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Online videos, images, interactive resources, and reference information, now available to primary schools at discounts of up to 75%...

 

Enrich your teaching and your pupils’ learning with the high-quality online resources now available through JISC Collections for Schools.


 

Deaf children who use British Sign Language (BSL) are slipping through the net when it comes to assessing their language development.


 

 

Martha Lane Fox, the country’s ‘digital inclusion champion’, announced the winners of the inaugural e-Learning Foundation Home Access Awards to a packed auditorium at One Great George Street, Central London.


 

Despite the Government’s target that all primary schools should offer some form of care for children from 8.00am to 6.00pm by 2010, a large number of schools have yet to do so.


 


 

 

A shocking £646 million is being spent each year by sweet-toothed children buying biscuits, cake and meat snacks on the way to school and almost one quarter of all 7-14 year olds have a junk food breakfast of this kind regularly.



 

Compulsory Learning Age Raised

Teenagers will continue in education or training until the age of 18 as part of a new law passed this week. The new Education and Skills Act will raise the education leaving age to 17 in 2013 and to 18 from 2015.


 

Discover Engineering

Discover Engineering, a new website for young people aged 10 - 19, has been launched today. The site is a not-for-profit venture which has been developed and funded by Gradcracker - the careers website for engineering graduates - and its purpose is to showcase the best online resources for young engineers.



 

 

Children's Poetry

What has made these poems especially useful to children and also to ESL students, is the fact that Josie has added her own clear English voice recording to each of the poems, as children pointed out how useful this was as a tool to help them with reading


 

Butterfly Conservation

Schools Minister Jim Knight has launched a new children’s website as part of celebrations marking the 40th anniversary of the charity Butterfly Conservation. Remarkably, as he was posing for pictures at the launch, a Red Admiral butterfly landed beside him and then moved onto his finger.


 

Extended Schools & Extended Services

A free online guide for parents/carers, plus guidance for schools on producing information leaflets for parents/carers. Did you know that all schools will be extended schools by 2010?


 

There are two toolkits which help to explain the causes and impacts of climate change to both primary and secondary school pupils. Each one explores the extraordinary potential for schools to shape some of the solutions to climate change.


 

Learn with Dogs

Meet the gang - Rex, Rosie, Zippy, Flick, Muffin and Digger - they all live in Dogs Trust Rehoming Centre, which takes care of them until they  find a new home. They have lots of fun together.


 

Helping your child through exam time

Children aren’t known for coming forward about their problems.  Sometimes it can feel as though they don’t want to talk to you about anything.


 

British children could be missing out on practical skills they need to make it in the real world.  85% of Brits think kids should be taught more about cooking and baking at school rather than purely focusing on intellectual study


 

Not everyone would regard the human voice as a tool but for teachers in particular, and for parents too, that is exactly what it is and it needs to be nurtured.

Teachers Voice

 

For centuries, Britain has dominated the world of science – particularly medical science.  Some of the world’s greatest scientists have been British – think Issac Newton, Alexander Fleming, Joseph Lister, or James Watt.


 

Animal-friendly schools do more than just teach about animals. They encourage both teachers and pupils to think about animals’ needs and to develop a sense of care and responsibility for them.


 
CRE Launches Web Site for Teachers

The CRE has launched Teaching about slavery, an on-line resource for all secondary and primary school teachers. The web pages will for the first time, pull together a range of materials to assist teachers when covering issues relating to the Transatlantic Slave Trade (TST).


 
Three-Step Plan to Stamp out Absenteeism

The national Every Lesson Counts campaign has enlisted Consultant Psychiatrist, Dr Raj Persaud, to help advise parents on the best ways in which to tackle attendance problems with girls and children with special educational needs. 


Ireland-specific articles


 

School Tours 2010


We’re top of the class for school tours, here at Primary Times HQ… Get inspired and try something new this year at your school – we have a selection of the best school trip destinations all around the country!


 

I am delighted to be with you today for the annual general meeting of the Catholic Primary Schools Management Association (CPSMA).


 

The Minister asked his officials to carry out a profile analysis of grades awarded in higher education institutions and in the Leaving Certificate exams. These are the main findings.


 

The Minister for Education and Science, Batt O’Keeffe, T.D., recently launched the Safer Internet Ireland Youth Advisory Panel (SIIYAP) to mark Safer Internet Day in Ireland.


