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Éadaoin McGovern, Director of Navan Education Center has compiled a comprehensive booklet which includes useful links, resources and guidelines to compliment student learning in the home.

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Please find a collection of SeeSaw videos which might be beneficial to your school communities online.

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1.Create or Join aTeam

2 Manage Team Members

3 Navigation in Teams

4 Channels

5 Communicating with Team Members

6 Announcements in Chat

7 Uploading and Sharing Files in Teams

8 Adding OneNote Class Notebook to Teams

9  Microsoft Teams - Create, Track, and Review Assignments in Class Teams

10 Live Meetings in Teams Setup 1

11 Live Meetings with colleagues

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Padlet for transitions from pre school to primary school in Ireland

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Padlet for transitions from pre school to primary school in Ireland

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Padlet for transitions from pre school to primary school  in Ireland

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Information for Irish parents and teachers around transitions

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Heritage Council tutorials for primary school children

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Heritage Council tutorials for primary school children

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The aim of this website is to provide you with a comprehensive guide to apps which support the Irish primary curriculum.

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Welcome to Cool Apps for Schools! The aim of this website is to provide you with a comprehensive guide to apps which support the Irish primary curriculum. Many apps that we have included so far can be used across a range of class levels and curricular areas. These apps could also be used at home to extend learning further. Please check back regularly to see new apps and reviews and if there are any apps that you feel would be worth including, please do let us know on our

At the moment we have reviewed over 70 apps and would recommend each and every one of the apps featured for use in Irish primary classrooms! We have tried to include as many free apps as possible, however any paid app that we have featured is worth purchasing in our opinion. Many of these paid apps have a 'Lite' version which allows you to try some aspects of the app before buying.
"Contact Us" page. Also take a look at our Facebook page for lots more ideas about how our featured apps could be used in the classroom. We are also on Twitter-come and follow us!

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Useful Links

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The disheartening Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has forced several establishments and offices to cease operation. And for good reasons, several schools around the globe were also forced to shut down to prevent the spread of COVID-19 among students and educators.

With schools and universities on lockdown, how could teachers continue to provide the learning needs of their students?

Teaching online has become a viable option for many educators and students. It lets students attend their classes even while at home. Teachers and professionals also benefit from online classes. With eLearning, teachers can continue teaching irrespective of the location of the students.

If you're a teacher who seeks to start an online class, then this guide is for you.

We understand how the devastating pandemic demands for alternative learning systems, so we collected over 1000+ online resources, tools, and platforms to help educators like you to continue providing the academic needs of your students in home-based learning environments.

Our help doesn't end there. Read on as we give you a walkthrough on how to prepare for online teaching.

Prepare for Online Teaching

"Many science and mathematics instructors would easily agree that effective teaching takes place when the students learn to think critically, communicate effectively... and a commitment to life-long self-education," said Abour Cherif and Gerald Adams in their publication, The Essence of Teaching¹.

To achieve educational objectives, an educator must possess teaching models, tools, and instructional materials to promote student involvement in the learning situation.

Doing so may be challenging, more so if there is no direct contact between the educator and the student. But as long as communication is concerned, teachers can still utilize different learning techniques to students using various communication tools.

And yes, with the growing number of communication apps in the market, we understand how it has become rather overwhelming to pick that one tool that provides all your needs. Someone had to list the best tools, and so we did it.

Below is a list of communication tools that you may choose to use.

Communication Tools for Online Teaching

Needless to say, teachers need to have great communication skills. It's fundamental both to themselves and the students. The ability of an educator to communicate well is key to help students achieve academic success. Without good communication skills, teachers impair their own career mobility as well as the learning process.

Your communication skills as a teacher also play a critical role in developing and enhancing student comprehension. Students rely on you to provide them guidance, instruction, and feedback throughout the learning process. ²

When a teacher flunks having good communication skills, the comprehension level of students may drop. Eventually, the academic progress of a student may suffer and dwindle just because they did not receive proper support, or, for this matter, good communication.

Just because you couldn't conduct teachings with students in a brick-and-mortar classroom doesn't mean you cannot practice good communication skills.

With the help of communication tools, you can still attain the needs of your students, including the emotional support they need.

So, without further ado, what communication tools are the best in the market?

Devices: Desktop and mobile phones (iOS, Android)

Pricing: Free (paid plans are available, too)

Tool: Audio, Video, Chat

Screenshare: Yes

Zoom is one of the fast-growing communication apps there is. It is the top app by the number of customers and active unique users, as reported by Okta's Businesses at Work Report 2020.

This app is available on desktop and mobile devices running Android and iOS. It's pretty basic to use, which you will find feasible, especially if you have students who aren't too familiar with using tech.

Open Zoom, sign up, then set up a call. Then, click Invite. You may send meeting invitations via an email or copy the URL and send them to your students. Your students (and co-teachers) must also install Zoom on their devices.

Zoom offers a spectrum of features, including ScreenShare, raise/lower hand (on mobile devices), and even adding a virtual background (on desktop users).

What we also love about Zoom is that you can set meetings, or on this matter, classes, schedules beforehand.

Devices: Desktop (Windows, Mac OS X, Linux), web browsers, smart devices (Android, iOS, Windows, Kindle Fire, Xbox One, and Alexa)

Pricing: Free (basic features; paid plans also available)

Screenshare: Yes

You'll never get short of reasons to love Skype. It is among the top communication tools being used by thousands of large companies, which significantly tells you how reliable the app is.

What we love most about Skype is its versatility. You can access Skype via your phone or PC. And if for apparent reasons, you cannot install the app on your desktop or phone, you can still access Skype via a web browser.

You and each of your students must have a Skype account, which you can create for free. Once you're in the app, simply add your students as contacts using either their email address or Skype ID.

Sharing your screen is doable on Skype, so you can always show your teaching tools to your students.

Devices: Android, iOS, and PC

Pricing: Free (GSuite plans are also available)

Tool: Audio, Video, Chat

Screenshare: Yes

Google knows what you need, and so they created Google Hangouts, an app for video conferencing, calls, and chats. Use this app to conduct classes for your students or contact other co-teachers.

Creating an account is pretty straightforward. Set up a call, then invite your students using the Invite button. You may send them the meeting link or send invites via email. The people you want to join in your meeting should have access to Google Hangouts.

Device: web browser, Android phones

Pricing: Free

Tool: Paperless assignment workflow

Screenshare: No

Yet another amazing communication tool for online teaching is the Google Classroom, made by... yes, you guessed it... Google.

Google is committed to creating useful, user-friendly apps. Everyone with a Google account can create or join a class on Google Classroom. It's super easy to set up, saves time, and improves organization.

With Google Classroom, you can send announcements and start class discussions. If you have multiple students, they may share resources with each other and answer questions on the stream.

Google Classroom is free and is specifically designed for schools and non-profits.

Devices: Web browser and mobile devices

Pricing: Free

Tools: online word document (spreadsheet and slideshow also available)

Screenshare: No

Google Docs is a free online word document that you can share with other people. You may use this to write important notes, articles, essays, books, and lesson plans.

You may also ask your students to create documents with this tool. You can add comments on their write up, highlight important notes, and suggest revisions.

Intermittent internet connection? No worries. You may install the extension Google Docs Offline so you can create, edit, and view your documents even without internet access. All changes made while you were offline will be automatically synced once you are connected to the internet.

If none of the above works for you, you might want to check our communication tool directory.

Online Lesson Plans for Teachers

Having a communication tool doesn't solve all the challenges a teacher carries. Aside from having an effective and reliable communication tool, it's necessary to have an online lesson plan.

Writing lesson plans "will inspire students and generate success," says Gini Cunningham in her book, New Teacher's Companion.

You may have already set up your virtual classroom, find correct answers to questions, and plan for schedules and procedures, but the actual purpose of your job is what comes next - teaching your students. This is when lesson plans come in.

"A lesson plan is the instructor's road map of what students need to learn and how it will be done effectively during the class time," explained by the Centre for Teaching Excellence.

