A couple of years ago when Ireland had money, the government, through the National Centre for Technology in Education, the NCTE, decided to pay a company to develop an email system for teachers. Every teacher was going to be given an email address @scoilnet.ie I was one of the teachers chosen to pilot it in my school so I went for the training. There was nothing particularly wrong with the system apart from the fact that it wasn’t very good. (more…)
Archive for December, 2008
Would you take a paycut?
December 30th, 2008 
aaa There’s an interesting debate going on on Education Posts, http://educationposts.ie/forum/viewtopic.php?id=20226, regarding teachers taking a paycut in order to save the jobs of colleagues who will be gone due to the increase of class sizes. Instantly there was a barrage of “not before hell freezes over” before some interesting points were raised about our current conditions.
Quick…what’s 63 x 11?
December 28th, 2008 aaa 
It’s 693. It’s really easy to multiply any two digit number with 11. It’s a great trick to play with a 4th or 5th class as a mental warm up to a maths class. If you’re old fashioned and still do the 11 and 12 times tables with your class, this can be a great extension too. Everyone finds it easy to multiply single digits with 11, (repeat the number – 4 x 11 = 44), but it’s not the same easiness when you get to 11 x 11 and 11 x 12…or is it?
Christmas table quiz-suitable for 5th and 6th
December 22nd, 2008 rozz Here is the table quiz i will be doing tomorrow with my class tomorrow, 5th Class…you will have to adapt the questions about yourself!
Enjoy!
R. (more…)
I Love my Netbook
December 20th, 2008 aaa 
After 3 years, my trusty laptop died. In its day it was a great laptop sporting 1GB of RAM and lots of other geeky stuff. I knew its time had come when I had to resign myself to sending it to a repair shop. After a couple of goes, the repair guy gave me the sad news….it was over.
Like a nerdesque organ donor, I told him he could take the “good bits” from the laptop and after a period of mourning, I headed to PC World to buy a Netbook. (more…)
How do you teach the “ng” sound?
December 15th, 2008 Kat 
Here are a few suggestions,
Possible Resources:
- ‘ng’ grapheme card and a set of (magnetic) cards including all graphemes introduced to date
- Picture cards eg. someone singing a song/string/ a bird or an aeroplane with both wings visible/ a ping pong bat for table tennis….
- A chart with the words: sing/song/singing/wings/ping pong written but with the ‘ng’ in a different colour marker
Step-by-step… (more…)
Me…a scrooge?
December 14th, 2008 rozz Hi there!
Am so excited re the holidays which are fast approaching! With one week to go, I know the class are going to be going slightly more mental than usual! Before every celebration or big event, i.e. Halloween, Easter, Christmas or Bank Holdiays, certain members of my class will start to lose the plot, get overexcited and become hyperactive little aliens. (more…)
So marching works…a little
December 14th, 2008 aaa 
From RTE news web site:
The Department of Education has announced a significant rowing back on controversial proposed cuts to substitution cover in primary schools.
The department said it will be restoring cover for teachers on uncertified sick leave in all but a limited number of cases. (more…)
How to get an Interactive Whiteboard for less than €2,500
December 10th, 2008 aaa 
An interactive whiteboard can cost you and your school a lot of money. The most expensive one I can find costs nearly €6,000. The marketing people say it’s the cream of the crop – adjustable height, short-throw projector, excellent after-sales service, free training, etc. etc. However, when you can buy an Interactive Whiteboard for less than €2,500 that does everything anyone would want an Interactive Whiteboard to do, is the extra €3,500 worth it? I don’t think so. And…furthermore, is the sub €2,500 Interactive Whiteboard any worse than the €6,000? In a word, no. So, here’s what you need for an excellent Interactive Whiteboard. (more…)
Posted in Interactive Whiteboards 
Tags: ebeam, interactive whiteboard, iwb, mimio, onfinity, Opinion, promethean, Smart 
No Comments »Dublin Rally
December 6th, 2008 aaa 
The final leg of the protests against the budget cuts to education attracted over 60,000 people. I couldn’t believe the number of people around me. I rushed to the front of the protest to get a good view of the speakers – (I couldn’t hear a word in Tullamore). Even though I had arrived at the march at 11:30 that morning it took me almost 45 minutes to reach the head of the crowd. (more…)
