Series of Quotations: ICT in the Classroom

Courtesy of :http://edtechreview.in/news/2112-technology-in-education-quotes

1) “Technology is just a tool. In terms of getting the kids working together and motivating them, the teacher is most important.” – Bill Gates

2) “There can be infinite uses of the computer and of new age technology, but if teachers themselves are not able to bring it into the classroom and make it work, then it fails.” – Nancy Kassebaum

3) “Any teacher that can be replaced with a computer, deserves to be.” – David Thornburg

4) “Teachers need to integrate technology seamlessly into the curriculum instead of viewing it as an add-on, an afterthought, or an event.” – Heidi-Hayes Jacobs

5) “It is not about the technology; it’s about sharing knowledge and information, communicating efficiently, building learning communities and creating a culture of professionalism in schools. These are the key responsibilities of all educational leaders.” – Marion Ginapolis

6) “Education is evolving due to the impact of the Internet. We cannot teach our students in the same manner in which we were taught. Change is necessary to engage students not in the curriculum we are responsible for teaching, but in school. Period.” – April Chamberlain

7) “We need to embrace technology to make learning more engaging. Because when students are engaged and they are interested, that’s where learning takes place.”

8) “We need technology in every classroom and in every student and teacher’s hand, because it is the pen and paper of our time, and it is the lens through which we experience much of our world.” – David Warlick

9) “When we talk about 21st century pedagogy, we have to consider many things—the objectives of education, the curriculum, how assessment strategies work, the kind of technology infrastructure involved, and how leadership and policy facilitate attaining education goals.” – Chris Dede, Harvard University

10) 21st Century Education won’t be defined by any new technology. It won’t be just defined by 1:1 technology programs or tech-intensive projects. 21st Century Education will, however, be defined by a fundamental shift in what we are teaching – a shift towards learner-centered education and creating creative thinkers. – Karl Fisch

11) “Integrating technology with face-to-face teacher time generally produces better academic outcomes than employing either technique alone.” – Edutopia

12) “Yes, kids love technology, but they also love legos, scented markers, handstands, books and mud puddles. It’s all about balance.”

13) “Technology can become the “wings” that will allow the educational world to fly farther and faster than ever before—if we will allow it.” – Jenny Arledge

14) Teachers need to stop saying, “Hand it in,” and start saying “Publish It.” Alan November

15)  “The technology itself is not transformative. It’s the school, the pedagogy, that is transformative.” – Tanya Byron

16) “It is important to remember that educational software, like textbooks, is only one tool in the learning process. Neither can be a substitute for well-trained teachers, leadership, and parental involvement.” – Keith Krueger

17) “ICT is not the future of our chidren’s education, it is the present and we need to make investment in ICT now!” – National Association of Advisors for Computer in Education

18)  The real power of interactive technologies is that they let us learn in ways that aren’t otherwise possible or practical. – David Lassner

19) “The need to know the capital of Florida died when my phone learned the answer: Rather, the students of tomorrow need to be able to think creatively: they will need to learn on their own, adapt to new challenges and innovate on-the-fly.” – Anthony Chivetta, high school student in Missouri

20) “Learners in the internet age don’t need more information. They need to know how to efficiently use the massive amount of information available at their fingertips – to determine what’s credible, what’s relevant, and when its useful to reference.” – Anna Sabramowicz

#5j16, #edchatie, #ict

Notes for Virtual Environment

Lecture 2 : Day 2: Enda Donlon

What does the term virtual environment mean to you?

• simulation
• using more than the light  switch with tech in the class

Specific contexts and learning:

A virtual learning environment is a set of teaching and learning tools integrated into one system, which is designed to enhance the students’

defining characteristic:

• designed info space
• social space: educational interactions occur
• virtual space is explicitly represented
• integrate heterogeneous technologies and multiple pedagogical approaches

 

Examples

• Moodle + Edmodo
• blackboard

VLE:

• content creation
• communication
• collaboration
• assessment and marking
• management
• differential access

 

1916 Breakdown for students

The Irish Proclamation 1916

The Irish Proclamation was mainly written by Padraig Pearse, who read it out under the portico of the GPO just before noon on Easter Monday 1916, the Proclamation declared Ireland as a sovereign independent Republic.  Copies of the proclamation were then pasted on buildings around Dublin city centre.