 

Get a copy of the Department letter to schools, updated FAQs in relation to the grant, forms to be completed and ICT procurement advice from the NCTE. Schools should review these documents and associated ICT advice before taking next steps.


 

Encyclopaedia Britannica "webinars" (online seminars) are now available for Irish teachers. It offers you the chance to get a comprehensive overview of the features of Britannica Online's School Edition. You will also get ideas and tips on how you can integrate it into your daily classroom activities.


 

FÍS is an inter-related group of projects based on the power of digital storytelling. These projects include Digital Cre8or, Eurocreator, FÍS Interactive and the highly successful FÍS Film Project for Primary schools. Another project is the FÍS Book Club where children create a video book review based on their independent reading.


 

The Minister for Education and Science, Batt O’Keeffe TD, Tuesday announced details of 52 school building projects which can go to tender and construction as part of the Government’s €579 million school building programme


 

The main objective of Safer Internet Day 2010 is to bring together relevant public and private stakeholders, in as many countries as possible, to raise awareness about safe and responsible use of Internet technologies especially among children and young people.


 

“Strategies for hangman”, “The Physics and chemistry of spiders' webs” or “The power of visualization in sport” are among some of the prize winning projects by Cork entrants to the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition that are on display at Lifetime Lab during February


 

The Minister for Education and Science, Batt O’Keeffe TD, Monday launched an interactive website to improve teaching and learning of spoken Irish in post-primary schools in a move backed by popular comedian Des Bishop.


 

The recent work-to-rule directive places Principals in over 3,500 schools in an impossible situation, states Mr Seán Cottrell, National Director of the Irish Primary Principals’ Network (IPPN) in his keynote address to 1,000 Principals at the annual IPPN conference in Citywest Hotel, Dublin

 

‘The 2-in-1 role of Teacher and School Leader has become a health and safety hazard and there is ample evidence to show that the sense of guilt, anxiety and stress is damaging to the physical and mental health of the Principal’.


 

Would you send your child to a school with Bertie Ahern as Principal, Seánie Fitzpatrick as the Treasurer of the Board of Management, Roddy Molloy as Chairperson and Desmond Connell as Patron of the school?


 

Children are losing out on learning opportunities because there is no coherent national strategy for technology in primary schools. 


 

Education has been described as a basic human right since 1948, by the Universal Convention on Human Rights. How do we as Principals ensure that this right to education is upheld?


 

The Minister for Education and Science, Batt O'Keeffe TD, has described a statement today by Fine Gael's education spokesman, Brian Hayes TD, as misleading and opportunistic


 

The introduction of metered water charges from January 1st of this year will place huge pressure on cash strapped school Boards of Management, resulting in greater pressure on parents through increased fundraising and voluntary contributions.


 

Ireland’s school-going children are the suffering as a result of the continued withdrawal of funding and supports from primary schools. In particular, the reduction in the number of language support teachers and Special Needs Assistants providing supports to needy children has impacted on the entire school community, stated Pat Goff, President of the Irish Primary Principals’ Network (IPPN), in his address to 1,000 primary school leaders at the annual IPPN Conference at Citywest Convention Centre, Dublin


 

Children’s right to a fully resourced education system must not be sacrificed at the altar of fiscal rectitude. This is the key message to be delivered by Irish Primary Principals’ Network President, Pat Goff to 1,000 Principals at the annual three day IPPN conference which opens today Thursday 28th January in Citywest Hotel and Convention Centre, Co Dublin


 

New water conservation measures under this year’s Summer Works Scheme will help schools to cover metered water costs, according to the Minister for Education and Science, Batt O’Keeffe TD, who was responding to a statement from the Labour Party Monday.


 

Across Europe the problems of climate change and the environment are being solved through EU cooperation and the development of new technologies. This year the EU Commission and EU Parliament stand at the Young Scientist exhibition focuses on explaining global warming and what can be done to stop it.


 

The country’s 4,000 schools are to get free access to online versions of the popular Encyclopedia Britannica and World Book as part of an e-Learning initiative announced by the Minister for Education and Science, Batt O’Keeffe TD.



 

Over 14,000 post-primary students have taken part in an innovative Government-backed programme that twins schools with major local businesses, according to the Minister for Education and Science, Batt O’Keeffe TD.