Having a lesson plan will help you to have a general outline of what your teaching goals and learning objectives would be. It will also guide you in determining activities you find fit, especially in a virtual classroom setup.

We've listed some of the best online lesson plans you may use to start your online teaching:

Creating lesson plans has never been so easy... thanks to incredible tools such as BlendSpace. BlendSpace aims to help educators create digital lessons within a few minutes.

With it, you can find, make, and change current lessons available. You may even add personal resources to elaborate your lessons or make it more fit for your students.

The lesson plans you create on BlendSpace could be shared with all your students, where each of them must complete all assigned activities.

You may include one lesson on a combination of videos, quizzes, games, reading books, writing activities, and so much more.

Found an informative video on YouTube? Attach it to your lesson plan! You may also add in other resources you have on Google Drive, computer, or other ready lessons.

Planbook is another useful online lesson plan tool for online teaching. The great thing about this tool? It does more than just planning. You may also grade your students with it.

This tool lets you create class schedules, save lessons, create class templates, attach files, and share your plans with peers.

The Teacher Planbook supports weekly or biweekly schedules. You may view your lesson plans by day, week, month, or class. On the other hand, the Teacher Gradebook lets you create student grade books by quarter, semester, or year. You may also include notes regarding your student's performance.

You may get the Planbook mobile app on iOS or Android devices.

Streamline your classroom using Chalk to create lesson plans. This app is designed to help you organize curriculums, activities, and lessons.

You may add videos, photos, and attachments so you can bring your lessons to life, and, at the same time, provide your students with essential resources to make learning extra fun.

Above all, this tool is free for individual teachers. You may get Chalk on your Android or Apple device.

Educational Apps for Online Teaching

You may use other educational apps to help your students learn even when at home. There are several good things about educational apps ‒ not only do they teach kids but also keep them engaged and entertained.

Not that other video games are bad, but kids will benefit more if they engage in apps that can help them enhance their reasoning skills and thinking ability.

Here are some of the apps that we recommend:

Language Apps for Students

"Language -with all of its magnificent complexity- is one of the greatest gifts we give our children," according to Dr. Bruce Perry ³. He added, "The child's brain is learning and changing more during language acquisition in the first six years of life than during any other cognitive ability he is working to acquire."

Does learning a second language cause language confusion for kids? Susan Lang, from Cornell University, gives us a straightforward answer, "Learning a second language does not cause language confusion, language delay or cognitive deficit, which have been concerns in the past. In fact, according to studies at the Cornell Language Acquisition Lab (CLAL), children who learn a second language can maintain attention despite outside stimuli better than children who know only one language."

As an educator, you probably understand how beneficial it is for students to learn a second language. We recommend the following language apps for kids:

LingoKids is designed for kids from ages 2 to 8. The developers of LingoKids applied science in all of their games to ensure young app users benefit. LingoKids Education Specialists used the Lingo Ludic Method so that kids can learn lessons while having fun!

The free LingoKids version offers 3 games, songs, or videos a day. To get full access to the games, you may apply for the subscription priced $14.99/month (subject to change).

Zoolingo offers over 1000+ educational activities and games, puzzles, and lessons set in 16 languages ‒ English, Spanish, French, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, South Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Swedish, Turkish, Arabic, Chinese, Danish, and German!

You may download all levels within the app so kids can still enjoy them even without internet access!

Other Language Apps

Everyone can learn a language with Duolingo - no matter the age. Duolingo provides bite-sized lessons that can be learned within a few minutes a day.

Older students and parents can benefit from this interactive language app. While the app is designed for people for all ages, it is not really suited for small children. Yet, someone old enough to read and write should benefit from Duolingo.

The good news is that Duolingo has a classroom feature that teachers or parents can set up for students to use outside school.

Do you want your students or kids to learn Chinese? Polish? Turkish? Or how about French? You may want to check out Busuu, a language app that aims to teach people a second language using smart ways.

Busuu has over 1000 lessons created by expert linguists. The app currently offers 12 language lessons, including English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, Polish, Turkish, Russian, and Arabic.

You can find more language apps in our directory.

Preschool Apps

Many children begin a full-day kindergarten program at age 4, according to Settlement.Org. As a teacher, you may recommend preschool apps to parents whose toddlers are yet to attend such programs.

Parents and tutors can provide kids aged 2 to 4 with learning activities using preschool apps. Introducing preschool learning apps to kids will help them love learning and reading and even expand their imagination.

Kids can enjoy 1000+ activities and educational games, including drag-and-drop puzzles, ABCs, 123s, shapes, colors, measurement, nursery rhymes and more!

We highly recommend Zoolingo for kids, and here's why: the app is jam packed with colorful and engaging games. The puzzles are designed to help enhance the thinking ability of preschoolers. With Zoolingo, toddlers can learn not just alphabets and numbers, but also body parts, animals, and world occupations.

This app sets the learning stage for toddlers.

Quiz/ Testing Tools

The teaching and learning process is incomplete without assessment. It is an integral part of every learning opportunity, be it online or not. This is because it allows teachers to measure the effectiveness of their teaching by linking student performance to specific learning objectives.

Moreover, it provides useful feedback to both the teacher and the student to which extent has the student learned so far. Each of these characteristics has an important pedagogical or instructional function. But it is also very important that assessment should engage and prepare students with life-long skills as well.

The process of assessment comes in two forms - formative assessment and summative assessment. Summative assessment evaluates the students' learning at the end of an instructional period, typically against standardized criteria.

Formative assessment, on the other hand, monitors student learning in order to provide ongoing feedback which can be used by teachers to improve their teaching and by students to improve their learning.

Formative assessment helps learners know their strengths and weaknesses and the areas they need to work on. It also helps teachers know where their learners are struggling so that they can adjust teaching accordingly.

Online assessment usually comes in the form of formative assessment. They are often through quizzes or tests administered at the end of every period.

The advent of online teaching gave birth to a lot of personalized quiz websites. These websites became a way for teachers to send the quizzes that they have made or do them live with their students.

Some of these websites include the following:

Devices: Cloud, SaaS, Web, Desktop and mobile phones (iOS, Android)

Pricing: Free (paid plans are available, too)

Kahoot is a platform developed in partnership with Microsoft and Google to create online quizzes and assignments. It offers a compelling and easy way to engage learners in pre- and formative assessment activities.

You can make a list of multiple-choice questions and create a game afterward. The questions have four choices and Kahoot will provide a pin code once the game is created.

Your learners (players) can join the game using the Pincode and they can submit their answers using a smartphone or computer when you are hosting the game. The result sheet is automatically generated after the game.

What is good about this platform is that it is not just for quizzes and assignments but can also be used for discussion. Your learners can take over the review process or class discussion by rotating the responsibility of making a weekly quiz.

Devices: Desktop and mobile phones (iOS, Android)

Pricing: Free (paid plans are available, too)

Quizlet is a free online teaching platform that offers millions of pre-created study sets on thousands of topics to choose from or you can curate your own study sets. It also offers different ways to assess learning through flashcards and timed games, to adaptive questions and practice tests.

Quizlet Live is a team-based review game that helps learners build both soft and hard skills such as communication and vocabulary retention. It uses modern teaching techniques such as images, progress tracking, text-to-speech audio, and interactive diagrams to engage students to learn.

Other Online Teaching Tools

Online teaching is as challenging or is even more challenging than teaching on a classroom setup. This new era of teaching has paved the way to thousands of digital education tools all for the purpose of improving academic processes, encouraging collaboration, and facilitating communication between teachers and learners.

Here are some of the best-rated teaching tools that you can use when teaching online:

Devices: Web and iOS

Pricing: Free (paid plans are available, too)

Popplet a simple and fun mind mapping click-and-drag platform specially designed for professionals, learners, and teachers like you. It is an easy way to organize information, color-code topics, type in data, and add comments. You can also add images from Facebook, Flickr, or from the computer.

Popplet is also a good tool that can be used for brainstorming ideas online. Instead of written reports and all, your learners showcase their knowledge of a given topic using this platform. The core skills that are developed with Popplet are organizational, memory, and writing skills.

