Digital Learning Plan

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Introduction:

 

The development of this plan was set out as a priority area by the school to comply with the Department of Education publications ‘circular 0001/2017’ and ‘Digital Strategy for Schools’.

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1. School details:

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• St. Josephs N.S. is a DEIS band 2 school. There is currently a pupil enrolment of 97. There are 9 teachers, 4 of whom work in Learning Support and 1 in special education. There are 5 Inclusion Support Assistants (ISAs). The school derives much of its population from the surrounding areas of the town.  Currently we have a bank of 24 student laptops and 15 tablets in the school.  All classroom teachers have a laptop in their class and an IWB.

 

2. School vision:

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• In our school we believe that digital technologies should be used for teaching, learning and assessment across the curriculum.  Digital technology needs to be an integral part of the teaching and learning in schools today. The management will promote a culture of collective, collaborative and reflective practice amongst staff (teachers and ISAs) when using digital technologies.  It is also our aim that pupils will have access to current digital technologies, and we will match future investment to the learning needs of the pupils. 

• We want to use Digital Learning as an exciting, engaging and creative medium for expression whereby the pupils in our school can create meaningful digital technologies can have on the learning of pupils with special and additional needs and aim to harness this potential in our school moving forward.​

 

3. Brief account of the use of digital technologies in the school to date:

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• In our school to date technology is used in line with the available infrastructure.  We aim to focus more on student engagement with digital technology for learning.

• Students from 1st to 6th class use Accelerated Reader as a self-assessment of their reading. From Junior Infants to 6th class students follow the Abair Liom program which has a strong ICT focus. Currently students from Junior Infants to 2nd class engage with the Starlight program for English Oral language again with a strong ICT focus.  From September 2019 3rd to 6th class will engage with the same program.    

• Pupils currently use technology to source information, but not to create their own digital content. 

 

2. The focus of this Digital Learning Plan:

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The Digital Learning Team decided to focus on the areas of SESE and oral language. We undertook a digital learning evaluation between March and June 2019. We gathered evidence using:

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• Teacher and pupil questionnaires

• Checklists

• Feedback at staff meetings

 

2.1 The dimensions and domains from the Digital Learning Framework being selected

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• Teaching and Learning: Learner Outcomes

 

2.2 The standard and statement from the Digital Learning Framework being selected

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Standard:

Pupils enjoy their learning, are motivated to learn and achieve as learners. 

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Statement(s):

Pupils use appropriate digital technologies to foster active engagement in attaining appropriate learning outcomes.

Pupils use digital technologies to collect evidence and record progress. 

 

 2.3 These are a summary of our strengths with regards digital learning:

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• Pupils in the school have experience in using digital technology

• Pupils enjoy and are motivated by digital technologies

• Staff are motivated to use digital technologies to enhance student learning and curriculum engagement.

• Funding available to purchase equipment, if needed. 

 

2.4 This is what we are going to focus on to improve our digital learning practice further:

 

• Staff will engage in CPD in order to facilitate a greater use of digital technologies by pupils

• Teachers will support each other in the use of and implementation of digital technologies in their teaching, learning and assessment. 

• Design activities where pupils use digital technologies to support and enhance learning in different curricular areas.  

 

3. Our Digital Learning Plan

 

The next section lays out the following:

 

• The targets for improvement we have set. 

• The actions we will use to implement these.

• Who is responsible for implementing, monitoring and reviewing our improvement plan 

• How we will measure progress and check outcomes.

 

As we implement our improvement plan we will record:

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• The progress we have made, and adjustments made, and when.

• Achievement of targets (original and modified), and when.