 

Promethean, a world leader in the rapidly growing global market for interactive educational technology, today announces that, following the installation of its ActivClassroom products in Panama, the total number of countries deploying Promethean technology has reached 100.


 

As part of continuing Government efforts to stabilise the Exchequer position and build for economic recovery, the Minister for Education and Science, Batt O’Keeffe TD, today outlined details of the 2010 Budget for his Department


 

The Irish Heart Foundation, Ireland’s national heart and stroke charity, and Lidl, Ireland’s No. 1 discount retailer, are launching the Lidl Fit Factor for 3rd and 4th class students in primary schools across Ireland with the aim of educating them about the benefits of leading a healthy and active lifestyle.


 

Here is a selection of the news for educational teams that we hope you will find useful.


 

PUPILS nation-wide are revelling in the wonders of Science through yTeach.ie, a new, Irish, classroom-focused service which is taking schools across the country by storm.


 

Ensuring that children in hospital had an opportunity to take part in the Science Week celebrations the RDS Science Live series ran an interactive ‘Bright Sparks’ workshop in Our Lady’s Hospital School located in Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin.

 

Over 380 primary schools across the country are to get €4.2 million in grants for high-tech equipment over the coming days as part of the Government's efforts to make technology an integral part of the learning process, according to the Minister for Education and Science, Batt O'Keeffe TD.

 

 

David Ruddy, BL and Principal of Talbot Senior School, Clondalkin, in conjunction with IPPN, will facilitate and present a series of one-day legal seminars entitled Your School & The Law.


 

New water conservation measures under next year’s Summer Works Scheme will help schools cover metered water costs from January when they’ll have to pay according to how much they use, according to the Minister for Education and Science, Batt O’Keeffe TD.


 

The Minister told the Dáil yesterday that the Constitution allows State aid to denominational schools but only on the basis that there be no discrimination between schools under different religious management. 


 

Tomorrow the NCCA launches Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework at http://www.ncca.ie/earlylearning. This new framework is for all children from birth to six years. It is the outcome of extensive research, consultation, planning, and development by the NCCA in partnership with the early childhood sector.


 

3M, the diversified technology company, has launched 3M Futurewise, a new, free online teaching resource where students can explore a virtual town and engage with different aspects of sustainable living.


 

The Minister for Education and Science, Batt O’Keeffe TD, today opened the new €14 million Ballinteer Community School in Dublin 16.


 

Earlier today the latest edition of the EU Passport for primary schools was launched at European Union House. Pupils from the Kill O'the Grange National School were on hand to help Martin Territt, Director of the European Commission Representation launch this fun new resource that teaches pupils about all the 27 countries that make up the EU.


 

The Minister for Lifelong Learning, Seán Haughey, TD today launched the seventh Annual Conference of SCoTENS (the Standing Conference on Teacher Education, North and South) at the Grand Hotel, Malahide in north Dublin.


 

Five teacher education colleges in Ireland will work with two teacher education colleges in Zambia on a comprehensive programme of mentoring and support in key areas of teacher training.


 

Minister for Lifelong Learning, Seán Haughey TD,  in the Clock Tower Conference Centre in the  Department of Education  and Science, Dublin launched groundbreaking new guidance on sexual orientation for second level schools.


 

Speech by Minister for Lifelong Learning, Seán Haughey TD, at the 13th Annual JP McManus Scholarship Awards in Adare


 

Speech by the Minister for Education and Science, Batt O’Keeffe TD, at the Annual Congress of the Irish Vocational Education Association, Clare Inn, Dromoland, Co Clare


 

Speech by the Minister for Education and Science, Batt O’Keeffe TD, at the European Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning Seminar


 

Speech by the Minister for Education and Science, Batt O’Keeffe TD, at the launch of online portal for flexible learning BlueBrick.ie


 

The Minister for Lifelong Learning, Mr. Seán Haughey, TD  today presented FETAC Certificates to over 20 students, the first group of students who studied through www.writeon.ie, the NALA distance learning scheme.


 

With the start of the new school year, you may want to consider signing up for one of NCTE’s Continuing Professional Development courses running in Autumn. 


 

There are four different models of professional development in ICT available through the NCTE. All NCTE courses are fully funded for teachers attending.

