Dissolving Boundaries through Technology in Education in Knockconan N'S'

1
Dissolving Boundaries through Technology in
Educationin Knockconan N.S.

• Knockconan N.S and Strabane Primary School
• 3rd and 4th classes in Knockconan
• P6 in Strabane Primary
• The theme- Past cultures and the Environment

2
Our Project

• Video conference every Wednesday
• Email regularly
• Face to Face in Parkanaur courtesy of Speedwell
  Project in March we completed the Going Green
  programme.
• Follow up Face to Face in June we went
  orienteering in the forest at Parkanaur

3
Benefits

• We integrated our plan of work with our existing
  curricular plans in history/geography/science.
• More active learning through communicating
  information to pupils in the other school by
  email and through video-conferencing.
• Greater motivation in project work (better more
  active groupwork because pupils were writing for
  an external audience)

4
Benefits (continued)

• Heightened interest in history
• Fitting the project in encouraged greater
  integration in planning curricular work on behalf
  of the teacher
• Teaching style allowed more independence for
  children in their work.
• Other classes were envious motivated to create
  their own projects too

5
Lessons we learned.

• Email and project work was very enjoyable and
  more likely to be carried on by students in their
  own time.
• Video-conferencing is very difficult in a crowded
  multi-class
• Face to Face meeting was particularly effective
• Maybe we could work on presentation skills i.e.
  children presenting their PowerPoint projects
• Circumstances didnt allow it but we should have
  had a face to face meeting earlier on in the
  process

6
The Future

• As our partner class in Strabane will be busy
  preparing for their transfer tests for a few
  months the teachers have decided to meet in
  mid-November to plan this years work.
• We are investigating the possibility of 2 classes
  in each school getting involved.