Promethean – The State of Technology in Education 2020/21 (UK&I EDITION)

Promethean published their 5th Annual Report “The State of Technology in Education 2020/21 (UK&I EDITION) early last month. The opinions of over 2,000 Principals, Senior Management Teams, School IT Staff and Teachers were gathered last spring during the School Covid 19 closures while teachers and students were engaged in working remotely from home relying on technology for teaching, communicating and engaging with their pupils. Respondents to this year’s report were…

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Microsoft Education: Resources and Research

Resources to support the effective use of technology in teaching and learning Check out this resource page circulated by Microsoft for Education and added to by PDST Digital Technologies advisors. The class of 2030 and life-ready learning: The technology imperative The future of learning is here. As schools and educators consider how to approach the rapidly changing realities of education, new research suggests children starting school today will graduate better…

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Technology Tools

A recent TeachNet Blog post “Blended Learning – So what is all the fuss?” gave a very clear and informative understanding of Blended Learning. It really is well worth a second or even third read for any teacher so that they can come to terms with the new classroom reality.I think it is true to say that our current understanding of the traditional classroom has been consigned, for the moment…

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The BBC Micro:bit. A powerful tool for classroom coding

There has been a growing move towards the introduction of coding platforms and applications like Scratch and Hour of Code into our classrooms. Most teachers have by now, heard of and used these applications within their classes. In many schools there are students creating amazing projects during their school hours as well as in after school clubs. These tools are proven to help students develop an array of skills such…

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Introducing JCQuest.ie

Digital Science and French for Junior Cycle JCQuest.ie is a new online resource for Junior Cert Science and French, designed to work flawlessly cross-platform and device. Launched in January 2020, updates have continued through lock-down and the portal now hosts a library of question sets that cover the entire Junior Cert syllabi in both subjects. Currently, due to the ongoing pandemic, full access for schools and students is available for…

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Science Week Goes Virtual

Celebrating 25 years, Science Week 2020 will be a week like no other and is Will take place from November 8th to 15th, in the midst of a global pandemic and a national lockdown.  Science Week Ireland is all about celebrating science in our everyday lives. Previously, the Science Week programme would be packed with face-to-face workshops, science shows, talks, laboratory demonstrations, science walks and other science-related events. This year’s…

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Blended Learning – So what is all the fuss?

As we approach the Halloween Break and another lockdown period, the focus of many in our society is on the wonderful job our schools are doing.  The first phase of Covid-19, from March to June, has been defined by many as Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT).  This phase showed the resilience of schools to continue school learning remotely using every trick in the book.  However, it is widely recognised that this…

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Get Into CodeWeek 2020

EU Code Week 2020 is already in full flow, running from October 10th – 25th (Code Fortnight really!) and in the light of the current global health crisis, organisers are bringing more coding activities online and launching new, fun and engaging activities that you can join remotely at home or in school. To make it easier to take part in activities remotely a  live calendar of featured online activities is…

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Upskill this Autumn with TeachNet

For Autumn 2020, TeachNet are offering three online courses, to help you and your school achieve effective ICT integration into teaching and learning. TeachNet’s , online courses bring together the expertise of St. Patrick’s DCU and the practical approach of our course authors. All TeachNet courses are created “by teachers, for teachers” using the best interactive e-learning technology and provide practical ideas for using ICT creatively in the classroom. Autumn…

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Continuing to Embrace Evolving Technology

As we return to school after a prolonged absence, I have taken the opportunity to upgrade some of the ICT facilities around our school. Over the years we have installed Interactive White Boards in all our classrooms. However, many of these are now showing their age and thoughts have now turned to upgrading to IFP’s (Interactive Flat Panels.) As a principal the main barrier to the upgrade to the Interactive…

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