The features of Popplet include the following:

Generate Easy -To-Understand Popples

Popple Management

Move Popples Around the Popplet Board

Focus on a Single Popple Using the Activity Bar

Add Images and Videos

Zooming Functionalities

Photo Capture

Annotation

Create Drawings on iOS Devices

Copy and Paste Images

Drawing Tool

Add URL Links

Upload Images and Drawings and Trace Over Them

Configure Font Size and Text Alignment

Position Texts Anywhere

Add Texts

Devices: Web, Android, iOS

Pricing: Free

Class Dojo is an online teaching behavior management system made to develop positive learners' behaviors and classroom culture. It works by rewarding your students one dojo point for every positive behavior. You can also use it to keep the parents of your learners updated on the progress of their children.

It is a good way to strengthen the connection between home and school, document student learning, and celebrate online classroom successes. Aside from these things, it is also very helpful in facilitating classroom activities and curating student portfolios.

You can either create an original activity or use the toolkit to conduct warm-ups, post classroom announcements, create random groups, and so much more. You can choose to keep information publicly or privately, too.

You can set up a Class Dojo account on the company website. Setting up an account starts with naming your class and choosing the grade level. You will then be prompted to establish 'class values'. The teacher page is divided into three areas - 'Classroom', 'Class Story', and 'Messages' - with each of them having different yet interrelated functions.

Example Online Lesson

Online-Lesson-Plan-Example-1

Do you have any questions? Visit our Community Forum now.

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Teachers' Guide on How to Prepare for Online Teaching for 2020

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With schools and universities on lockdown, how could teachers continue to provide the learning needs of their students? Online teaching is the solution!

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How to Make Play Dough - Easy No Cook Recipe! | Sea Lemon

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How to Make Play Dough - Easy No Cook Recipe! | Sea Lemon

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How to Make Play Dough - Easy No Cook Recipe! | Sea Lemon

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Ann Daly, Primary Teacher, has created a short video demonstration on setting up Padlet for teachers.

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By IPPN and CSL Ireland

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Mary Immaculate College Educational Resources  

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Mary Immaculate College Educational Resources  

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Our society is gradually reopening but Covid-19 will be a part of our lives as this continues and the vaccination programme progresses.

Everyone has a part to play in preventing the spread of infection so the principles of keeping your distance from others, wearing a face covering and diligent hand-washing are more important than ever.

The latest Government information is available on www.gov.ie.

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Welcome to MIC's COVID-19 hub. This hub will provide you with the information you need as we continue to live, work and study with COVID-19 in our midst. Here you will find all the information you need whether you are a new or an existing student or a staff member, as we return to campus.

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Teach Your Monster: Free Phonics, Reading and Mathematics Games

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Help children learn with our free, award-winning reading, mathematics and phonics games.

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The Ask About Ireland Learning Zone Primary School content has been developed by the public libraries service in conjunction with primary school teachers and in consultation with the following bodies: The National Council for Curriculum & Assessment, The National Council for Technology in Education, The Primary Professional Development Service.

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A shared resource pack for teachers for primary school pupils

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Children with Additional Needs Distance Learning Resources

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Children with Additional Needs Distance Learning Resources

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Children with Additional Needs-Distance Learning Resources

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Microsoft Teams for Education Webinar Series

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Microsoft Teams for Education Webinar Series

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You are invited to free webinars and events covering Microsoft Teams for Education. The content covers best practices using Microsoft Teams as the digital hub that brings conversations, content, assignments, and apps together in one place. Hosted directly by the Microsoft Teams Product Group, please…

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To help students study at home while schools are closed, we are providing FREE access to all our eBooks and student resources on this site.

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We know that there's nothing like kicking a ball around at your Club, but for now we all must stay safe in our own homes. That doesn't mean you have to be bored! On this page we will be adding lots of fun activities for you to do until it is okay for us all to go back playing GAA games with our friends and team mates!
Kids Activity Pack
Get creative with our Activity Pack! There's load to colour in, loads of blanks to fill...

Don't worry if you complete it too quickly either, because we will be adding new things to it every week!

Download the packs below and get started! If you don't have a printer, don't worry! You can also screen shot the images and colour them in on a computer, phone or tablet.
Issue 11 - Time Capsule Special Primary Schools Portal
We've been busy developing lots of learning activities and skills challenges for Primary School children to do at home. We are adding new skills and activities daily, so keep an eye out for what's new for you to try out!
Take a look at what's available! #GAASolo
The #GAASolo Challenge is designed to promote positivity, physical activity and well-being among young people, while encouraging them to stay at home and follow HSE guidelines at the same time. Brought to you by the GAA Future Leaders' Programme, #GAASolo is a second level student and teacher challenge which will run for a number of weeks. To get involved, students and teachers record videos of themselves doing the various challenges and upload them to Twitter or Instagram.

Find out more at https://learning.gaa.ie/gaasolo
Organising Online Exercise and Coaching Sessions
The temporary postponement of our games and training sessions has undoubtedly impacted on many of us including our underage teams and the children and young people in our clubs, i.e. those under 18 yrs. of age and their families.

It is however always gratifying to hear of coaches and clubs who have recently contacted us seeking permission during these restricted times to deliver live online exercise and coaching sessions for our underage teams. With the correct safety guidance and good practices in place, we wish to support such initiatives.

In the downloads section of this page you will find protocols around organising these sessions, outlining the safeguards that must be adhered to when staging this type of activity and a guide to using 'Microsoft Teams', an online collaboration tool which is available to holders of official GAA email addresses and can be used to organise club activities with members.

For the safety of all of our members, please ensure you do not organise or participate in sessions that do not follow the GAA's guidance on this area.

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We know that there's nothing like kicking a ball around at your Club, but for now we all must stay safe in our own homes. That doesn't mean you have to be bored! On this page we will be adding lots of fun activities for you to do until it

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GAA Primary School Learning & Development Portal

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GAA Primary School Learning & Development Portal

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The GAA circulated a document to highlight how it can continue to support Primary Schools as the new year begins amidst the impacts of COVID-19.The Coaching Programme & Support document outlines a number of resources that can help Teachers in the planning and delivery of physical activity opportunit…

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Duolingo is the world's most popular way to learn a language. It's 100% free, fun and science-based. Practice online on duolingo.com or on the apps!

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Leeds Community Healthcare - Page not found

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Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust’s (LCH) official website, serving the public in Leeds and providing health services to patients.

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Children's Speech and Language Therapy Resources

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Children's Speech and Language Therapy Resources

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NHS

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Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust

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Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust

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Resources for Children's Speech and Language

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Children's Speech and Language resources to download

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Mommy Speech Therapy - Thoughts on speech & language development

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The speech and articulation worksheets as well as the other downloads on this page have been created by Heidi Hanks, M.S.CCC-SLP, and are property of Mommy Speech Therapy. These speech and articulation worksheets are free to download as support material to the related articles found on this site, and they are intended for use in your home or therapy setting to help your child. Please do not sell these or post them anywhere else. If you have any questions on how to use the articulation worksheets, please read my post The Process of Articulation Therapy for additional information. Good Luck, remember to be patient and make it fun!

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Helpful documents and activities for you to download to help you work with your child in different areas of their speech

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Free challenge packs for all ages from The Pawprint Trust! These are an amazing resource and will keep children busy, active and learning for hours. Suitable for all ages!

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Computer Programming for Children

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Scratch is a free programming language and online community where you can create your own interactive stories, games, and animations.

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Online Coding Activities & Games
3rd-6th

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50 Youtube Channels for Home Learning

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There are plenty of amazing educational videos on Youtube that can be used as part of learning at home (and also inside the classroom). Why not take advantage of these free resources to help your children discover more about a wide range of subjects and topics?
Before choosing to watch any online video, it's worth taking some to think about these questions:

Is it suitable for your children? How can you tell? Was it created for children, or is it aimed at an older audience?

Who created it? How can you be sure that the information in the video is accurate?

