ThunbergsAreGo wrote: » Does that mean no effort by the Department to do anything should happen?
the corpo wrote: » How long has the Irish national broadband plan been an utter joke for? There's not a chance they'll be able to get the whole school network running on an even keel by this September, or September 2040 for that matter....
Lillyfae wrote: » How many schools are in Ireland? They know exactly which and how many schools have issues? What is your definition of issues? Is this that the school doesn't have broadband or it's not working well? Point 1, they need to get broadband, point 2 the provider needs to be informed and send a engineer out to get it fixed ASAP.
iamwhoiam wrote: » Childcare already is a huge problem . Since most people are back in work I see grandparents around here minding up to four children .Grandads out pushing buggies and grandparents who had not minded before now minding kids daily From my own circle of family and friends we are all minding kids now as the parents simply have no choice . It cant carry on as the grand parents will be exhausted by September !
Mrsmum wrote: » Childcare is going to be a huge problem. Generally speaking the vast cohort of childminders out there mind other peoples babies and after school children only so they can be there for their own school going children. Now they will have their own children at home, the school going mindees at home and more than likely a baby in the house too. And they will be supposed to do schoolwork with all those children in different classes ?? Or else numerous trips to school and playschools for staggered openings and closings with still some kids at home for the day. God help them.
Boggles wrote: » They know the "broadband gaps". There is no quick solution for poor broadband.
Boggles wrote: » New Hardware and software will need to acquired for blended learning, so a procurement and tech document from the technical team at the department needs to be produced, tenders set up and funding provided, then you need installation and training.
Boggles wrote: » This can only come from the top down, not the bottom up.
Lillyfae wrote: » Hardware/ software/ broadband gaps
Boggles wrote: » No, Webex would be the industry choice.
Boggles wrote: » You want schools to be prepared for what? The department knows exactly the broadband capability of each school. They are also fully aware a large chunk of schools do not have ability to live stream multiple instances of video conferencing.
Boggles wrote: » If it is to be done properly the rest involves fairly expensive equipment and training. Then a rather extensive plan of how the whole thing will work. Basically live streaming off a 10 year old laptop from from a shítty connection will not work.
Lillyfae wrote: » And the rest?
Lillyfae wrote: » First of all, Zoom is a rubbish and arguably insecure platform, something like Microsoft Teams would be far more professional. Not too much staff training should be necessary, if teachers are not computer literate they might struggle, but this day in age I do not find this an acceptable excuse. If they can use a smartphone they can use Teams/Zoom.
Lillyfae wrote: » Secondly, funding needs to be allocated, but everyone needs to be working together. The principals and BoM need to be crystal clear about what funding they actually need to get prepared, because as we know schools are equipped to extremely varying standards. I've said it before, this is actually an opportunity to get schools properly funded and updated, but nobody except for the people who are working in the individual schools can say what is actually needed. This incoherent "but we've always been underfunded and we're making the best of it" won't do anymore.
Murple wrote: » Was it a whole school Zoom meetup? How were the teachers able to spend 10 minutes talking with each other? Were all the kids just sitting and listening in?
iamwhoiam wrote: » Peer interaction when learning together is a very different thing than playing on a swing with another child .Education taught by teachers is vital in my opinion .As is the group learning and peer interaction in primary school and early learning
Murple wrote: » Why is there no peer interaction? Have you not arranged for your children to see or connect with their friends? Playgrounds are open. There are some summer camps open. People are permitted to meet in small groups. You can have people to your house. Unless the country goes back into lockdown, there are many opportunities for peer interaction if you wish it to happen.
Boggles wrote: » No what is ridiculous is someone trying to compare sitting at home looking into a webcam from 2 feet communicating with similar qualified adults with blended learning.
mcsean2163 wrote: » How would you feel if you were going to be fired if the schools stayed closed? Nevermind that, do you have kids? If so, how do you think no peer interaction and no school might affect them?
mcsean2163 wrote: » My direct experience of blended learning was as follows: 1. A blog a week 2. No support at all for parents on how to teach. 3. 3 zoom meetups in total, during the 3rd meetup the teachers spent 10 minutes talking about nightclubs reopening, their fabulous holidays, etc before talking with the kids.
Lillyfae wrote: » Less of the snarky comments please. This attitude is patently ridiculous, seeing as most of us work in jobs where we were told "Here's Teams"and given exactly 0 training in how to use it.
Boggles wrote: » Absolutely 100%. If you have a copy of the plan on how to do it will you send it on to me? Has a detailed spec and a procurement document been sent on the required hardware and training, have the tendering process started, have the schools received the funding? There seems to be a an understanding from some that blended learning will be the same as having wine and a zoom quiz with your mates during lockdown. It's not.
Boggles wrote: » I can hazard a guess. But no one knows, it's not like schools are keeping it a secret, like everyone else they don't know either.
ThunbergsAreGo wrote: » I think we all agree its complex, why have the Department done nothing about it? There has been next to nothing from them in months. Schools have been closed for 4 months.
ThunbergsAreGo wrote: » I think we all agree its complex, why have the Department done nothing about it? .
Lillyfae wrote: » Of course it would be a seismic shift, but relatively speaking, it would be short term. Rather than emphasizing how difficult it would be, start doing it. There is absolutely no reason why schools should be working so differently to eachother under the same department, with the same curriculum.
mcsean2163 wrote: » My direct experience of blended learning was as follows: 1. A blog a week 2. No support at all for parents on how to teach. 3. 3 zoom meetups in total, during the 3rd meetup the teachers spent 10 minutes talking about nightclubs reopening, their fabulous holidays, etc before talking with the kids. In addition, I discovered how far behind the class were academically. I still think the teacher was lovely and think the kids benefited greatly from being in school but if it's more of the same I don't see the point. I never used the word feckless but perhaps you could suggest a useful adjective that describes the service meted out during lockdown. Appreciate the sensible and measured words of the previous poster. I wrote to the minister etc. Not sure where to go now, this seems to be the only forum discussing what's going to happen. As it stands blended = disaster for my child and unemployment for me. The latest I've been hearing is half days but that's not guaranteed. So yes, why not have 50 teachers, the best teachers in Ireland do the teaching videos for primary if it is the same scenario, give the parents who will be teaching their children guidance and have that as a backup plan. This could all be done right now. For someone like me who worked a year unpaid setting up their company it's incredibly frustrating to see obvious issues and nothing been done about them. The excuses being exercised are very y disappointing and disheartening . At least if we know what is the plan parents like me can plan for the worst because that's all we can plan for. Why is that too much to ask?
