Webwise, the Irish Internet Safety Awareness Centre, is delighted to share details of a suite of new resources for Primary and Post Primary Teachers and links to its recent evening webinars series. Below, please see an outline of new resources available:- 

New Online Course for Post-Primary Teachers: What is Digital Citizenship and How to Teach it

The aim of this course is to provide teachers with the knowledge, resources and confidence to teach digital citizenship and to empower their students to be safe, ethical and responsible online. Drawing on relevant online safety resources and activities from Webwise, participants will explore what it means to be a good digital citizen and identify opportunities for the teaching and learning of one or more of the 10 domains of digital citizenship in their specific subjects. Topics explored include online wellbeing, news and information literacy, privacy, communication, ethics, empathy and more. The course contains new good practice videos filmed in three post primary schools and makes specific links to SPHE, CSPE and the Digital Media Literacy short course.
https://teachercpd.ie/enrol/index.php?id=682

Webwise Teachers Evening Webinar Series

Webwise have just completed a series of evening webinars for teachers. If you missed the webinars, recordings are available. The Webwise Teacher Series aims to provide helpful information, advice, guidance and resources to assist the introduction of online safety into the classroom. The series was supported by experts in the area of digital technology, SPHE, Academics and legal experts. The webinars explored the recently enacted Coco's Law, addressing cyberbullying in school, media and information literacy and introducing online safety to young children.

Links to webinars:

• News and information literacy: https://www.webwise.ie/trending/webinar-media-and-information-literacy-and-the-problems-of-false-information/
• Cyberbullying (Post-Primary): https://www.webwise.ie/trending/respectful-online-communication-and-cyberbullying-post-primary-webwise-webinar/
• Coco's Law, image-sharing and consent: https://www.webwise.ie/trending/image-sharing-consent-and-cocos-law-webwise-webinar/

HTML Heroes - New resource for 1st and 2nd class
Webwise recently launched a new resource for teachers of 1st and 2nd class; HTML Heroes: Welcome to the Internet. The HTML Heroes Programme has been designed for teachers of 1st and 2nd class to introduce pupils to the first steps of accessing and using the internet in a safe and responsible manner. The resource has five lessons that can be explored separately or delivered as a whole unit. The lessons explore areas including using the internet safely, communicating online, playing and learning online, getting help and support. Through five short illustrated stories pupils will learn the basic skills for being safe and secure online, including why it is essential to STOP, THINK, CHECK when accessing the digital world. The five lessons in the resource provide opportunities to engage with digital technology and highlight the benefits and opportunities the internet brings while also equipping pupils with the skills to safely navigate the digital world. The resource can be accessed here: https://heroes.webwise.ie/

Understanding Coco's Law  - New SPHE Lesson
In response to the very welcome changes to legislation this year making the non-consensual sharing of intimate images an offence and the introduction of Coco's Law, Webwise have created a dedicated SPHE Lesson for teachers. Understanding the Harassment, Harmful Communication and Related Offences Act 2020 and the legal consequences of it for young people. This lesson is intended to be appropriate for the 3rd to 5th year demographic. Students will be able to recognise the key offences under the Harassment, Harmful Communication and Related Offences Act 2020. Students will understand that their online actions have consequences for both themselves and others and that they are accountable for their actions. Students will feel empowered to speak-up about online sexual harassment and know where to go for help if it occurs. https://www.webwise.ie/lockers/cocos-law-lesson/

The Full Picture Lesson
The Full Picture Lesson has been designed to assist and support teachers of SPHE when teaching their students about the influences and pressures young people may face while using social media, the impact on their self-esteem online and how to manage their online wellbeing. The aim is to encourage students to be mindful of the impact, both positive and negative, social media can have on how we feel and empower them with the resources and strategies to manage their own online wellbeing. https://www.webwise.ie/thefullpicture/

Safer Internet Day Scripted Presentations  
Free Safer Internet Day Presentations are available for Primary and Post-Primary level. These include Primary school presentations for use with 1st and 2nd class, 3rdand 4th class, and 5th and 6th class. The Post-Primary level presentation explore topics including News, Information and the Problems of False Information; Managing Your Online Wellbeing; Respectful Communication Online; Self-Esteem Online -- The Full Picture. The presentations, a full script/notes, and Take Home Activities can be downloaded below. https://www.webwise.ie/saferinternetday/sid-presentations/

Applications open for SID Ambassador Training Programme (Open to Post-Primary Students)

An important aspect of anti-bullying prevention, wellbeing and internet safety in schools is the active involvement of students in building a positive school climate.