1000 copies of the proclamation had been printed in secret at Liberty Hall on the night before and morning of Easter Monday 1916, in time for the start of the Rising. Added to the very tight deadline for printing, there were problems with the design and layout of the original document, which the typesetters and printers did well to overcome considering the tension and danger they were in.  Three typesetters were used, Willie O’Brien, Michael Molloy and Christopher Brady, all had difficulty with the supply of type letters and lack of same size or font, which resulted in the text of the final document being mismatched.  The document had to be printed in two halves due to the lack of type set, the top half of the document was printed first and then the bottom section was printed on the same paper.  The document measured 20 x 30” (a popular theatre poster size of the time), white in colour with a greyish tinge.  The paper used was actually quite a poor quality, it was thin and easily tore, supplied by the Swift Brook Paper Mill in Saggart, Co Dublin, who had a reputation for quality paper, but the paper provided in 1916 was poorer to the Mill’s normal quality as the linen normally used in the production of paper was used for bandages during the Great War, which meant all paper produced at the time was a poorer quality.

It is thought there are about 30 to 50 of the original 1000 copies still in existence.  The actual original signed Irish Proclamation was never found and was more than likely destroyed during the surrender or soon after. Seán T O’Kelly, who participated in the 1916 Rising and who became President of Ireland, presented his copy to the Irish parliament building and is on display in Leinster House.  Other original copies of the Irish Proclamation can be seen in the National Print Museum in Dublin, Trinity College Dublin, National Museum of Ireland in Dublin and in the GPO Museum. Every year on Easter Sunday, as part of the 1916 Rising commemorations, an officer of the Irish Defence Forces reads the Irish Proclamation outside the GPO.

 

Signatories to the Irish Proclamation 1916

Thomas James Clarke

• First signatory of the Irish Proclamation due to his seniority.
• Born on the Isle of Wight, 1857.
• Father was a soldier in the British army.
• Spent time in America as a young man where he joined Clann na nGael, later to return to America his connection to Clann na nGael brought him to a strong position in the revolutionary movement in Ireland.
• Served a 15 year prison term for his part in a bombing campaign in London, 1883-1898.
• Treasurer of the Irish Republican Brotherhood and a member of the Supreme Council from 1915.
• Easter Rising, occupied the GPO.
• Executed 3^rd May 1916.

 

Seán MacDiarmada

• Born in Leitrim, 1884.
• Emigrated to Glasgow in 1900, then to Belfast in 1902.
• Member of the Gaelic League.
• Joined Republic Brotherhood in 1906 when in Belfast.
• Moved to Dublin in 1908.
• Became manager of IRB’s newspaper ‘Irish Freedom’ in 1910.
• Afflicted with polio in 1912.
• Drafted onto military committee of IRB I 1915.
• Easter Rising, occupied the GPO.
• Executed 12^th May 1916.

 

Padraig Pearse

• Born in Dublin, 1879.
• Interested in Irish culture since a teenager.
• 1896 became a member of the Executive Committee of the Gaelic League.
• Graduated from the Royal University 1901, degree in Arts & Law.
• Published extensively in both Irish and English.
• Became editor of the newspaper of the Gaelic League ‘An Claidheamh Soluis’.
• Founder member of the Irish Volunteers and the author of the Proclamation of Independence.
• Present in the GPO during the Rising, Commander in Chief of the Irish forces.
• Executed on 3^rd May 1916.

 

James Connolly

• Born in Edinburgh in 1868.
• Was a member of the British army, stint in Ireland.
• Returned to Scotland and the strong Irish presence in Edinburgh developed Connelly’s interest in Irish politics in  the mid 1890s.
• Emigrated to Dublin in 1896.
• Founded the Irish Socialist Republication Party.
• Spent time in America before returning to Ireland to campaign for worker’s rights with James Larkin.
• Also campaigned against religious bigotry.
• Co-founder of  the Irish Citizen Army in 1913.
• Easter Rising, appointed Commandant-General of the Dublin forces, leader of the group who occupied the GPO. Wounded during their Easter Rising.
• Executed sitting in a chair as unable to stand due to his wounds, 12 May 1916. Last of the leaders to be executed.

 

Thomas McDonagh

• Born in Tipperary, 1878.
• Moved to Dublin to study, became a teacher and founded St. Enda’s school with Padraig Pearse.
• Position at the English Department, University College Dublin
• Wrote play ‘When the Dawn is Come’, produced at the Abbey.
• Appointed director of training for the Irish Volunteers in 1914.
• Appointed to the IRB military committee in 1916
• Easter Rising, Commander of the Second Battalion of Volunteers, occupied Jacob’s biscuit factory.
• Executed 3^rd May 1916

 

Éamonn Ceannt 

• Born in Galway, 1891
• Employed by the Dublin Corporation
• Co-founder of the Irish Volunteers, involved in the Howth gun-running operation in 1914
• Interest in Irish culture, Irish language and history
• Played the Uileann Pipes
• Easter Rising, Commander of the Fourth Battalion of Irish Volunteers, taking possession of the South Dublin Union (now St. James’ Hospital)
• Executed on 8^th May 1916.