What do your children hope to find out by watching the video? Do they have any questions about the topic before they start? Could you write these down and make a note of the answers as you watch the video?

Some of the videos have adverts. Why is this?

Watching these videos can also make a fantastic starting point for further research and activities linked to each topic:

While you are watching, your children may wish to make some notes. They could try to record the key vocabulary (and discuss what it means), or pause the video to draw some pictures or write a few sentences about what they have found out.

Do your children have any additional questions after they have watched? Would they like to watch a part of it again to review their learning? Could they find out more about the topic from a different source (e.g. a book or website)?

How could they record what they have discovered? They might want to draw some labelled diagrams or write a sentence / paragraph / page about the topic. If you have access to a mobile device, could they create an audio or a video report?

Let's explore the video channels...

English

The Alphablocks are living letters who appear in wonderful videos to help your children learn about phonics and develop their reading skills.

KidsTV123 has a large playlist of phonics videos that children can watch.

Fairy Tales and Stories for Kids has lots of animated stories to enjoy. Can your children retell the story to you after they have watched one of the videos?

BBC Teach has a playlist of English videos to teach your children about punctuation and stories. It also includes ideas for writing, songs and more.

CBeebies have a playlist of their Bedtime Stories, in which people read popular children's books. Why not record your own version on a mobile device?

Watch this collection of book trailers from Scholastic. Could you make a trailer for one of your favourite books?

Maths

Science

Happy Learning English has a large collection of videos about humans, animals and plants.

Learn about amazing animals with this playlist from National Geographic Kids.

Hopscotch produce many educational videos. This playlist has songs about habitats, the continents, oceans and planets.

Operation Ouch produce educational videos about the human body.

Homeschool Pop has put together a collection of videos that cover a wide range of Science topics.

SciShow Kids has a wide range of Science videos that answer different questions about the world.

Science Max carries out huge science experiments. Could your children try similar experiments, but on a smaller scale, at home?

Geography

History

Art

Music

RelaxDaily has an extensive collection of calming music that your children can play as part of mindfulness activities, or when they are working on other educational tasks.

Kidz Bop produce child-friendly versions of popular songs. Can your children learn some of the lyrics or dance along with the moves shown in the videos?

Classical Kids Storytime features children's stories that are accompanied by classical music.

Free School has playlists to teach your children about Beethoven and Mozart.

PE

More

We hope that this list of channels is useful. Let us know if you use any of them with your children!

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50 Youtube Channels for Home Learning - Resources for Teachers and Educators

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Before choosing to watch any online video, it's worth taking some to think about these questions:

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Free Resources

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Who is Debbie Hepplewhite?

Debbie is one of the leading authorities in the field of resource design and teaching using the synthetic phonics method for reading, spelling and handwriting.

Her programme, Phonics International, has received acclaim around the world and is used in more than 50 countries. Debbie is also the author/consultant for the Oxford Reading Tree's 'Floppy's Phonics Sounds and Letters' programme and Raintree's 'No Nonsense Phonics Skills'. She is a member of the 'UK Reading Reform Foundation' and founder of The International Foundation for Effective Reading Instruction (IFERI). She has years of experience as a teacher, headteacher, special needs teacher, international teacher trainer, consultant and author. She was consulted during the major governmental enquiries into early reading in the UK and in 2011 was awarded an MBE for services to education.

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ATTENTION - BUSY PARENTS, TUTORS, HOMESCHOOLERS, TEACHERS ..."YOU can teach your child to read,write and spell at home with our system... GUARANTEED or your money back!"

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Day-by-day projects to keep kids reading, thinking and growing

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Raise a reader by getting the best book recommendations, reading tips, and discounts delivered straight to your inbox.

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In these uncertain times with self-isolation within families and social distancing from the wider community, I've put together a really practical and helpful stay at home survival guide for parents to use while their children are at home. I hope you find it helpful, spread it far and wide with others.

Stay clam, playful and optimistic. We can do this together!

For many people this is the first time we've had our children all at home together for such long periods of time, without holidays and travel involved. The weeks and months ahead may therefore feel really daunting, even overwhelming.

I can understand that feeling too, but I think it helps to be calm and remind ourselves we can TOTALLY DO THIS and we are perfectly suited to the task ahead. Yes, it will require a period of settling and adjustment to new routines and preparation will be your friend here.

Let me help you get started with this simple guide and don't forget, you will also find me sharing DAILY PLAY and LEARNING IDEAS over on my Imagination Tree Instagram feed (where I often chat to camera behind the scenes and show you how-tos and set up videos too.) Also, I am going to open up the doors to my private membership site for parents PlayLab EARLY so that new members can hop on board and have weekly advice, videos, training and materials from me directly. This will be a great stress reliever as I will do lots of the work for you! Hop on over here to sign up to register your interest now, ready for when the doors open in the next couple of weeks!
Ok, let's start our Stay at Home Survival Guide!
Firstly, take the pressure off yourself. You do not need to be perfect at organising timetables, fun activities and teaching material. It will absolutely be ok if some things slip for a while. YOU know your child the best and WILL be able to provide well for them during this period, including their educational development. Their teachers will give some guidance and there are plenty of ideas online for a lifetime of learning ideas. Kids are amazingly adaptable, including being able to catch up again with their learning. This is not forever!

If in doubt, keep it PLAYFUL, fun and as active as possible as this is the proven best way to learn and retain new information. This could look like running around the house to hunt for hidden phonemes/ sight words against a timer, instead of studying boring worksheets, for example. This will also help keep them moving as much as possible which is very important when going out is no longer an option.

STOCK UP

I DO suggest stocking up as early as possible on loads of basic sensory play materials and learning resources.

Everything in this list will be useful in making play dough, slime, cloud dough, salt dough, dyed rice/ pasta, scented sensory play materials, sensory writing trays and LOADS of creative art activities. This combination pretty much covers all bases! Find the recipes themselves in the archives here and in my Sensory Invitations to Play Cards.

These are inexpensive but really useful to have handy in the cupboards for the days when you want to pull your hair out with frustration! If in doubt, ditch everything and get messy!

This list of learning materials will obviously depend on the age and stage of your own children, but it covers a good range from approx preschooler to older Primary school. These are versatile resources that can be combined in a variety of ways to make all kinds of DIY learning through play games and activities. You'll find the ideas themselves in the archives here (scroll down) and over on my daily instagram updates. PlayLab members will get them delivered directly on the membership site too.

MAKE A PLAN

Planning ahead will also be your friend here. Make a loose schedule for the weekdays and then be sure to plan in sensory play time and open-ended too. This will help everyone feel calmer and aid relaxation as the pressure will be off you to think on your feet. Here is a suggested week-day plan for children of school age. It might look very different in your home and some days you may skip everything for a day climbing trees or having a Harry Potter movie watching marathon instead maybe!

I can't say exactly how long each session would be as that would depend on your breakfast and dinner times, but I'd imagine around 30 mins per activity in the morning, with 10-15 minute breaks. And then longer stretches during free play and creative/ science projects in the afternoons. Read aloud time works really well straight after lunch while they're still at the table, for about half an hour. This can also be an audiobook, of course!

Plan for long periods of open-ended play, quiet time and creativity. Kids are brilliant at play, so provide them the tools/ space/ time and let them get on with it! The sooner they get used to this, the better this part of the day will be.

GET OUTSIDE

The best thing we can do with them is get them out into nature (unless they are showing symptoms of course.)

Find wide open spaces in the countryside such as nature trails, empty beaches or the woods and let them run wild climbing trees, building dens and burning off as much energy as possible.

GET MOVING

Even if you can't get outside or go further than your own garden/ yard, its possibly to get creative with your movement games.

Have a mini Olympics, make obstacle courses inside and out, jump on the trampoline, have disco dance parties, make up silly walks, play computer dance games etc!

Watch some kiddie yoga online, do stretches or family HITT workouts.

UTILISE SCREEN TIME

Screen time is not the enemy, it's a useful tool!

I suggest planning it into your daily schedule for times when you need a quiet period for your own planning/ admin/ online shopping/ work etc. You need some space from each other to keep the routine (and peace) flowing well.