As a part of our Safer Internet Day campaign, Webwise is reaching out to post-primary students and encouraging and supporting them to address internet safety issues such as cyberbullying, online wellbeing, false information online, privacy, data protection and your rights online by leading awareness-raising campaigns in their clubs, schools, and communities.

With the support of the Webwise Youth Advisory Panel, students will engage in 5 online training sessions to empower them to lead safer internet campaigns in their schools. The programme will take place over December and January in the lead up to Safer Internet Day, 8th February 2022.

Students can apply directly or teacher can nominate interested students: https://www.webwise.ie/trending/sid-ambassador-programme-open/

Good assessment practices are intrinsic to effective teaching and Learning. Before, during and after each class, teachers respond to the needs of their students and make decisions to guide and improve the learning process. This process requires an understanding of the fundamentals of classroom assessment.

Kildare Education Support Centre is delighted to collaborate with Dr. Zita Lysaght and Prof. Michael O’Leary from the Institute of Education at Dublin City University to provide a Professional Development Series on Classroom Assessment.

This series on Assessment is designed to explore the key principles and strategies that underpin good assessment practice.

Webinars

(Webinars – 1 hour followed by 15 minutes of Q & A)

1. Principles underpinning good assessment practices. https://bit.ly/3zMLelm

Tuesday 28th September 5-6.15pm 

2. Standardised testing: Key concepts informing appropriate use in schools. https://bit.ly/37oKVkV

Tuesday 26th October 5-6.15pm

3. Embedding formative assessment / Assessment for Learning (AfL) in the classroom. https://bit.ly/3falWWM

Tuesday 23rd November 5-6.15pm

4. Revisiting assessment issues arising from webinars 1-3 https://bit.ly/3leSqTs

Tuesday 7th December 5-6.15pm

Workshops

This webinar series will be followed in the spring of 2022 with Online workshops focusing on each of the four AfL strategies discussed in Webinar 3.

Details and booking links will be available in January 2022.

Spaces for workshops will be limited so early booking is advised.

What is Executive Functioning?

Executive Functioning is an umbrella term which refers to a person’s cognitive skills to concentrate, think flexibly, problem solve, have impulse control, and become distracted, be self-motivated and have emotional self-regulation. Developing a person’s EF skills is vital to ensuring they will become a productive member of not only our classroom but in society as a whole.

Children who struggle with Executive Function often find it difficult to follow instructions, concentrate on a task for a period of time, become distracted or emotional and can be impulsive.

Teachers report misbehaviours to be one of the most disruptive elements of teaching. These minor disruptions can have an impact on children’s learning. Research strongly suggests that developing children’s EF from an early age can support a child in many social situations they meet in a classroom, reducing the misbehaviours observed.

The development of EF can done in a fun, play-based way with any child. It can begin at any age both individually and as a group. EF is positive strategy that also reinforces a child’s own self-confidence and wellbeing.

Executive Functioning is one strategy that can be used to support the children in our care, whether at home or in school.

The research conducted by me over a short 4-week period highlighted that children found school more interesting and fun and the children themselves reported to have more friends in school. There was also an increase in the number of children who reported to work hard in school. Children’s wellbeing is of paramount importance and if these were the only findings, it would be a huge positive. However, after observing the children before and after the implementation of Executive Functioning activities I also found that the incidents of classroom misbehaviours were greatly reduced. The children were more capable of concentrating and less likely to be distracted by other things happening in the classroom. The children were more engaged in their learning.

Not only were their positives in the classroom but parents also reported to have thoroughly enjoyed the time spent on these activities in the home. Parents of older children reported to engage more with their children in play-based activities. When multiple children were in the home there was a tendency to allow them to play independently and although this has huge advantages it is also important to continue to engage with your child/children in a play based way to challenge and develop their Executive Functioning.

The information evolved from research conducted through the John Coolahan Research Fund awarded by the Teaching Council   More information and Resources available at:  Efstrategies 

Following our AGM (2020) on 16th June 2021, Please find below a link to the Annual Report for Kildare Education Support Centre.

https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:c4924174-4d7b-462e-a570-1c4c1b650beb 

We would like to thank our outgoing members Sr. Phil O'Shea and Patrick Whitlow for their dedication to and work for Kildare Education Support Centre.

We welcome Sarah Nevin and Charles Bobbett to the committee and we look forward to working with them to support the Professional Development needs of the school communities in our catchment area.

Dr. Siobhán Kavanagh

Director