The Vikings
Presentation which is intended to give pupils some background information about the history of the Vikings as well as information about the arrival of the Vikings in Ireland. The presentation shows examples of Viking transport, weapons and jewellery.
A set of teacher’s notes accompanies this resource. These are for teacher information only and are not intended as a commentary to be read to pupils for every slide in the presentation. read more…
Teaching Appz
Through the Zite magazine app on my iPad, I came across Teaching Appz, a new website with recommendations of mobile apps for teachers and schools. This website comes from the same website stable as Teaching News and Teaching Ideas. The site gives a short review of each app as well as how it can be used in the classroom. It gives recommendations on what age group the app is suitable for and includes screenshots of the app. It also tells what mobile platform the app is available for. read more…
Report of Advisory Group to Forum on Patronage and Pluralism
The Report of the Advisory group set up to advise the Minister for Education and Skills on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector has been published today. It was chaired by Prof. John Coolahan and he was assisted by Dr. Caroline Hussey and Ms Fionnuala Kilfeather. This 174-page report outlines the history of patronage in the primary sector in Ireland and makes recommendations on the future direction of policy on this issue.
The recommendations of the Advisory Group can be broadly divided into three key areas: read more…
Turf
Presentation detailing the cutting of turf from the bogs of Ireland. This resource has been digitised from a filmstrip resource made available to schools by the Department of Education in the 1970’s and 1980’s. Some parts made be dated and it is up to the teacher to make it relevant to the present day.
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Minister Quinn Questions Time Spent on Gaeilge and Religion
In an interview with the Irish Times last Thursday, the Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairí Quinn, questioned the amount of time spent on the teaching of Gaeilge and Religion in primary school classrooms. He believes that in light of the extra emphasis that is to be placed on literacy and numeracy, questions need to be asked about Gaeilge and Religion. He was at pains to point out that he was not anti-religion and made a distinction between religion and faith formation: read more…
Google Docs for Teachers Free eBook
A blog that I regularly follow is Richard Byrne’s Free Technology for Teachers in which he regularly writes posts about practical ideas for the integration of technology in the classroom. Now, Richard has put together a free eBook on Google Documents for Teachers. Many teachers will already be aware of the resources that are contained in Google Docs and their possible uses both professionally and in the classroom. read more…
The Bronze Age
Presentation detailing weapons, crockery and jewellery (particularly those made in gold) created during the Bronze Age in Ireland. All of these products give an insight into the everyday lives of the people of the time. The presentation includes great images of a range of these products. A set of teacher’s notes accompanies this resource.
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Milk
This presentation tells the story of the production of milk. It is told from the point of view from a time when milk was delivered to many doorsteps in Ireland in glass bottles. It also tells about other dairy products. The presentation can be used in its entirety, or the teacher can choose to show individual slides to serve a particular purpose. read more…
Filmstrips Project – First Resources Now Online
It’s almost two years ago since I first started asking visitors to the site if anyone had access to old filmstrips that may have been cast aside in schools around the country. To say that the response has been overwhelming would be an understatement. At the moment, there are more than 500 filmstrips in boxes and bags on the floor of my sitting room! Many thanks to all of the teachers and schools who donated filmstrip resources to me and there was great variety among them. They included filmstrips on Gaeilge (Buntús), religion, nature, science, history, geography. In the intervening period, both personal and technical difficulties have stalled progress on the digitisation of the resources. read more…
Ó Chrann Go Crann
Ó Chrann Go Crann (From Tree to Tree) is a new bi-lingual story app told in English and Gaeilge within the one app. Because it is rare to see any apps in the Irish language, I was interested to see what this app was like. Written by Caitríona Hastings, the story is narrated in both English and Gaeilge by Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh, better known as a singer with the folk group Altan. read more…