Also, watching movies can be turned into an educational activity by asking them to rate them afterwards and complete movie review sheets! Watch nature and science documentaries, create projects based on the topics learned. Shows like Horrible Histories are a great springboard for fun projects.

SENSORY PLAY

This is really important as it helps keeps kids calm and focused. It's a great stress and anxiety reliever too, which will be very beneficial with the daily news updates and worries.

Stock up on sensory ingredients and dedicate a time of day to this. You can also move sensory play to the bath or garden for better containment if you're worried about mess.

Use the checklist above and then find my Sensory Invitations to Play cards full of recipes to help! (These are currently 25% off to try and help make them as accessible as possible to everyone.)

READING & WRITING

Audiobooks will be fantastic during this time, as will read aloud time together. Try reading in a makeshift fort, in the dark with torches, while they're in the bath or outside.

Find new books and review them for other kids online.

Write a book diary, make bookmarks, make a library role play area at home, read TO each other, read poetry and use all these experiences to inspire some writing too.

School aged kids can be fantastically independent in their writing projects. You just need to offer some inspiration with open-ended prompts such as: write a story/ comic/ quiz book/ poem/ book review/ information-based project etc.

Keep it purposeful and fun, it does not need to look like "school". Writing real letters to family members and friends that you can't see in person will be both fun and meaningful.

Older kids could set up private YouTube channels and share ideas there with their friends online!

Make use of the myriad of great resources online. Let THEM be the teaching tool and guide you need.

CREATIVITY

Keep the art supplies freely available and they will surprise you with their creative ideas! Save recycling and encourage them to make towns/ junk models. homes for their toys/ pretend gadgets etc.

Painting, drawing, sewing, paper mache, salt-dough and clay modelling are all great on-going projects.

Watch YouTube for tutorials on learning new skills eg crochet, sewing, tie-dye, weaving etc.

Play music, put on shows, dress up, create costumes from newspaper, do face painting, do talent shows, learn stop motion animation- the list can be endless!

A cardboard box is endless fun for all ages- just be creative with what you add!

Creativity involves lego, photography, cooking, trying smoothie recipes, having bake-off contests, creating projects for other kids.

Create loads of art then finally put together an exhibition! Take photos and share with family members via WhatsApp or online.

So many possible ideas- ask your children what they love to do the most!

FREE PLAY

This is by far the best thing your children can do, especially when in balance with some learning time. Give them some dedicated space for play and schedule it into the day.

Make resources available and include plenty of loose parts for play as these are open-ended and can be used in a myriad of ways.

You could do learning all morning then creative projects, free play and screen time in the afternoons for example. This model would work well and be really easy to achieve.

You could theme the weeks so that there is a different focus eg talent show to work on one week of afternoons, science fair to prepare the following week etc.

Get the whole family involved in some of these big games and challenges- it will be a great stress reliever and lots of fun!

SCIENCE

Grow beans, make lava lamps, make fizzing potions, play with water beads, make slime etc.

Search Pinterest for so many ways to investigate using household materials!

Design and make your own science fair at home!

I have plenty of ideas in the Imagination Tree archives to keep you busy for a long time! Here's a quick list of links to the deeper archives:
PLAYFUL LITERACY IDEAS here. PLAYFUL MATHS IDEAS here. SENSORY PLAY RECIPES here. SCIENCE INVESTIGATIONS here.
Finally, keep in contact with others through phone calls and FaceTime. Encourage each other and share great ideas and tips that you find online. Let's keep communicating and laughing through it all and we can get through this together, even when physically apart. I am hoping your elderly loved ones are kept safe.

If this Stay at Home Survival Guide has been useful for you, please consider passing it on to others as this helps me as well as them. Thank you! x

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Stay at Home Survival Guide - The Imagination Tree

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In these uncertain times with self-isolation within families and social distancing from the wider community, I've put together a really practical and helpful stay at home survival guide for parents to use while their children are at home. I hope you find it helpful, spread it far and wide with others.

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Watch & Stream Free Kids Yoga Videos | Cosmic Kids

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Watch and stream kids yoga videos in a safe space on our website. Cosmic Kids’ most popular adventures can be found here as well as on our app.

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The Republic of Ireland now has unlimited access to World Book Online through Scoilnet!

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An Endless Library of Free Children's Books

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Loving2Read - An endless library of children's books

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Use Loving2Read to help your child foster a love of reading with free children's books at their level

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New! Introducing ContentNav

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PowerSchool Schoology Learning FAQ

When you have your parent access code, go to: app.schoology.com/register.php.

1. Click the "Parent" button below the "Instructor" and "Student" buttons in the "Sign Up for Schoology" section.

2. Enter the access code you received, and click Continue.

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Schoology Learning K-12 learning management system makes it easy to implement hybrid learning and integrate your favorite teaching and learning tools.

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"The main purpose of the Irish curriculum is the development of the natural use of the spoken language in communication." Inspectorate Evaluation Studies - Irish in the Primary School. (Department of Education and Skills)

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We express ourselves in different ways. On Flip, you can use our simple and fun built-in camera to record your thoughts, add effects and share within your Flip group as video, audio only or text in your web browser or mobile app.

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Flip is a video discussion and sharing app, free from Microsoft.

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Flip (formerly Flipgrid) is a video discussion and video sharing app, free from Microsoft, built for classrooms and beyond. Learn more.

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TED-Ed@Home

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TED-Ed celebrates the ideas of teachers and students around the world. Discover hundreds of animated lessons, create customized lessons, and share your big ideas.

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Publishes daily useful information, tips and fun activities.

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NPC exists to ensure that all parents are supported and empowered to become effective partners in their children's education.

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This Instagram account offers resources for children with ASD and additional needs, including how to make visual timetables for home.

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You just wanted to find something and it’s not here.

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404 Page not found

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The PDST is funded by the Teacher Education Section (TES) of the Department of Education (DE) and is managed by Dublin West Education Centre.
14 Joyce Way, Park West Business Park, Nangor Road, Dublin 12 Email: info@pdst.ie User Login | Teacher Login | Distance Learning | Teaching in Ireland | Lea…

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Keeping the learning going at home: how to make the most out of reading time

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During the extended closure of schools, one of the simplest , and most rewarding, things that parents can do with their children is to read with them or encourage them to take up a book. Apart from the way stories feed children’s imagination, reading brings well-documented educational benefits.

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Webinars: April 6th - 17th 2020

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Using chess to educate Irish school children by  supporting teachers and schools.  Moves For Life encourages everyone to play and have fun, and enables teachers to use chess to teach further thinking and social skills.

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1st = St Catherine's, Dublin. 2nd =St Laurences, Dublin. 3rd = St Maires of the Isle, Cork. 4th = St Anthony's, Cork.

The Shield section was won by GMA Knocknacarra, Galway. With St Felims, Cavan in 2nd place and Limerick ETNS in 3rd place.

Thanks to parents and teachers who supported the event and gave their students a great day of competitive chess. Below is the league table:

Conratulations to everyone who participated, and especially to convincing champions St. Catherine's, Donore Ave. Dublin 4.

St. Catherine's will be the first school name to be ingraved on the beautiful new cup.

This year the entry fees paid by schools covered all the normal costs and allowed us to purchase a new cup for the National champions.

In the background are the very strong St. Anthony's team with their 4th place medals.

We would like to express a big thank you to the West County Hotel, Ennis for looking after us all so well on the day.
Primary Schools All-Ireland Chess Finals 2023

In the West County Hotel, Ennis, Co. Clare.

Wednesday, 7th June 2023 Starts 11.00am to 4.00pm

Entry fee - €10 per player.

There are 2 events, your school can register for one or both events. To register email brendan@chessossity.com
(1) The All-Ireland team Championship:
School teams of 8 players (fee €80 per team). Each team plays 6 games, league format.
(2) Girls team finals:
School teams of 4 players (fee €40 per team). Each team will play 6 games, league format.

There will be prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd placed teams.