Courses are developed by NCTE, in conjunction with other educational partners and focus on both the skills required and the pedagogy involved in integrating ICT in learning and teaching.


 

Cork Academy of Music has given over 700 students on the northside and across the city an opportunity to study and make music, according to the Minister for Education and Science, Batt O'Keeffe TD.


 

The Intelligent Use Of Energy At School project which is led by the Clean Technology Centre in CIT will encourage students to reflect on everyday activities where making small adjustments will have an impact on our carbon footprint according to the Minister for Education and Science, Batt O'Keeffe TD


 

EAGER teachers across the nation are signing up for a new ICT programme which makes them even more ‘computer-savvy’ and thus, helps pupils glean core skills and competence needed in our digital age


 


The Government is already developing a strategy for attracting more international students to Ireland and constructive contributions from  the Opposition parties are, of course, welcome.


 


New figures on participation in Erasmus, the EU's student mobility programme for higher education, show that the number of students who've benefited from it to study abroad over the past 21 years has reached the two million mark. Irish participation figures are up 19% from last year to 1,817.


 


Daghdha Dance Company invites European dance artists and choreographers to apply for the DMP – a full-time, yearlong residency programme designed for emerging artists in choreography and dance


 


Ryan Tubridy launched Think a new book by Fr. Cathal O’ Brolcháin,  published by Original Writing, yesterday evening at Willow Park School. Published by Original Writing, Think is a short book which considers the effect of school days in relation to our children


 


Second year students at the Presentation Secondary School, Waterford got to grips with ‘The Outdoor Classroom’ at the Marine Educational Facility at Oceanics Surf School in Tramore for their curriculum based Ecology and Biology programmes


 


The Irish Primary Principals’ Network (IPPN), welcomes today’s Supreme Court decision to refuse an application from the State for costs in relation to the failed child abuse action taken by Louise O’Keeffe in 2008.

 

The Fís Book Club


The Fís Book Club is a place where children create a video book review based on their independent reading. The collected video book reports form a password-protected child friendly and safe online Digital video Book Review Catalogue, which is accessible to the participating schools only


 
 


The Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr. Jimmy Devins, T.D., has launched a multi-media campaign promoting the safe use of the Internet by young people.


 


Primary Schools across the country have recently received “Young Explorer Centres” through the IBM KidSmart Early Learning Programme. The IBM KidSmart Early Learning Programme is a worldwide programme designed to explore the role of ICT in early childhood development and to help bridge the digital divide.

http://blogs.sun.com/jonathan/entry/momentous_day_for_solaris


 

EUROPEAN COMMISSION REPRESENTATION IN IRELAND


The EU Commission is looking for translators with English as their mother tongue as it faces a potential shortage of linguists. This is especially important as many translators who started working for the Commission in the 1970's, when Ireland and the UK joined the EEC are approaching retirement age.


 


Can you spare one day from time to time to take part in a variety of fund raising campaigns to support SARI's valuable work in the community this year? If you think you fit the profile and want to give it a go, call Fanel on 086 373 5818, email info@sari.ie with your details or visit www.sari.ie

 


The NCCA has put together a set of fact sheets which give information about the different subjects available in junior cycle. They could be useful for school information evenings and open days. Visit their website>> http://www.ncca.ie/eng/index.asp?docID=370


 


Since 1987, EdAlive has been helping teachers and parents instill the love of learning in children through computer-based numeracy and literacy interactive software.


 


The Irish Primary Principals' Network (IPPN) is saddened and appalled at the news that over 100 schools have been told to shut down their special classes for children with learning disabilities.  ‘How can it be that our most vulnerable children are the first to be targeted by these cuts’, said Larry Fleming, President of IPPN.


 


Make a difference and contribute to a sustainable future!

'Energy is our Future' is a school programme that is jointly managed by European Schoolnet and PlasticsEurope, the association of plastics manufacturers. The programme is intended to help students learn to make a difference in using energy and find out more about the role of advanced materials, such as plastics, in saving energy and therefore contributing to a sustainable future. The website has many resources, much news and a competitions and debates section, and there is an area where you can join an online chat with an expert in energy at : http://www.futurenergia.org

 

A progressive primary school which teaches all of its 600 pupils sign language as part of the daily curriculum says new technology it initially began using with its 20 deaf pupils two years ago has totally revolutionised the way the entire school learns.


