Policies
Kilmacrennan NS
ICT/Digital Strategy Policy
Mission Statement
As well as being an important educational resource, the ability to use ICT effectively is a vital life skill in modern society. Our aim is to produce learners (pupils and staff) who are confident and effective users of ICT. We strive to achieve this aim by:
- Helping all staff and pupils to explore the learning resources provided by ICT
- Helping all children to use ICT with purpose and enjoyment
- Helping all children to develop the necessary skills to exploit ICT
- Helping children to become autonomous users of ICT
- Helping all children to evaluate the benefits of ICT and its impact on society
- Using ICT to develop partnerships beyond the school
- Celebrating success in the use of ICT.
- Providing copies of our policies to parent body/ Parents’ Association
Rationale
Our school requires ICT in order to
- To provide the best possible education for all our pupils
- To provide a powerful and up to date teaching resource for all our teachers
- To allow for more effective administration
- To help provide more effective communication with staff and parents
- To communicate with teachers and pupils in Europe and further afield
- To prepare children for life in a technologically advanced world.
ICT is used in our school for:
- School Administration
- Research software
- Adventure games that stimulate higher order thinking skills and problem solving
- Word Processing of children’s work
- Research on the internet
- Communication via email
- Music composition and digital recording
- Storage of Records of achievement/portfolio assessment
- Special Needs pupils.
- Home-School links e.g webtext service, School Newsletters on website, Pupil & Parent Zone on website
Kilmacrennan N.S
Our Digital Learning Plan
- Introduction
This document records the outcomes of our current digital learning plan, including targets and the actions we will implement to meet the targets.
1.1 School Details:
- Kilmacrennan N.S is a vertical, co-educational national school. There is currently a pupil enrolment of 200. There are 15 teachers, 4 of whom work in SET, 2 in ASD Settings and 8 SNA’s. The school derives much of its population from Kilmacrennan parish, with some pupils travelling from outside areas. The school has a very active Parents Association who regularly fundraise for school resources. Currently we have 22 PC’s in a computer suite. Each teacher also has their own laptop and digital projector in their classroom.
1.2 School Vision:
- In our school we believe that digital technologies should be used for teaching, learning and assessment across the curriculum. Digital technology needs to be an integral part of the teaching and learning in schools today. The management will promote a culture of technologies. It is also our aim that pupils will have access to current digital technologies and we will match future investment to the learning of the pupils.
- We want to use Digital Learning as an exciting, engaging and creative medium for expression whereby the pupils in our school can create meaningful digital content as opposed to passively engaging with digital technology. We also recognise the positive impact that digital technologies can have on the learning of pupils with special and additional needs and aim to harness this potential in our school moving forward.
1.3 Brief account of the use of digital technologies in the school to date:
- In our school to date technology is used in line with available infrastructure. We aim to focus more on student engagement with digital technology for learning.
- Pupils currently using technology to source information, but not to create their own digital content.
- The focus of this Digital Learning Plan
We recently undertook a digital learning evaluation in our school and we evaluated our progress using the following sources of evidence:
- Teacher and pupil questionnaires
- Online survey tool
- Checklists
- Feedback at staff meetings
2.1 The dimensions and domains from the Digital Learning Framework being selected
- Teaching and learning: Learner outcomes
2.2 The standards and statements from the Digital Learning Framework being selected
Standard | Statement(s) |
Pupils enjoy their learning, are motivated to learn and achieve as learners. | Pupils use appropriate digital
technologies to foster active engagement in attaining appropriate learning outcomes. |
2.3. These are a summary of our strengths with regards digital learning
- Pupils in the school are quite proficient in using digital technology
- Some staff members are engaged in a number of digital technology projects
- Staff members are motivated gain CPD relating to embedding digital technologies across the curriculum, with some already having done so.
- Funding available to purchase equipment , if needed.
2.4 This is what we are going to focus on to improve our digital learning practice further
- Staff will engage in CPD in order to facilitate to greater use of digital technologies by pupils
- We will set up peer support for staff members to increase competence and confidence in embedding digital technologies in teaching, learning and assessment
- Design activities where pupils use digital technologies to support to enhance learning in different curricular areas
- Our Digital Learning plan
On the next page we have recorded:
- The targets for improvement we have set
- The actions we will implement to achieve these
- Who is responsible for implementing, monitoring and reviewing our improvement plan
- How we will measure progress and check outcomes (criteria for success) As we implement our improvement plan we will record:
- The progress made, and adjustments made, and when
- Achievement of targets (original and modified), and when
Digital Learning Action Plan
DOMAIN: (From Digital Learning Framework) Learner Outcomes | ||||
STANDARD(S): (From Digital Learning Framework) Pupils enjoy their learning, are motivated to learn and achieve as learners | ||||
STATEMENT(S): (From Digital Learning Framework) Pupils use appropriate digital technologies to foster active engagement in attaining appropriate learning outcomes | ||||
TARGETS: (What do we want to achieve?) Pupils will create and share curricular based digital content, appropriate to their class level, once per month | ||||
ACTIONS
(What needs to be done?) |
TIMEFRAME
(When is it to be done by?) |
PERSONS / GROUPS RESPONSIBLE
(Who is to do it?) |
CRITERIA FOR SUCCESS
(What are the desired outcomes?) |
RESOURCES
(What resources are needed?) |
● Teachers will engage in CPD on using digital technologies to create content with a CPD provider
● Pupils will engage digital content at each term ● Infant Level: Beebots ● 1st/2nd Class: Teacher lead Kahoots ● 3rd/4th Class: Book Creator/ Pupil lead Kahoots ● 5th/6th Class: Powerpoint ● Pupils will regularly share the digital content with their peers and get feedback on it. ● Staff will share their experiences using digital technologies in their classrooms with each other and engage in peer support where appropriate |
● June 2019
· Sept – June 2019-2020 · March – June 2019 · Sept 2019 – June 2021 |
· DT to arrange support – All staff
· All staff & Pupils · All Staff & Pupils · All staff |
● Dt to arrange support – All staff
· Sharing good practice at whole staff session/staff meetings in April. · Construct a framework documenting the tools used in each class |
● Computer Suite
● Laptops ● Digital Projectors ● Online Tools |
EVALUATION PROCEDURES:(How are we progressing? Do we need to make adjustments?
