Welcome! Our newsletter aims to provide ICT news and information to Principals, ICT coordinating teachers, teachers and all those involved in education.
Minister for Education Norma Foley TD recently announced the publication of the Digital Strategy for Schools to 2027 and the payment of €50 million in grant funding for digital technology infrastructure to all recognised primary and post-primary schools.
This strategy will advance the embedding of digital technologies across teaching, learning and assessment, building on the work under previous strategies. It aims to further support the school system so that all students across our schools have the opportunity to gain the knowledge and skills they need to navigate an ever-evolving digital world successfully.
New! Post primary principals and teachers are advised that a range of online courses will be available during planning days in late August and throughout the new school year, as part of our new online courses service. The online courses programme will include a new course on Cyberbullying as well as current courses on Digital Learning Planning, Assessment Feedback and more.
See our current programme for ideas of what you/your school might like to access.
Enrolment starts today (May 12th) for our third and final online primary summer course: 'Multimedia Projects on Climate and Sustainability, August 2-18'. Enrolment commences at 11:30am, with a second tranche of places released later, at 3:30pm, to provide additional opportunities to get a place. (At the time of writing, places remain available on our July course also.)
In our short video clips you will see a range of technologies, methodologies and approaches by teachers at all levels from junior primary to senior post primary classes.
Primary In this video, Ken Molloy, Talbot Senior National School, describes how he uses video to enable students to connect and communicate with their school community.
Post Primary In this video, Siobhán Lynch, Fingal Community College, describes how she teaches Digital Citizenship and how she encourages students to get involved in discussions and learning about Digital Citizenship.
With new funding, it is important to ensure you make the right purchasing decisions. On our website we have a dedicated area to assist schools to purchase fit-for-purpose ICT. If you require advice or support please email us at [email protected].
The sections in this area provide purchasing information on different types of equipment.
Scoilnet Maps has added a new data layer to their OSi map viewer which shows the proportion of women elected to local government in Ireland. Fascinating information that has a specific tie-in with LC Politics & Society.
The Irish Newspaper Archive gives teachers and students unrivalled access to primary source documents through national and local newspapers covering hundreds of years of Irish history. Over 60 newspapers are included in the archive with some dating back as far as 1738.
With brighter days and better weather on the way, make your lessons fun and engaging with our Outdoor Activities collection. With links to several curriculum areas from Junior Infants up to Sixth Class, you are sure to find some interesting ideas to make the most of your outdoor spaces.
Congratulations to the winners of the Safer Internet Day Awards 2022! Presentation Secondary School Waterford were the winners of the Best Overall Campaign (Post-Primary); Scoil an Chroí Ró Naofa Íosa in Dublin 15 won the Best Overall Campaign (Primary); and SID Ambassadors Allyssa and Serene from Sacred Heart School Tullamore won the SID Ambassador Leadership Award.
The standard of entries were incredibly high this year, and Webwise would like to thank everyone who entered the SID Awards.
Webwise have developed a helpful set of guidelines for consideration when developing an Acceptable Use Policy. The publication also includes an AUP template for schools. The AUP Generator Tool, which is free for all schools to use, can also be used to customise an Acceptable Use Policy based on your school needs.
Media Smart; Managing your online advert experience Lesson
An additional resource has been added to Webwise.ie, which will help students become familiar with digital advertising and be equipped with the necessary tools to help them manage their online advertising experience. This is a flexible cross-curricular resource that can be used as a standalone lesson plan or be adapted to run as part of an SPHE lesson or as part of the Digital Media Literacy Short Course for Junior Cycle.
There is an open invitation to all Irish primary schools to enter their films into the annual national FÍS Film Awards competition. There is no need to register in advance. To enter, primary schools across the country are asked to create an (up to) five-minute film on a subject of their choice. Before you begin check out the rules and guidelines and judging criteria for further details.
Closing date for entries is Friday, 24th June 2022 at 5:00 pm Sharp.
PDST Technology in Education were delighted to reconnect recently with all the schools involved in the Schools Excellence Fund at the shared learning event #SEFDigital#SEFSTEM.
Don't forget that the closing date for funding for 2022-2024 is Friday, 13th May 2022 to your local full-time education centre.
