Integrating technology into an already overloaded curriculum for many teachers is still a major task. If only there was a structured and integrated programme to follow maybe then schools could fully exploit the hardware in situ.
Education technology company Futurekids believes it has the answer, offering a comprehensive project-based ICT programme using technologies such as desktop publishing, word processing, multimedia and the Internet, and covering topics such as timelines, weather, good food practices, ecology, endangered species,
computer components and magazine publishing.
Demand for the Futurekids’ educational programmes has increased significantly since the beginning of the new school year and Mike Travers, director at Futurekids Ireland, believes this demand is set to continue as ICT infrastructure improves and more teachers become IT literate. ‘Up to now the approach has been to train teachers and let them develop an IT-based curriculum,’ he says.
‘However what we are seeing in many schools working with Futurekids, is that teachers can see how a lesson plan is structured and implemented, and are then developing their own ideas for integration based on that format.’ In addition, Futurekids is currently working with Microsoft on an educational licensing programme and with S4F on Internet filtering solutions, suitable for both home and school use.
A free CD is now available with sample lessons and for more information for primary schools, just e-mail school name and contact details to samples@futurekids.ie.
Scoilnet has some history
With a new history curriculum at Leaving Certificate level currently being implemented, Scoilnet has just launched a new history in-service website, in association with the history in-service team. The revamped curriculum is considerably different to its predecessor with a strong emphasis on research and primary sources, and this site has been developed to help teachers use new technologies as a teaching aid, in addition to providing details of the new syllabus
together with guidelines and teaching strategies associated with it.
Traditionally, history teachers have had difficulty locating primary resources for use in the classroom and Scoilnet’s latest extension boasts an excellent ‘Resource Finder’, similar to the main portal, to make searching for specific information straightforward.
In-service training is ongoing for teachers and the ‘Teaching with the Internet’ section onsite has been particularly well received, exploring areas like assessing authoritative sites, exploring the Internet for local history sources, assessing sources and documents and using oral history sources. Patrick Coffey, Scoilnet project officer believes for teachers unfamiliar with technology the new site has been a godsend, ‘Using the history website at in-service has opened teachers to a whole new way of approaching the teaching of the subject and to a way of engaging the interest of pupils.’
Elsewhere this month at Ireland’s educational portal, opportunities for topical and theme-based learning continue for children of all ages with an ‘energy’ theme for primary pupils, whilst second level students can learn all about hurricanes, the Presidency of Ireland, the US elections, and November’s ‘Science Week’.
13/12/04
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