 

Joseph Mary Plunkett

• Born in Dublin, 1887.
• Son of a papal count, educated in England, returned to Ireland and graduated from U.C.D. in 1909.
• Travelled for two years before returning to Dublin in 1911.
• Love of literature and became editor of the Irish Review.  With MacDonagh and Edward Martyn he established an Irish National Theatre.
• Joined  the Irish Volunteers in 1913.
• Became a member of the IRB in 1914.
• Travelled to Germany to meet Roger Casement in 1915.
• Appointed Director of Military Operations during the Rising, with overall responsibility for military strategy.
• Easter Rising, occupied the GPO.
• While imprisoned in Kilmainham Gaol following the surrender he married Grace Gifford.
• Executed on 4^th May 1916

Drugs and Alcohol. SPHE / RE topics

A very important aspect to education is warning signs for the variety of drugs available to the genera public and allow them to understand the key distinctions between the different types and overall understand that a drug is simply any substance other than food which changes the way the body or mind functions.

Recently I started the module with my third years about the dangers of using drugs and alcohol irresponsibly. So far the students have co-operated well with the module and have asked a lot of questions contributed greatly to the lessons. I found that there was a colossal amount of resources on this topic so it made lesson planning very easy in comparison to some other social topics.

One Power point I  found was on the various drugs types and the category each one falls under. However, as I always say, a PowerPoint is only as good as the teacher who is using it. To begin the series of lesson,s start with the lesson of what is a drug?

Secondly, inform them of what qualifies as a drug, e.g. caffeine, and what it is categorized under;

Carry on the lesson appropriately that suits you class understanding and ability. Have the pupils read from slides and incorporate higher and lower order questions and using a variety of methodologies that permits students participation and discussion.

The various PowerPoint and worksheets on resources websites like TES.co.uk, are so effective and once examined properly they can be incorporated into the lesson effectively. Drugs and alcohol is of course an important and arguably difficult topic to teach especially since the frequent things that adolescents are exposed to in modern society. So like many social topics, you have to teach it from an outside perspective, not judging those who have or have not taken any form of drug that effect their body whether it is for medical or recreational purposes and of course making no presumptions or putting any pressure on students in the class. A ‘Say no to drugs’ rant maybe very irrational, but instead ensure it is an illustration of their effects and how the consequences can be dangerous. Know the difference between informing and lecturing.

In addition to the PowerPoint, there is a documentary you can show parts of at the end of each lesson that is perfectly divided to allow you to show different parts on different lessons. The documentary : What drugs do in your body,  illustrates what several different drugs effects drugs have on the body and the mind. The documentary is just over 40 minutes but shows how intoxicated people react to the different everyday and emergency situations under the influence of narcotics. If you divide the video to 3 lessons based on the 3 scenarios that take place in the video.The documentary is engaging in many ways as it shows how people react to under the influence and while they are sober. The idea is not to put a shock value for the pupils but to provide them with the heads up as to what is out there and whats ahead of them.

Assessment can be tricky with this section. The topic is an important but not a mandatory lesson for the Junior or Leaving certificate. This is ideal, as the lessons should not require a need for examination. However, if in an exam subject it still has its benefits, for religious education it can be used to illustrate the choices in morality and ideally can used as an example of respecting yourself and moral codes. For S.P.H.E. its very relevant for obvious reasons, drugs are very relative to peer pressure, a common issue for teens. It is also appropriate for seniors under social ed or non-exam RE as maturity is important. Avoid the topic with first years and second years as instead the maturity of the topic requires the pupils to be more aware about the world and themselves.

The topic can cross over with science and P.E. for effects of drugs on the body and even C.S.P.E. with importance of raising awareness of the dangerous impact abusing drugs can have on both the users and those around them. It is an important topic to inform the pupils on this area and although not a polite area to teach, holds a lot of necessity for their social and mental development throughout their school days. Most importantly from, it appropriately incorporates the key skills of the NCCA. Communication through class discussion, managing information through breaking down the types of drugs, critical thinking for the striking factors that are raised, working with others for pair discussion etc.

Its an important and mature topic, Don’t be afraid to answer controversial questions or listen to students inputs. However, for any inappropriate comments from students you may have, promote a disclaimer prior to beginning the lessons. Inform the pupils that their opinions can be respected as long as they are appropriate and do not offend any other pupil in the classroom. If pupils do not co-operate maybe disallow them from contributing in discussions. You do not know what issues students sitting in front have that may relate to drink or drugs. Again don’t let this put you off, but ensure respect is maintained from your part too. Remind the students that if they feel uncomfortable in any shape or form about the class they are welcome to address it privately afterwards, and in case you are worried the students are too shy to say talk about their concern, the post it method for class reflection works wonders. It can provide yourself with a decent reflection on how the lesson went and realize if there is any concerns from the students.

 

#5j16, #alcohol, #classroom-ideas, #communication, #discussion, #drugs, #edchatie, #education, #key-skills, #reflection, #religious-education, #teaching-resources-2