In the latest episode of the TeachNet Podcast series, Pat Brennan is joined by Sarah Gibbons, Deputy Principal in Old Bawn Community School, Tallaght, Dublin to talk about the digital learning journey the school has been on over the past 7 years and becoming a Microsoft Showcase School.
Sarah details how the journey began in 2017 before she joined the school’s senior leadership team and how the Covid pandemic accelerated a process that has redefined teaching, learning and assessment in Old Bawn. With the primary objective of tackling the digital divide by equipping students with the requisite skills for success in an increasingly digital world., Sarah talks about why as a school they chose Microsoft 365 and Windows devices, their ever-evolving CPD programme for staff and of course the inevitable bumps along the road and how they were addressed. She also shares how the Flipped Classroom approach has become a key whole school teaching strategy and how their ‘I Must, I Should, I Could’ approach helps differentiate and personalise learning.
To conclude, Sarah talks about Gererative AI and how anecdotally their students are already using AI-powered tools and that how it is incumbent on teachers to ensure they support students in using AI ethically and safely. This task starts with upskilling all staff in GenAI, a (New) journey already in progress in Old Bawn…