Plus star player prizes for the outstanding students of all the teams that don't make the top three.

Every school leaves the event with a team prize or a star player to celebrate!

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The Department of Education and Skills has a dedicated website page in place providing the most up to date and relevant information for educational settings.

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The section maintains close links with the National Council for Special Education (NCSE)

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The Education Centre Network ESCI with Breathing Space Ireland would like to continue to support teachers during this difficult time.  Follow our @ClareEdCentre Twitter each weekday for our ‘Midday Moment’.

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Mental Health eLearning Programme for Teachers

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Mental Health eLearning Programme for Teachers

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Jigsaw, in collaboration with ESCI Education Support Centres Ireland, has developed a number of interactive online training courses for teachers.

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Jigsaw, in collaboration with ESCI Education Support Centres Ireland, has developed a number of interactive online training courses for teachers.
This unique training, based on the latest research, was developed in collaboration with young people, teachers and schools. The courses are self-directed, and provides ongoing opportunities for reflection. Once you sign up using an email address, log in and complete the courses at a time and pace that suits you.

Every teacher should avail of this free course. It provides participants with a clear understanding of mental health and the crucial impact that school life can have on the mental health and wellbeing of young people.
Daragh McDaid, Director, Sligo Education Centre, on behalf of ESCI, Education Support Centres Ireland

What do I do next?

The Mental Health eLearning Programme for Teachers, proudly endorsed by ESCI - Education Support Centres Ireland.

This 2 hour online training course introduces teachers to youth mental health. This course has a specific focus on the school environment and is suitable for all second level teachers.

The aims of this course are:

To build the mental health literacy and skills of teachers

To encourage teachers to think about their role in promoting youth mental health

To support teachers with ideas for whole school mental health promotion.

Finishing this teachers will receive a certificate of completion and be able to access a Junior and Senior Cycle classroom based workshop presentations with interactive resources.
>> To access these courses, please click here and sign up to Jigsaw's eLearning portal for those who work or volunteer with young people.

It was realistic. The course designers/writers know schools, students and teachers, this is very evident and this is why the course is really effective.
Teacher participant in pilot test of programme

Self-care for teachers

This 45 minute online course will introduce teachers to the concept of self-care. It covers the importance of self-care in the life of a teacher, and ways to ensure it is a part of their teaching. You will receive a certificate of completion once you finish the course.

Participants will:

Have a greater understanding of what self-care is

Have a greater understanding of the importance of self-care in their role as a teacher

Explore the challenges to supporting self-care practice

Be more aware of their own self-care needs

Be able to develop their own self-care plan.

>> For those who work or volunteer with young people, access these courses below
Sign up to Jigsaw's eLearning portal

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Mental Health eLearning Programme for Teachers

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Jigsaw, in collaboration with ESCI Education Support Centres Ireland, has developed a number of interactive online training courses for teachers. This unique training, based on the latest research, was developed in collaboration with young people, teachers and schools. The courses are self-directed, and provides ongoing opportunities for reflection.

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Touch Typing for younger children

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There is a warm-up at the beginning of each stage and then there is the hand exercise for both the left and right hands. In the learning process, an unforgettable cast of characters will give students both coaching and kudos. That's why keyboarding or typing class will never be quite the same! BTW: each stage is for hand position and accuracy - not speed.

stage 1 This stage introduces the home row

stage 2 This stage introduces the letters e and i.

stage 3 This stage introduces r and u

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Dance Mat Typing – All 12 Stages – Best Typing Training for Kids

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There is a warm-up at the beginning of each stage and then there is the hand exercise for both the left and right hands. In the learning process, an unforgettable cast of characters will give students both coaching and kudos.

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Excellent Resource for learning tables

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QR CODE

Scan this on mobiles and tablets to quickly open this web page.

Hit the Button is an interactive maths game with quick fire questions on number bonds, times tables, doubling and halving, multiples, division facts and square numbers. The games, which are against the clock, challenge and develop mental maths skills. An untimed, practise mode is available in our Hit the Button app along with lots more extra features.

The activities can be matched to appropriate mathematical ability. Regular use of Hit the Button can help students to sharpen their recall of vital number facts in a fun way and learning multiplication tables need not be boring.

AGE

6-11 Years

SUBJECTS

Maths Times Tables Division Number Bonds Doubles Halves Square Numbers

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Hit the Button - Quick fire maths practise for 6-11 year olds

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Quick fire questions on number bonds, doubles, halves, times tables, division facts and square numbers against the clock. Superb!

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Resources for Teachers, Students and Parents

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Teaching Resources - Early Years, Primary, Junior Cycle, Parents

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Instant access to printable lesson plans, assessments, interactive activities, resource packs, PowerPoints, ebooks and teaching ideas in English and as Gaeilge.

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Teachers, Students and Parents

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Gill Education - Ireland's leading publisher of college, further education, school and general books.

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PDST Primary Language Curriculum Webinars

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PDST Primary Language Curriculum Webinars

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NB Download each video in English or Irish to view

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The official website of RTÉjr & RTÉ Kids Online - Streaming shows, Podcasts and much more fun!

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ASIAM do really brilliant work! These seminars are for all of us!

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Useful Resources for Infant Class Teachers

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Useful Resources for Infant Class Teachers

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The Clare Education Centre Infant Teacher Support Group met via Zoom on the 1st of April 2020, they came up with a list of very useful resources for Infant Class Teachers .
https://www.clareed.ie/images/Infant_Teacher_Support_Group_Suggestions_April_2020.pdf

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Join the The World of David Walliams to be the first to hear about new David Walliams books, special offers, free activities, live shows, events and more!

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RTÉ and Macalla Teo, with support from Mary Immaculate College, have collaborated to introduce a cross-platform teaching initiative for primary school kids across the country.

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RTÉ and Macalla Teo, with support from Mary Immaculate College, have collaborated to introduce a cross-platform teaching initiative for primary school kids across the country. On RTÉ2, RTÉ Player, and rte.ie/learn, children will be able to watch, download and engage with curriculum-based content, project work, and fun activities that Rwill keep them entertained and learning.

From Monday 30 March, each morning from 11am to 12 noon on RTÉ Home School Hub on RTÉ2, each of our bilingual teachers will present three short class segments aimed at 1st and 2nd class, 3rd and 4th class and 5th and 6th class. Our TV programme will keep the kids watching and learning for the hour and then redirect them to fun content and project work that will be housed on rte.ie/learn and RTÉ Player.

A catch-up programme later in the day, RTÉ Home School Extra at 4.15pm, is a takeover format, where primary school kids from all over the country can reconnect by uploading and posting video messages and content that RTÉ will showcase. This programme will be an opportunity to gather all uploaded user-generated content in one space and showcase it to the entire country. No matter where you are from or what language you speak, we want every school kid to take part.

All content will be presented by primary school teachers, modeled, and curated around the existing primary school curriculum. Our bilingual teaching team will deliver engaging, exciting, and educational content and over the coming weeks RTÉ Home School Hub will be stockpiling content across TV, rte.ie/learn and RTÉ Player for all primary school kids and their parents to use.

Our teachers:

Clíona Ní Chiosáin is currently a primary school teacher. She graduated with a double honours in French & Irish in Maynooth University and later returned to complete a professional masters in education with the Froebel department in Maynooth. She has previously worked in stage and screeen in productions such as Aifric, An Triail, Réiltín , How to do Everything and Tír na nÓg.

Ray Cuddihy - Ray is a primary school teacher from Doneraile in North Cork. He graduated with a professional masters in education from Mary Immaculate College, Limerick in 2019. Previously Ray has worked with RTÉjr as an actor and puppeteer and has further background in educational theatre for young people.

John Sharpson - Primary School Teacher John Sharpson studied in St. Patricks College before obtaining his teaching degree in London. He has spend some wonderful years teaching in Mary Mother of Hope in Clonee. He has also been presenting children's television for the last 5 years. You may have seen him on RTÉjr's Bright Sparks, The Today Show with Dáithí and Maura, Pop Goes the Weekend and Twigín.

