These maybe not the first two activities you might associate with computers, but pupils and teachers in Firoda use new technologies to explore themes that are meaningful to them, their local history and the game they love.
Holycross National School, Firoda, is a rural three-teacher school near Castlecomer, North Kilkenny. Castlecomer was once a thriving coalmining area and had been for centuries. However, due to pit closures this economic hub around which the community rotated, turned its last cycle over 30 years ago. With memories of this era diminishing rapidly, Principal Martin Fogarty decided it was imperative to record for posterity this fine tradition and in 1999 SIP (www.sip.ie) funding was secured for a School Project entitled Coalmining in Castlecomer. Initially pupils set out to record and preserve as much information as possible about these fascinating times. Visits were made to derelict pits, interviews conducted with former miners and old mining equipment photographed and catalogued. All information was recorded digitally and a chronicle of mining in the area was published on the Web (www.sip.ie/sip019B/index1.htm). Furthermore, a school CD was produced and paved the way for the publication of their own book about the mines, which pupils marketed and launched in numerous venues around the community. The benefits of the whole experience are clearly evident: “Revisiting their past and engaging in real life publishing are experiences that will remain with the children long after they have forgotten much of what they learned in school,” Fogarty explains.
Since completion of their SIP project, Firoda’s extensive technology arsenal of PCs, CD burners, laser printers and digital cameras haven’t been left idle. Technology is an integral part of school life, with children engaging with a broad range of relevant software for both curriculum reinforcement and project work. Pupils’ favourites include Maths Circus, Tangrams and PowerPoint.
Of course we couldn’t cover a school in this county without mentioning hurling and pupils in Firoda have decided to let us in on the secrets of their success. A school CD has been produced detailing a full set of hurling skills and instructions on how to perform them. Using digital photography, all the essential skills were recorded. Detailed instructions were then added to photographs and to enhance the tutorials further, video clips of the skills in action were captured. These hurling skills exemplars can also be viewed on their school website and on the Official Kilkenny GAA site (Kilkenny.gaa.ie). However Firoda’s coaching academy doesn’t intend to stop here and plans are in place for production of a skills video demonstrating useful drills and advice on integrating skills into real match situations. No doubt there’ll be many rival counties keeping a close eye on developments.
07/11/2003
Subscribers 0
Fans 0
Followers 0
Followers