Have we achieved our targets?) Feedback at staff meeting, Review : At Croke Park Staff Meeting in September 2021, We noted that the last two school-years have been significantly impacted by Covid, though Online teaching became hugely important. The school staff undertook training in Online Learning platforms and chose the Seesaw App as our primary engagement with pupils, though there was also a significant engagement in face-to-face online classroom teaching through Zoom/Microsoft Teams etc. The staff have continued to engage with pupils who are absent this school-year through the Seesaw App. We decided to hold an In-School Online Safety Month in October of each year, including classroom-based lessons, in-school Art competitions, School Assemblies, links for parents etc. We will continue to invest in IT and will examine the possibility of upgrading our Interactive Whiteboards over time. We have recently invested in several teacher laptop upgrades and the purchase of classroom i-pads in two classrooms, and in our ASD Suites (IT Grant). We noted, with particular reference to the movement of teachers within classrooms in the school, the importance of looking again at targets and timeframes. To revisit at the next Croke Park Meeting. Our IT Suite is being used as a classroom this school year but we hope the Suite will be available to us in February 2022. This will provide an opportunity to re-organise the Suite. |
||||
Previous years
Cuntais Miosula, evidence of pupil work completed using DT. 4th March: Teachers trialling digital learning increased pupil usage, starting out very well 11th March: Evidence of digital content being shared throughout the school |
Summary of School Audit
Current Infrastructure
- In keeping with our mission, we perceive computers being used as a tool of teaching and learning in each classroom. All computers are networked to our own internal network including networked printing.
- Our current broadband provider is Eircom, as dictated by Department of Education and Skills Schools Broadband scheme.
- There is an IT room which contains 10 PC’s.
- Most up-to-date operating system to be chosen when purchasing new computers.
- Each classroom has a data projector, interactive whiteboard and teacher laptop.
- There is 1 digital cameras in the school for use by the classes
- The office is equipped with a laptop, iPad, colour printer and a photocopier/scanner.
- There are 16 Dell PCs in the classrooms.
- Digital Information screen at reception area.
Current Usage of Facilities
- Computers are used as a medium of teaching and learning in all the classrooms, but we also timetable computer hours for each class stream in the computer suite.
- Current usage includes pre-reading and early reading work; pre-number and early number work; mathematical application; development of thinking and problem solving skills; word processing, desktop publishing; use of multimedia encyclopaedia and typing skills; internet work; presentation of project work; creating art work; spelling; development of fine motor skills; music composition and recording.
- Staff are encouraged and frequently attend ICT courses for up-skilling and continuous professional development.
Additional Information
ICT Co-ordination
- The school has a special duties teacher, who holds responsibility for ICT as part of a designated schedule of responsibilities
- Any IT faults which cannot be rectified by hardware user are to be reported to the ICT co-ordinator.
- Anti-virus Protection is installed on all computers with access to broadband.
Access
Pupils and teachers have permanent access to ICT.
Special Needs
Computers are provided in the learning support rooms, and resource rooms, as we recognise the potential of ICT to enhance the learning opportunities for pupils with special needs. Children with specific writing, reading and numeracy needs are using ICT to provide alternative and complementary educational experiences. Laptops and specialised keyboards are also provided where appropriate.
Exceptional Students
ICT is used in all classrooms to challenge and extend the educational opportunities for pupils with above average attainment.
Maintenance
- We use FS Computers for our IT needs
Health and Safety Aspects
All new computers purchased will comply with European regulations regarding radiation.
School Website
- The school hosts a website at www.kilmacrennanschool.com
- School newsletters and other news items will regularly be added
- School policies that are relevant to parents will also be added to this site.
Actual usage of ICT in School
Children will acquire a certain level of competency at using computers. Skills to be learned are outlined below:
Examples:
Junior & Senior Infants – Computer Familiarity- Programmes such as Starfall, Jolly Phonics, use of interactive whiteboard, Big Books, interactive Storytelling. Junior and Senior Infants have introduced an interactive Gaeilgeprogramme ‘Bua na Cainte’ from September 2015. Weekly visits to school computer suite. Online Music. Library borrowing using Databiz system
1st & 2ndclass – as above. further Computer Familiarity; Competency Using Mouse; Competency using Drill Software Programmes such as BBC typing(Dance mat),
– Computer Familiarity; Competency Using Mouse and keyboard; File Open/Save; Write Stories; Competency using Drill Software, Programmes such as BBC typing, Mavis Beacon
3rd & 4th class – Computer Familiarity; Competency Using Mouse and keyboard; File Open/Save; Write Stories with Mixed Cases; Competency using Drill Software; Internet Research, Data Manipulation, use of educational games and activities across a range of school subjects; typing Programmes; News 2Day; webwise safety talks for parents
5th & 6th class – Computer Familiarity; Competency Using Mouse and keyboard; File Open/Save; Write Stories with Mixed Cases; Competency using Drill Software; Internet Research, Search Engines, Data Manipulation, typing programmes, project work, , Mavis Beacon, Powerpoint; webwise safety awareness for children; web safety talks for parents.