questionnaire using forums. This could then be used in a Senior infants classroom to decide upon a topic they would like to find out more about in SESE. We would then examine the results as a whole class and establish groups using the Book creator app to develop a book based on findings. This will require that they communicate with their peers about what will be included in the book, what pictures are to be taken and voice recordings uploaded. 2nd class children can always be reminded of the relevance of the content to Senior Infants. The children will have a rubric in which to focus their group on what may be required of them. This is a great way to make sure each group is aware of the learning outcomes of the lessons and that they communicate with both the teacher and their peers what is expected.
Finally, the children would visit the junior classes to present their books to them, read them aloud and answer any questions that the junior class may have about the topic. To complete the process, children would be asked to reflect on their contribution to the project and any changes they would make next time. I believe this method is a fun and engaging way for children to develop the 21st century skill of communication.
Digital technology can be used in a variety of ways to encourage children to collaborate and develop research skills. This can be done in an engaging and fun way for the class. In SET we use iPads once a week to encourage children to participate in interactive games to develop literacy skills and topics that we are focusing on that week. We even find that students often want to download these apps at home to read themselves which is a key element of developing confidence and fluency. In our school we have a Digital Learning Team who have established timetables for shared access to iPads and lists of suggested websites and apps that are suited to each class level. We also hold a yearly DL day where activities are set up by our DLT and awareness is raised of online safety.
The SSE guidelines are there to encourage all members of the school community to work together with outlined goals. It gives us set targets to focus on with our classes. I can also reflect on my teaching through collaboration with other staff members about how the DLF is being integrated into my daily teaching and take suggestions from others.
By developing my own use of digital technology, I can be helpful to others who may not be familiar with certain areas of DL. These skills can be shared for organisation of files and documents, whilst also looking at ways in which we as a staff might upskill on areas such as Microsoft 365. Some of the things I have learnt on this course could definitely be shared with colleagues in September.
Having explored the module on One Note I can see how great it can as a resource for storing and organising documents in an easy and accessible way. It can also be used as a great interactive resource to spark interest when starting a new topic, allowing children to become familiar with their learning outcomes and key vocabulary which would be essential to the topic.
It is an excellent resource for collaboration and group projects, promoting research, communication and presentation skills. Each member of the group can be allocated roles which would allow them to become responsible in creating One Note presentations, such as designing the layout, choosing vocabulary which is specific to the topic and finding links to various websites and media files.
One Note Immersive Reader Tool would be great in my role in SET next year. It would allow the children to identify grammar in their reading in an engaging way from the colour coding technique. The picture aid feature would be extremely beneficial for reader comprehension and fluency.
Microsoft Teams is a great forum for staff communication, where updates and announcements can be viewed and written for colleagues to see. Our school uses it for assemblies and virtual staff meetings. We use it as a means of sharing files and plans with one another where they are easily accessible in labelled format. As part of the school’s digital literacy framework and as a means of assessment we could allow children to upload photos of their classwork to keep it stored on teams. It has taken our staff some time to become confident in its use and I feel training is essential. I also feel Croke Park hours could be used to refresh our training from time to time.
This module has given me the opportunity to examine a variety of tools which would be beneficial in my role as SET next year. One Drive is a great source to share documents and support files with my colleagues, especially working in the role of SET where collaboration with mainstream teachers is key to ensure everyone is aware of targets.
I wasn’t familiar with Forums as a tool until now and going forward I would definitely use it as part of my start of year assessment and again at the end of terms to assess what has been taught. It allows all the data to be stored and referred to at a later date.
I can see Sway being a very useful resource when differentiating for children within literacy. For example, you could teach the children how to use Sway in report writing by allowing them to choose their topic and design a leaflet with key points and accompanying pictures.
As part of the School Self Evaluation Process Forums would be a great way to collect data from the whole school community such as parents and teachers. This could then be analysed and discussed together as a staff where key areas could be decided upon for SSE.
