Portmarnock Community School

Donal O' Mahony

I want to thank

Gerry Breslin of the

Association of Secondary Teachers, Ireland for the opportunity to represent him here

today.

Donal O' Mahony

I came to Digital teaching and learning about seven year ago via a Masters Degree in eLearning from Dublin City University.

I was initially interested in Online Learning Environments, particularly Moodle

and the development of critical thinking skills for

students in online discussion fora.

Donal O' Mahony

As I introduced online applications I began to understand that teachers

engage best with Digital media

through group-experiences, through communities of practice

....whether these be face to face or online

Donal O' Mahony

- In Portmarnock we used to call these Moodle Mondays

- On the daily CESI List from the Computer Education Society of Ireland

- every Monday night when some teachers in Ireland and beyond have a twitter chat on an issue in Irish education at #edchatie

Donal O' Mahony

A digital school is one that discussed online pedagogy

We need to hear more often questions of the form

• “what is your pedagogical approach” when using e.g. Google Docs

• How do you Skype in formative assessment?• How can you write a significant relevant

statement as a Tweet?

Donal O' Mahony

It is important to see that the six key skills of the

new Junior Cycle have a place for digitaltechnology within each of them!

And therefore a place for such pedagogical questions.

Donal O' Mahony

The other thing that happens in schools is that once teachers are introduced into the online environment is that some teachers develop

their own particular digital interests

We have see that particularly in podcasting and digital animation - in every school around the country there are such teachers - support

them - these are your digital champions.

Donal O' Mahony

Students love presenting their learning through digital media.

But presenting is not enough.

They need opportunities to make, to create, to own and to share

Some of this is simple enough with applications like Voki, Kidblog , Glogster, WordPress

Donal O' Mahony

.......but we also need students making at more profound levels –

1. whether coding2. developing skills in logic using Arduino

boards 3.increasingly I am reading of the importance

of Rasberry Pi's for developing thinking around programming. Unfortunately I am reading of the latter, primarily outside Ireland

Donal O' Mahony

We Irish love to communicate, Lord David Puttnam, Digital Champion in Ireland talks of the importance of Oracy, our ability to talk well and stresses it alongside literacy and numeracy.

• So it is important that we help students and teachers have voice online – in digital space that is positive and affirming.

• Schools need to write social- media policies for teaching and learning that promote this.

• Acceptable Usage Policies are very much of the "Thou shalt not" variety rather that go forth and communicate

Donal O' Mahony

Summary – the digital school

Pedagogy as part of communities of practiceSupporting teachers who are digitally awareSupporting students to createDeveloping policies that allow affirmative and

critical communication across digital media

Donal O' Mahony