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Hi Jillian,
This is a great example of how valuable ICT can be in the Home Economics classroom. It demonstrates how technology can be applied to real-life skills such as budgeting, researching recipes, and following step-by-step instructions to prepare different meals. These are practical skills that students will undoubtedly use in their everyday lives beyond the classroom, making ICT a meaningful and relevant tool for learning.
hi Fergal ,
I think this tool would be such a great resource for a sharing of ideas between not only teaching staff , but also maybe for SNAs. Sharing of resources not just academic but also things that would work for regulation, gross motor skills, fine motor skills etc
One of the 21st century skills I want to develop in my classroom is collaboration. In a special class, this can look different for every child. It might be taking turns, working with a partner, helping a classmate, or using an AAC device to communicate during an activity.
Technology can support this in many ways. We use iPads three times a week for 30 minutes. Some students love them and need clear limits to avoid becoming dysregulated, while others prefer more hands-on activities.
What I find most valuable is how technology gives students different ways to show their learning. Some pupils create detailed drawings to tell stories, while others who struggle with writing will happily type answers on a laptop, create folders, and save their work. One student even creates his own maths questions using emojis.
AAC devices are also a vital part of our classroom, helping students communicate their thoughts, needs, and ideas more independently.
Overall, digital technology, when used in a balanced way, supports collaboration, communication, creativity, and independence for students with complex needs.
Hi Fergal , absolutely agree that the use M365 and all the digital tools will give greater voice to the children in their learning, how they want to learn UDL . Giving them more independent in their learning
Module 4
As a teacher in a special class for the past number of years, I am always looking for new ways to make lessons engaging and interactive. I try to build activities around my students’ interests, as this helps motivate them and keeps them involved in learning. Many of my pupils respond really well to movement-based activities, music, and hands-on learning experiences.
I find Digital Technology very useful in supporting this. Many of my students need a lot of visual support, and technology can make learning much easier to understand. I regularly use visual timetables, communication apps, videos, pictures, and simple interactive games. These help pupils communicate, stay focused, and take part more independently in lessons.
For some students, technology is also a great support for communication and language development. AAC devices in particular have made a huge difference for many pupils, helping them express their needs, make choices, and take part in classroom activities. Visuals, audio supports, and translation tools can also support EAL students in understanding new vocabulary and instructions.
The SSE process helps me think about what is working well and what could be improved in my teaching. In reality, this reflection happens weekly, if not daily, in a special class setting. I can look at how digital technology is supporting pupil learning and set small goals for myself to improve my practice.
As teachers working in SET, sharing ideas, apps, and resources with colleagues can benefit the whole school. By continuing to develop our digital skills, we can help create a more inclusive learning environment where all pupils, including those with complex needs and EAL learners, have the best chance to learn, participate, and succeed
Module 3 – Using OneNote for Literacy
OneNote ; course
After exploring OneNote, I can see the benefits of having everything you need in one place. The ability to use different colours, fonts, images, videos, and text makes it an excellent tool for supporting a wide range of learners and learning styles.
I also like that all resources can be stored in one place, making it easy to find, update, add, or remove information when needed. As I had never used OneNote before, I initially found it a little difficult to navigate. However, I am sure that with more practice and regular use, it will become much easier and more intuitive.
One feature that really stood out to me was Immersive Reader. I can see how beneficial it would be for supporting students with different learning needs, particularly those who may struggle with reading or processing text. Features such as having text read aloud, adjusting font size and spacing, changing background colours, and highlighting parts of speech can make learning much more accessible. I think this would be especially valuable in creating a more inclusive classroom where all students can engage with learning in a way that suits them.
I can also see how valuable OneNote would be for students. It provides multiple ways for them to demonstrate their learning through different forms of representation, whether using text, images, audio, or video. It would also be a great tool for collaborative learning, allowing students to work together on projects in pairs or small groups.
From a whole-school perspective, I can see how useful OneNote could be for sharing information between staff members, year groups, and different committees. Having a central, organised space for resources and communication would help improve collaboration and make information much easier to access.
Overall, I can see OneNote becoming a valuable tool in both my own teaching and my professional collaboration with colleagues. Although there is a learning curve, I believe the benefits for both teachers and students make it well worth investing the time to learn.Hi Carol,
I teach in a special class too, and like you, I think Reading Coach will be such a valuable tool in the classroom. I really like the read-aloud feature, the picture dictionary, the grammar activities, and the way children can progress through different levels.
I also love that the children can choose their own characters and settings. Giving them that choice means they’re more likely to pick topics that interest them and stay engaged. It will also give me a great insight into what they’re interested in at the time, whether that’s animals, the sea, space, or something else. I can then use those interests to plan and link learning across other areas of the curriculum, making lessons more meaningful and motivating for them.Next year, I think the Microsoft 365 Copilot tools, especially Immersive Reader and Reading Coach, will work really well in my classroom. I can see myself using them first as part of whole-class literacy and numeracy lessons, and then in one-to-one sessions with individual children.
I think these tools will help to keep children engaged because they can work at their own level and at their own pace. I am very mindful of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and believe that children should be able to access the curriculum in whatever way works best for them. For some children, that might be through drawing, colouring, or giving oral responses. Others may have poor fine motor skills or be reluctant writers, and the act of writing can cause them a lot of stress.
Using these tools will give me another way to assess what children know and understand without relying solely on written work. At the same time, they will also provide opportunities to assess children’s writing in a more supportive and less stressful way. It also makes learning feel more enjoyable for them. Many children don’t see using a laptop or iPad as “work,” so tools like quizzes, Immersive Reader, and Reading Coach can make learning much more engaging while still helping them develop important literacy and numeracy skillsHi Jillian , like you I am on a big learning curve. I really am enjoying learning about Microsoft Copilot and all it has to offer. It took me a sometime how to figure of how to share Google form link on the forum. A lot of practice needed.
I teach in a special class with children from Junior Infants to 5th Class. My students have a wide range of abilities, including some who are minimally speaking and many who have social and emotional needs.
Every day, as a class we do “Our News” PowerPoint with pictures, videos, and sound effects. After learning about Sway, I can see how it could be a great alternative for presenting this information in a more engaging way. Whenever something is happening in school, such as a school trip or a special event, I usually create a PowerPoint with pictures and simple text to help the children understand what is going to happen. I definitely plan to use Sway more for this once I become more confident using it.
I also think Forms could work well as a whole-class quiz. As my students do not all have their own devices, I would use it on the interactive whiteboard as a turn-taking activity. It could support literacy, oral language, science, and social skills while allowing everyone to take part. I would change the questions every couple of days and use plenty of pictures alongside the answer choices to make the quiz accessible and engaging for all of the children.I did not realise that Microsoft had these tools of Sway, reading coach. It has opened a whole new world to me. Over the years I have relied on PowerPoints inserting videos and audio I will definitely use these tools that I have now discovered to engage the children in their learning.