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An hour a day of "school on TV" to support primary school children and their parents at home.

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Adding new activities for you to do every day.

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Growth Mindset

PARENTS we would like to share with you some tips on how you can incorporate some problem solving and mathematical thinking into your daily routine. The Maths Week Problem Solving Philosophy is very much underpinned by the concept of a 'growth mindset'.

Having and developing a 'growth mindset' about maths is a key element in succeeding at maths. The terms 'fixed mindset' and 'growth mindset' were coined by Dr Carol Dweck to describe the underlying beliefs people have about learning and intelligence. Everyone has a mindset or a core belief about how they learn, and the type a person has, i.e. fixed or growth, impacts on the outcomes they can have in that particular area.
A fixed mindset describes someone who believes that their level of intelligence cannot be changed. They are born with a certain limit on what they can achieve and nothing they do will change this. Somebody with a growth mindset believes that their intelligence can grow depending on the amount of effort they put in.
As adults and teachers, we must be careful about the mindset we have about maths. It is important to note at this stage that maths is not a gene that is passed down from a mother or father. A person can succeed in maths depending on the effort they put in. It is therefore important that, as adults, we are saying and doing the right things to encourage this.
Parents should think carefully about the types of praise they use when practicing maths at home. They should not always praise the child that finishes everything first or gets everything right the first time around. This implies that you must be quick and accurate in maths which is not the case. Maths is about exploring possibilities and so effort needs to be praised. Mistakes are a valuable learning experience and should be acknowledged as such.
Words/phrases that encourage a growth mindset and should be used by teachers and parents include:

How did you do that? Share your method with others

Tell me more

Are you sure?

How do you know?

Wow - that's great - well done!

That looks like it took a lot of effort.

How many ways did you try before you found the right way?

What do you plan to do next?

Would you change anything if you had to do it again? Why?

How could you simplify the problem? How could you make it more challenging?

Words to avoid using regularly and that will encourage a fixed mindset include:

As always it is about the context in which you give praise and be conscious of the impact you are having on the other children at home when giving praise.

See more advice on our Parent's Page

There are several great videos clips on YouTube about Growth Mindset:

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Maths at Home People all around the world are being responsible and self-isolating or social distancing. Many people are working from home and schools on the island of Ireland and many countries are closed. Just because you are confined doesn't mean you can't keep up your learning.

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Epic! is the Leading Digital Library for Kids 12 & Under.

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Instantly access over 40,000 of the best books & videos for kids on Epic

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A temporary hub of information and tools to help teachers during the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis.

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More than ever before, the world is searching for 'how do teachers do it.' Whether in a classroom or at home, we are grateful to everyone helping to keep students learning.

To teachers everywhere, thank you for all that you do.

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Giving teachers and families the tools and tips they need to help keep students learning.

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eTwinning Support for Irish teachers

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A space where primary teachers can share digital ideas and links with that might be useful during the social isolation phase imposed by Covid 19. The Irish NSS from Léargas are also members of the In This Together project.

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A space where primary teachers can share digital ideas and links with that might be useful during the social isolation phase imposed by Covid 19. The Irish NSS from Léargas are also members of the In This Together project.

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The PDST Technology in Education Team have collated this very useful information.

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Additional links from PDST Technology in Education to support teachers working from home, including links to good practice videos that contain activities which can be adapted for online teaching. Digital learning planning resources are also available, please visit PDST Technology in Education for more information.

As pupils/students will also be engaging in online learning at home througout this period, we would advise teachers and parents to visit the Webwise website to find out more about online safety and relevant considerations. The parents' section of the website is also particularly useful in highlighting popular apps and their features.

RTÉ Learn is a dedicated resource for teachers and educators showcasing a diverse range of educational content from across RTÉ, ideal for both formal and informal learning.

Beidh tús a chuir ag TG4 le clár nua sa sceideal Cúla4 ar Scoil ag 10 gach maidin.

Is clár leath uaire í seo a bheidh dírithe ar dhaltaí bunscoile Gaeltachta agus Gaelscoile atá sa mbaile ón scoil faoi láthair de bharr srianta an Covid19.

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Additional links from PDST Technology in Education to support teachers working from home, including links to good practice videos that contain activities which can be adapted for online teaching. Digital learning planning resources are also available, please visit PDST Technology in Education for more information.

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This book really highlights the changes that should be made in schools to enable autistic children to navigate a difficult environment. Small changes for all can make a huge difference for some!

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Here you will find the entire curriculum for all subjects and all levels.

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The Irish primary education system aims to provide a holistic education to enable children to live their lives to the full and to realise their potential as unique individuals.

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Advice for parents on internet usage by children

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Talk to someone

Worried about something you have seen online or concerned about your child? Childline and the National Parents Council Primary offer free advice and support service.

Childline is a support service for young people up to the age of 18.There is a 24hr telephone, online and mobile phone texting service.

The National Parents Council Primary enables and empowers parents to be effective partners in their children's education.

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Worried about something you have seen online or concerned about your child? Childline and the National Parents Council Primary offer free advice and support service. Childline is a support service for young people up to the age of 18.There is a 24hr telephone, online and mobile phone texting service.

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Browse Educational Resources | Education.com

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Browse Educational Resources. Award winning educational materials designed to help kids succeed. Start for free now!

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NASA: Activities and Information for Infants to 6th Class

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NASA: Activities and Information for Infants to 6th Class

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We Engage Students In NASA's Mission

K-12 students can dig deeper into STEM topics and experience the thrill of exploration and discovery.

NASA makes vital investments in a diverse portfolio of learning opportunities and activities designed to reach as many U.S. students as possible - from kindergarten through graduate school. NASA seeks to build the next generation STEM workforce and broaden student participation to increase diversity, equity and inclusion in STEM fields.

For Kids and Students

We Inspire An Interest In STEM

NASA offers a wide array of unique experiences designed to engage K-12 students nationwide in the agency's missions, people, and resources.

Educators are a significant part of students' lives and play a key role in connecting NASA to the Artemis Generation. NASA STEM fully supports formal educators in classrooms and informal educators in museums, science centers, afterschool programs, and similar organizations, all of whom bring the excitement of the agency's missions to students.

For Educators

Colleges, Universities, Technical and Vocational Institutions

NASA leverages its unique missions and programs to enhance and increase the capability, diversity, and size of the nation's future STEM workforce.

NASA has a portfolio of activities and opportunities dedicated to attracting, engaging and educating students in all institutional categories and levels across the nation. These range from internships and fellowships, research and development opportunities, challenges and competitions, pre-college and college STEM experiences, virtual learning, faculty support, as well as institutional support.

For Colleges and Universities

Latest STEM News and Features

get social with nasa stem engagement

Discover More STEM Topics From NASA

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We're launching learning to new heights with STEM resources that connect educators, students, parents and caregivers to the inspiring work at NASA. Find your place in space!

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Ábhar teagaisc, cluichí agus neart eile faoin Aontas Eorpach agus faoina chuid gníomhaíochtaí, le haghaidh múinteoirí, páistí agus déagóirí

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Songs for Younger Children - Super Simple Songs

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Songs for Younger Children - Super Simple Songs

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Super Simple Songs® is a collection of original kids songs and classic nursery rhymes made SIMPLE for young learners. Combining captivating animation and puppetry with delightful music that kids love to sing along with, Super Simple Songs makes learning simple and fun! Music is one of the most powerful teaching tools available for young learners.... Read more »

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NCSE are providing online resources for children with Special Educational Needs.

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Resources for Teachers, students and Parents

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Themepages present a thematic approach to learning and teaching. They are written by Irish-based teachers with links chosen for their usefulness to the selected theme and applicability to the Irish curriculum.
View all Themepages

Physical Literacy

Develop a physically literate child through the lens of Fundamental Movement Skills with these Move Well, Move Often PDST resources.

Sustainable Development

A directory listing organisations with educational resources supporting education for sustainable development.

STEM

The Scoilnet STEM directory highlights well-known accomplished STEM repositories in Ireland, Europe and Internationally.

