PDST - Technology in Education
March 2023 Newsletter
Welcome! Our newsletter aims to provide ICT news and information to Principals, ICT coordinating teachers, teachers and all those involved in education.
Tipperary School wins Film of the Year The 17th annual FÍS Film awards took place on Wednesday 22nd February in the Helix, DCU and was a celebration of the incredible films produced by schools across the country in 2022. Well done to all those who received an award yesterday, especially to Cappawhite NS County Tipperary who won the prestigious Aileen MacKeogh Film of the Year Award for their film 'The Christmas Truce of 1914'.
Get Ready for Online Summer Courses (Primary) PDST Technology in Education will provide plenty of places in our online primary summer courses. Subject to approval, two courses will be on offer in July (only): 'Multimedia Projects on Climate and Sustainability' and 'An Introduction to Digital Citizenship Education (Primary)' - an international Learning Awards finalist. Participants must choose and enrol in one course only. Course dates are 3rd - 20th July. Enrolment will open in early May (details in the next newsletter). You will need a Scoilnet account to enrol when the time comes. Select ‘More’ to get this account in advance so that you will be ready to enrol in April/May.
Do you want to use video in your post primary classroom? A short online course, 'Using Video to Enhance and Create Resources (Post Primary)', aims to help teachers use digital technologies to enhance existing resources and create new resources using screen recording and other tools. At the end of the course, you will be able to create a video resource that could be used to support learning for your subject area. This course is applicable to all learning scenarios and is particularly useful for blended learning or flipping the classroom.
Introducing Digital Portfolios (Post Primary) The benefits, features and purpose of digital portfolio systems are introduced in a short online course requiring just 1.5 hours of study time. The course shows examples of how teachers in Ireland are using digital portfolios and introduces the process that underpins their use, including for formative and summative assessment. The consequences of introducing digital portfolios for the role of the teachers and students are also explained, to help you make an informed decision about their use.
DL Planning in a Primary School Ballyduff National School describe how the school’s Digital Learning Committee approach digital learning planning and how they manage apps and devices across different levels at the school. They also discuss how technology can be used for learning support, EAL and problem-solving.
Post Primary: Student Digital Learning Committee Students and staff at Presentation Secondary School Waterford describe their approaches to digital learning in the school and how both students and staff are involved in planning. We also hear from some of their Digital Assistants. Digital Technology Infrastructure PDST Technology in Education have developed a Digital Technology Infrastructure (DTI) Guide for schools which is written specifically for school leadership, including principals, deputy principals, the digital learning team and the DTI coordinating teacher.
St. Patrick's Day Themepage St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland, known for spreading Christianity throughout the country as a missionary during the 5th century. Worldwide, people are encouraged to join together online and in person on March 17th to celebrate this special day. Our Themepage has lots of links to activities and resources to support your St. Patrick celebrations.
Is féile idirnáisiúnta Ghaeilge í Seachtain na Gaeilge, atá ar an gceiliúradh is mó dár dteanga agus dár gcultúr dúchais a bhíonn ar siúl gach bliain. Seachtain na Gaeilge is an international Irish language festival, which is the biggest celebration of our native language and culture that takes place every year. Scoilnet has resources and videos to help the Irish language flourish in your classroom.
Easter is the most important festival in the Christian calendar. Find out why people celebrate, and why chocolate eggs and bunnies are symbols of Easter - all on Scoilnet's Easter Themepage.
There is a new category this year - the Art Competition! Entrants should submit a poster designed under the #SID2023 theme respect and empathy online. The SID Awards are open to all Primary and Post-Primary schools, and also include categories for Best Overall Campaigns, SID Leadership Award, and the HTML Heroes Colouring Competition. If you celebrated Safer Internet Day 2023, enter the SID Awards for a chance to win great prizes!
Ireland celebrates Safer Internet Day 2023 Almost 200,000 children and young people around Ireland took part in activities to mark Safer Internet Day 2023! Students and schools hosted workshops, did lessons and presentations, held debates, recorded podcasts and videos, did coding activities, ran poster competitions, wrote and performed songs and so much more! #SID2023 focussed on the theme of promoting respect and building empathy online, and included a student-led event to discuss the benefits and the challenges online, and to explore opportunities to create more tolerant and inclusive online communities. It also saw the launch of the #SilentWitness awareness campaign.
#SilentWitness awareness campaign The new #SilentWitness awareness campaign explores the topic of online bullying and abuse. Developed in consultation with young people and incorporating the latest research, three powerful short films campaigns explore the nuances of online friendships, peer pressure, the notion of banter, and the impact bullying can have on young people. This campaign is a great way to spark conversations with young people.
CESI Conference 2023: "50 Years and Growing" The 2023 annual conference of the Computers in Education Society of Ireland (CESI) will take place on Saturday 11th March, 2023. CESI will be celebrating their Golden Jubilee, all under the theme of “50 Years and Growing". The conference will take place in ATU Galway City.
FÍS Storyboard Storytelling Competition Following the success of the Storyboard Storytelling Competition for the past 2 years, FÍS are pleased to announce its return this year. So Primary pupils, it's time to get creative! The Closing Date is Friday, March 31st 2023, 5pm sharp. |
