Literacy and numeracy have become major issues for concern in recent times. Several reports on these topics are in the public domain and in one report, “Incidental Inspection Findings 2010”, inspectors call for “urgent school improvements” and the provision of CPD (continuous professional development) for teachers to focus on the teaching of literacy and numeracy. […]
Digital Storytelling Read More »
This morning I came across a tweet from the Spotlight on Digital Media and Learning website entitled, Books You Can Play With and Games You Can Read: The New Market in Young Children’s Book Apps, and it got me thinking on the implications these new devices might have on children’s literacy levels now and in
Thinking about books in a new light Read More »
Digital Cre8or is a new and exciting course where both teachers and pupils can learn all about creating and sharing digital media. The Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology has setup Digital Cre8or Ireland as a not for profit organisation that offers the British Computer Society’s Digital Cre8or award to teachers and
Last week, Californian Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger told schoolkids to throw away their textbooks to help the state avoid bankruptcy. He referred to textbooks as being “outdated” and too expensive. California currently spends more than $400m annually on school textbooks. Instead of textbooks, the Californian Learning Resource Network will evaluate and list free and commercial online
Towards the Paperless Classroom Read More »
There is growing debate around what education in the 21st century should look like and there is certainly a lot of dissatisfaction with the current model. This debate is predominantly taking place outside of Ireland, in the US, the UK, Australia, Singapore and in many Scandinavian countries. Organisations such as Futurelab’s 2020 project, The Metiri
A 21st Century Education Read More »
Web 2.0 tools have made it possible for anyone to use digital media in their webpages or blogs. This article from the Digital Inspiration Blog provides a handy reference forembedding almost anything in your HTML web pages from Flash videos to Spreadsheets to high resolution photographs to static images from Google Maps and more.
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Here are some notes I shared with those in attendance at the highly successful CESI Meet on last Friday evening, Friday 13th 2009. The event was a huge success and those in attendance all walked away with some new knowledge. Well done to the organisers on a great event. I was sharing some work I
Game Creation in the Digital Age Read More »
If you are new to ICT or feel you need a refresher, you should try an online course onALISON. Based in Galway, ALISON provides high-quality, easy to follow interactive multimedia courses. All courses on ALISON are accessible for free to individual learners. All you need to do is register yourself by choosing your own name
Free Online Courses to get you started Read More »
We have been doing a lot of work with schools over the past two years usingPhotoStory, a free tool from Microsoft – yes I did say free from Microsoft. Easy to use and great for combining photos, text and music, it is being used to great effect by young pupils to create stories in history,
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