The Irish Primary School Curriculum (1999) presents a vision of education, which is expressed in three general aims:
• to enable the child to live a full life as a child, and to realise his or her potential as a unique individual.
• to enable the child to develop as a social being through living and cooperating with others and so contribute to the good of society.
• to prepare the child for further education and lifelong learning.
ICT is an invaluable tool and methodology in helping us to achieve these aims. However, there are also specific aims associated with ICT use in the primary school. These include:
• to enable the child to use a range of ICT tools in a relevant curriculum context.
• to enable the child to develop and use ICT skills in the attainment of curriculum learning objectives.
• to foster the child’s confidence in his or her use of ICT, through enjoyable learning experiences.
• to develop the child’s understanding and practice of the safe use of ICT.
• to enable the child to overcome barriers of access to learning resources caused by geographic location, culture, or language.
• to enable the child to use ICT to support his or her learning effectively and creatively. • to inform the child’s attitudes regarding the role of ICT in society, including the benefits and challenges of ICT use.
• to support the development of the child’s social skills through cooperative learning and problem-solving.
(Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in the Primary School Curriculum: Guidelines for Teachers, 2004)
Of course we will be trying to achieve these aims within the classroom but given the nature of the skills needed, one-to-one attention will always be more effective than whole class lessons or demonstrations. As such, we have decided to create a platform through which parent(s) and guardian(s) can access beneficial educational activities and games for their children. All of the links and posts will be related to curriculum content across the different subject areas which should assist the children, not only with developing their ICT skills but also with understanding other aspects of the school curriculum. It is hoped that through the project, parent(s) and guardian(s) will be empowered to assist their children with what they are learning in school each day. Above all, the most important reason for creating the project is that the children enjoy learning through ICT and it is a great way to ensure the children are having fun! Please make sure that the children enjoy completing the activities provided and don’t feel that this is somehow extra homework or something that must be completed. Of course, participation and interaction with the project is invaluable (and hoped for!) but that doesn’t mean that it should become a chore that must be completed every day.
Here’s to a great year of learning! :-D
IMPORTANT NOTE If you do not have access to the internet at home but would like to access and make use of the project with your child, please speak to Cecelia or Niamh and I’m sure we will be able to come to some arrangement to facilitate you.
• to enable the child to live a full life as a child, and to realise his or her potential as a unique individual.
• to enable the child to develop as a social being through living and cooperating with others and so contribute to the good of society.
• to prepare the child for further education and lifelong learning.
ICT is an invaluable tool and methodology in helping us to achieve these aims. However, there are also specific aims associated with ICT use in the primary school. These include:
• to enable the child to use a range of ICT tools in a relevant curriculum context.
• to enable the child to develop and use ICT skills in the attainment of curriculum learning objectives.
• to foster the child’s confidence in his or her use of ICT, through enjoyable learning experiences.
• to develop the child’s understanding and practice of the safe use of ICT.
• to enable the child to overcome barriers of access to learning resources caused by geographic location, culture, or language.
• to enable the child to use ICT to support his or her learning effectively and creatively. • to inform the child’s attitudes regarding the role of ICT in society, including the benefits and challenges of ICT use.
• to support the development of the child’s social skills through cooperative learning and problem-solving.
(Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in the Primary School Curriculum: Guidelines for Teachers, 2004)
Of course we will be trying to achieve these aims within the classroom but given the nature of the skills needed, one-to-one attention will always be more effective than whole class lessons or demonstrations. As such, we have decided to create a platform through which parent(s) and guardian(s) can access beneficial educational activities and games for their children. All of the links and posts will be related to curriculum content across the different subject areas which should assist the children, not only with developing their ICT skills but also with understanding other aspects of the school curriculum. It is hoped that through the project, parent(s) and guardian(s) will be empowered to assist their children with what they are learning in school each day. Above all, the most important reason for creating the project is that the children enjoy learning through ICT and it is a great way to ensure the children are having fun! Please make sure that the children enjoy completing the activities provided and don’t feel that this is somehow extra homework or something that must be completed. Of course, participation and interaction with the project is invaluable (and hoped for!) but that doesn’t mean that it should become a chore that must be completed every day.
Here’s to a great year of learning! :-D
IMPORTANT NOTE If you do not have access to the internet at home but would like to access and make use of the project with your child, please speak to Cecelia or Niamh and I’m sure we will be able to come to some arrangement to facilitate you.