Covers information and links on the national literacy and numeracy strategies as well as basic information on special educational needs. The Dates and Festivals calendar is used by teachers seeking to engage students in topical learning.

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What you need...

To register for a Scoilnet Account you will need to have a Teaching Council number and a roll number for your school in Ireland.

If you already have a Scoilnet Account then you can sign in here.

The benefits...

A Scoilnet account will allow you to upload your resources or weblinks to Scoilnet as well as enabling you to share and add resources to a favourites listing. Users who have a Scoilnet Account will also be able to fully access Scoilnet Maps and Census@School from home.

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Official education portal of the Department of Education and Skills in Ireland. Curriculum focused resources and support for primary and post primary teachers.

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News Mag Media, publishing curriculum-linked news magazines for primary schools in Ireland. The Primary Planet (9 yrs+), News Flash (7 yrs+) &

@EIPIC1  (11 yrs+)

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Resources for Teachers

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A collection of free videos and downloadable worksheets to help adult learners improve reading, writing and numeracy skills.

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This comes from Middletown Autism supports. Middletown provide excellent supports.

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Spunout is a website which is part HSE supported – it has lots of articles on managing anxiety re COVID 19.

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SpunOut.ie is Ireland's youth information website created by young people, for young people.

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ClassDojo connects teachers with students and parents to build amazing classroom communities.

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Build wonderful classroom communities with parents and students

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PDST Technology in Education Newsletter - April 

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PDST Technology in Education Newsletter - April 

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Reminder about Supports available

During these challenging times, supports have been put in place to assist teachers and schools engaged in distance learning. Be sure to visit our own specific online learning section, and also the dedicated distance learning webpage. Further detail were highlighted in our special newsletter that was sent on March 23rd.

Online summer courses enrolment - Primary

Online primary summer course descriptions, dates and enrolment details are now available via TeacherCPD.ie. As courses are free of charge for teachers, participants may not enrol in more than one course, in order to enable access by as many teachers as possible. Note that enrolment takes place at specified times on a given day.

Teachers who have never participated in a PDST Technology in Education online summer course before are particularly encouraged to enrol. Places go quickly, so please be prepared (i.e. with your Scoilnet account details to hand, having first read the course description and enrolment instructions).

Home-Schooling Ideas

Gramadach Scoilnet - Learn the basics of the grammar of Irish verbs in the past, present and future tense with these simple step by step guides.

Kitchen Chemistry - Capture novel and engaging aspects of science in the kitchen using the NUIG Kitchen Chemistry resource pack. Available in Irish and English.

Have you got Maths Eyes? - Get pupils to see the world around them through Maths Eyes.

World Book Online - A guide on the distance learning resources available through World Book Online.

With the closure of schools, we have reviewed our Good Practice videos and selected some which contain activities that could be adapted for use in an online teaching and learning scenario. Mapped to the DLF on www.dlplanning.ie, and listed here, we have highlighted two such videos below.

Post Primary Featured Video

A first year Maths teacher creates instructional videos using Explain Everything, which he posts on Youtube and shares with students via the Schoology system for students to access from home.

Post Primary Featured Video (Gaelscoil)

Example of how students can use their own smartphones in a German language class to record themselves speaking. They send the recordings to the teacher via the Office 365 platform and the teacher assesses the recordings and provides audio and written feedback. (As Gaeilge with English subtitles)

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Technology in Education Newsletter - April 2020/Nuachtlitir maidir le Teicneolaíocht san Oideachas - Aibreán 2020

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Reminder about Supports available During these challenging times, supports have been put in place to assist teachers and schools engaged in distance learning. Be sure to visit our own specific online learning section, and also the dedicated distance learning webpage. Further detail were highlighted in our special newsletter that was sent on March 23rd.

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Lots of ideas to help your child learn

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Schools may be closed, but reading doesn’t have to stop.

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Ideas for Helping Children Practice Mindfulness

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Ideas for Helping Children Practice Mindfulness

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2 week free trial offer

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Your Headspace Mindfulness & Meditation Experts

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We want children to be healthy & happy now & for the rest of their lives. Teach meditation for kids with Headspace, using easy exercises designed for young minds.

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Killaloe Diocese Primary Religious Education

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Killaloe Diocese Primary Religious Education

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The Diocese of Killaloe have kindly shared some information to help celebrate Holy Week and Easter.

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ABCya! • ABCya! • Learning Games and Apps for Kids

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Educational games for grades PreK through 6 that will keep kids engaged and having fun. Topics include math, reading, typing, just-for-fun logic games… and more!

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Free eBooks, audiobooks, online magazines and newspapers online for library members. Registration is free and done online.

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Library Services in Ireland | Libraries Ireland

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You can join the library online and get eBooks, audiobooks, online magazines and newspapers for free straight away, or even take language and other courses. Here's how!
Join online

To join the library online, fill out this form with your name, address, email and some other details.

Click, 'Submit' and you'll be taken to a new page that gives you a 'Temporary' library barcode.

This will be your library number and you need it to access online services so save it somewhere or write it down and keep it safe.

This page will also instruct you to 'set a PIN' and will give you a link to do that.

Once you've set your PIN and you have your library number, you're all ready to access all the online services.

If you are having trouble joining, you can contact your library by phone or email or you may find this FAQ on joining helpful

We've included short guides to getting and using these services below. These user guides and tutorials are also listed here.

How to use Borrowbox for eBooks and Audiobooks
You can download the Borrowbox app or find your library here to get directed to the web version.

Please review Borrow Box Terms and Conditions on Bolinda's website by clicking here.

Then you just:

choose your library from the dropdown menu;

enter your library number where it asks for your ID/Barcode; and,

enter your PIN where it asks for PIN/Password.

That's it, you're signed in and ready to browse and read!

You can read more in the BorrowBox User Guide
How to use Libby for online magazines
You can use the Libby app or access online at

You will have to register for a free account, with your library number and PIN. When you visit it will prompt you through the steps to sign up for Libby, including:

Indicating whether you have signed up for your local library yet or not

Selecting your local library service - you will be given three options for how to find your local library: transferring data from an already registered device, searching for your local library, or having Libby try to determine for itself

Enter your library card number

Entering your PIN

That's it, you're all set up!

You can read more at the following link:

Support queries can be made within the Libby App or via the web form here.
How to use PressReader for online newspapers
You can access PressReader at pressreader.com or by downloading the PressReader app for apple or android devices.

You will need to log in with your library number, here's how

Press 'sign in'

Select the 'Library and groups' option

A list of libraries will then open from which you can choose your library. Simply start typing your county or local authority areas and you should find it easily. Look out for the Libraries Ireland logo.

You will then be asked to enter your library card number.

That's it - you're now logged in and ready to read!

Your login grants you 30 days access initially. When this 30 days has expired a new period can be started simply by logging out and back in using the same method.

You can read more at the following links:

You can watch a video tutorial about how to use the PressReader app here.

For any support queries, please email pressreader@wfhowes.co.uk
How to use Transparent Languages for language learning
Transparent Languages can be accessed through RB Digital - see above to find out how to do that.

Once you're logged in to RB Digital, you'll see a link to Transparent Languages. Click that and you'll be taken to the service.

Read more in the Transparent Languages User Guide.

You can watch a video tutorial about how to use Transparent Language Online here.

For any support queries please email rbdigital@wfhowes.co.uk

How to use Universal Class for online courses

You can register for Universal Class at http://lgma.universalclass.com/register.htm

Enter your library card number in the field and click the Go button.

Complete the required fields on the registration page:

First Name; Last Name; Email address; Password and Age Check, (Over or under 16 years).

Click on the Continue button

You will then be shown the home screen for your Universal Class account and can start learning.

You can watch a video tutorial about how to access Universal Class online courses here.

For any support queries, please email universalclass@wfhowes.co.uk

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You can join the library online and get eBooks, audiobooks, online magazines and newspapers for free straight away, or even take language and other courses. Here's how!

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The Clare Education Centre Infant Teacher Support Group came up with fun ideas for Infant Classes.