 

Killybegs has certainly got talent, that’s for sure! Pupils and their teachers at the Niall Mor National School in Killybegs really pulled out all of the stops as Ian Dempsey and his breakfast show rolled into the school to present it with its brand new, hi-tech Promethean Interactive Whiteboard.


 

In the beginning… there was blackboard and chalk. Then along came whiteboards with marker pens, same idea but neater, and without all that pesky chalk dust.  These days, teachers can teach using interactive whiteboards, which as their name suggests, work interactively with a computer and multimedia projector


 

The Special Stories Series


Newly founded Irish publishing house Special Stories Publishing has just released their exciting and unique collection of children’s books, The Special Stories Series. The series, launched in Temple St. Children’s Hospital, comprises 7 full colour picture books for children, parents, teachers and healthcare professionals that address a range of childhood health and social issues  

 

This website supports inclusive mainstream education for deaf children in Ireland.More>> http://www.irishdeafkids.ie


 

Organised by Amnesty International (Rep of Ireland & UK) and the teachers Unions - INTO in the Rep of Ireland and the UTU in the North of Ireland, Lift Off has been running since 2001 and uses human rights issues to support teaching and learning. All material is written by teachers and ties in with the SPHE curriculum. More>> www.liftoffschools.com/Default.aspx

LIFT OFF - Cross Border Human Rights Education Initiative

 

 

All NCTE courses are available as whole school training events. These can be run in your own school, customised to your staff's requirements and using the school's own technology. They are an ideal way to promote the use of ICT as a teaching and learning resource throughout the whole school. For more information contact your local ICT advisory service www.ncte.ie/advisornetwork.

National Centre for Technology in Education


 

SchoolTube is for educators who want to:

- share approved videos nationwide.

- empower students and encourage creativity.

- join recognized leaders in video broadcasting.

- access lesson plans and helpful classroom information.

- encourage students to compete in moderated competitions.  

More>> http://www.schooltube.com


 

The goal of TeacherTube is to provide an online community for sharing instructional videos. It seeks to fill a need for a more educationally focused, safe venue for teachers, schools, and home learners. It is a site

to provide anytime, anywhere professional development with teachers teaching teachers. As well, it is a site where teachers can post videos designed for students to view in order to learn a concept or skill. More>> http://www.teachertube.com

Home



 

Robertson NS is a Donegal School. See what software they use. For more information click here.

Robertson NS logo
 

What started fifty years ago with a father’s simple desire to help his son with his maths homework, has today developed into a global network of students. Every hour worldwide, someone somewhere is studying Kumon.

A photograph of a child happily studying


 

Over the last year, I’ve been encouraged and surprised by the creativity and variety of school websites all over the country. Websites are hugely important. They allow children and teachers tell the story of their school using their own words and pictures. They also allow the school to present its core values, and so share its unique ethos with schools both in Ireland and overseas and with their local community.


 

Access a range of resources to help address bullying in your school, including downloadable documents, websites ad video clips. For more information, log onto http://www.teachers.tv/bullying


 

This site provides real learning activities for young children. Lessons include letter recognition and letter building, on upper and lower case letters. The number activities include matching both the number and the name of the number with objects. It provides activities not only in English, but also in Spanish, French and German which means it could be used with children beginning to study those languages. For more information, visit http://www.scoilnet.com/article.aspx?id=8385


 

Petmania have recently started to visit various primary schools with a selection of animals and educate the children on how important it is to research all about pet’s if they are planning to own one. Our Team will then get all the children to do a work sheet on a day in the life of my pet. In this work sheet the children must put in how to feed, exercise and clean a pet.


 

As many primary schools around the country look at the cost of upgrading and even rebuilding some or all of their buildings, parent’s councils are largely responsible for organising and raising funds for those extra projects that will help teachers implement the curriculum and make school life fun and interesting for children
http://www.aacps.org/aacps/bpms/BPMSHome.htm
 

There are nearly half a million pupils in our primary schools. The INTO is demanding reductions in class size in order to improve the quality of their education, the quality of their future lives and indeed, the quality of this country's social and economic futures. Primary school must give all children a fair start in life
 

Play is so critically important to children in the development of their physical, social, mental, emotional and creative skills that every opportunity is welcomed by parents. 

 
 
 
© Primary Times, 2009