TheValeyard wrote: » What some of the more critical posters here seem to be missing, is that teachers would love to be back in the classroom. Definitely miss the craic.
jrosen wrote: » So basically they have to do it themselves? There is no dept area that parents can reach out too? No guidance?
beggars_bush wrote: » Twinkl Every publisher has made ebooks available online RTE school hub daily Loads of online readers Watch a documentary on nature or science or history
jrosen wrote: » Where do parents turn when they are getting zero from their schools?
khalessi wrote: » Teachers are already adapting some quicker then others. So as you said outside the box thinking is necessary. This is all teachers are asking for a safe way forward. It could involve the Dept having to lease buildings to use as temporary classrooms, like they have with hotels as dropdown hospitals. This would be a similar approach to Denmark and help allow smaller class sizes. Daily deep clean of schools all surfaces and teachers encourage social distancing in class through less students, hourly handwashing similar to Denmark, masks if needed and social distancing on the play area or different style play area, such as half the school in one day rainy day play and out the next. Having smaller class groups would make some of this easier, the difficulty would be staffing but they could put a call out like what was done for med staff world wide. It isnt perfect but it would be a start of ideas to discuss instead of what is worried about, an open the doors theyre back policy, not safe for anyone
gnf_ireland wrote: » Absolutely - and to be fair, should have been happening over the last 3 weeks when it was obvious this was going to last longer than the original proposed duration, so they would be ready for tomorrow
trapp wrote: » Exactly. This is so important. Going back to school will be very important for our children, this has hit them hard too, no contact with friends in person, no school as they know it, no hobbies etc, possibly difficulties and tension at home. But it seems certain schools won't be able to go back as normal for a while anyway so everyone needs to come together to come up with a method that works for now. Waiting a year or so isn't really a viable option. But outside the box thinking will be required and teachers will have to adapt. I'm sure they will but the planning really needs to begin now, not in late August. It will be great for everybody for schools to return, in a safe way of course. I would say however that for the next while it's possibly going to impossible to have 100% safety anywhere or completely eliminate risk so if parents choose not to send their children to school that will be ok and likewise if teachers feel they can't work due to having vulnerable family that is ok too and substitute teachers could help. This will need comprimise and understanding from all parties. And I'm sure it will come.
Xertz wrote: » Again my niece was happily doing a dance class via a normal laptop and her primary teacher has been “checking in” to say hello and do basic lessons online via Zoom without any major issue at all. People are logged in via all sors of devices from big fancy smart TVs to their mam’s cheap android phone but they’re all getting to participate at some level and it’s not perfect but it’s a hell of a lot better than nothing. It’s not beyond the realms of possibility ... As for adult learning. I don’t see how secondary schools or even the later stages of primary school would be any significantly more challenging for e learning.
khalessi wrote: » GnF, just wondering are you sending the work online to be corrected or has that been set up yet? Like I said earlier I received similar from the kids teacher. Teacher has now sent an email half hour ago, with next weeks work and a code for a site explaining that the teacher would like the kids to record themselves reading and do a poem and upload their work and artwork and that the teacher will be online for q&a tomorrow, a big step up from before Easter.
shellycub wrote: » Very big difference between lecturing adults and teaching children via video chat. Also I think many people overestimate how many suitable devices families have which do not need to be shared.
gnf_ireland wrote: » @SnowyMuckish - Yes, schools will be able to open in September. Absolutely. Whether all students can return on a full time basis depends on a lot of factors between now and then and how the virus mutates over the summer and the numbers who have contacted it etc.Its up to the Dept of Education to finalise a plan with the other departments and unions which will support the schools reopening. As I said before, out of the box thinking may be required, but I am sure everyone is well capable of doing that. Its not a question of whether, its more a question of how !
gnf_ireland wrote: » No, one of the girls teachers does this, and she has google classroom set up to receive work back and sends comments back to the student The other teacher - sends out the email and silence for the week. She does not have anywhere to send work back to, and says in the email its for the parents use only. The girls are a year apart in the same school. The two teachers just have a very different approach to supporting home schooling
gnf_ireland wrote: » No one is suggesting 5 hours of constant video education is required - but there needs to be something I have just received the 2 page email from one of my girls teachers telling me what needs to be done this week. That's it now until next Sunday - from this point onwards its radio silence, unless something dramatic has changed over the Easter holidays.
wirelessdude01 wrote: » Who pays for the printing and postage of the physical items?
Xertz wrote: » Droning on about bad internet is an excuse to do nothing. .
SnowyMuckish wrote: » So back to the original discussion..... will schools be able to reopen in September?
Xertz wrote: » They’re going to have to learn! This is a national crisis and people will just have to adapt. My dad, a man in his late 60s, is at home delivering lectures on his laptop. He never had any online teacher training. He fired up Zoom, with very, very minimal technical support (one email) and just got on with it and is working with students by email using his own personal email to deal with questions and assignments. People in businesses, healthcare and other areas of life have managed to pull off all sorts of complicated work arounds to keep things going. There have been huge offers of tech from major multinationals like Google and Apple and local ISPs. There are e-learning experts in all of the universities who have been doing this stuff for years. There are programme makers in RTE and elsewhere. The department of education can surely absorb cost of delivering materials in some arrangement with An Post. We’ve had no issue doing so with electoral martial or anything else. Also it doesn’t have to be that high tech. Photocopies and work sheets are quite usable. We seem to have an element here who comes up with 1001 reasons why things can’t be done!
Sammy2012 wrote: » I would have no problem with video calling the children but there is a whole host of things that would need to be ironed out first. Permission from parents first of all. We have no policy for this in our school so it would involve lots of discussion but we will see how things go in the coming weeks.
normanoffside wrote: » Yes, principals and secretaries of secondary schools are going back in from tomorrow to plan the year ahead.
Sammy2012 wrote: » Also I plan to be more interactive going forward but again will need parental input. Also as my classes first communion has been cancelled I have offered to help them make it in the summer time if it is possible.
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