© Donal O' Mahony

LEARNING THROUGH COLLABORATION

SHARING EXPERIENCE AND BEST PRACTICE IN SCHOOL EDUCATION

Donal O’ MahonyPortmarnock Community School Dublin City University

© Donal O' Mahony

Teaching and learning

...is through relationships

...is through dialogue

...is enhanced through the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT)

© Donal O' Mahony

My research interests...

...the communicative, creative and collaborative nature of social software...

...the representational nature of social

software...

© Donal O' Mahony

Social Software

...encourages group collaboration

Discussion forums

Blogging

“...cognitive presence...”

© Donal O' Mahony

...online learning environments

© Donal O' Mahony

...blogging at school

© Donal O' Mahony

...blogging to support my studies...

© Donal O' Mahony

Comenius initiative

ICT for Collaborative, Project-Based, Teaching and Learning

Opportunity to meet teachers from Europe and learn some new skills

Further insights into collaboration

© Donal O' Mahony

St. Clare’s College, Malta

© Donal O' Mahony

31 teachers...

© Donal O' Mahony

...from Belgium, Ireland, Spain, Iceland, Italy, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, Romania

Primary, secondary and adult education, a few IT specialists, most general subject teachers, including learning support...

ICT abilities at various levels

Course Director – Emil Vassallo

© Donal O' Mahony

The technologies:

1. Photo Story Three2. Concept Mapping3. Monkey Jam (Animation Software) 4. PowerPoint for Special Educational Needs5. WordPress for blogging6. Wiki-spaces7. Audacity for podcasting8. Windows Movie Maker9. Prezi for flash based presentations 10. Comic Life11. Photosynth - stitches several digital photographs

of one image together

© Donal O' Mahony

Most are ‘free’ or bundled in Microsoft packages

Need practice by the teachers involved

Student friendly

Build into a teaching and learning plan

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Time...

... in Malta

...to practice individually

...to collaborate in groups

...to consider use in eTwinning - Angela Andersson, a consultant from the eTwinning National Support Service in Sweden gave a presentation along with Emil Vassallo.

© Donal O' Mahony

Time...

...is the greatest challenge in using ICT to sustain teaching and learning

...is a challenge across all projects

...whether eTwinning or Leaving Certificate History

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Projects

Keep them straightforward

Focus on teaching and learning

Find a technology that supports you

Find a teacher that thinks like you!

Use the resources available

© Donal O' Mahony

© Donal O' Mahony

Some advice

Greater training in the eTwinning Desktop

Some element of e-Moderation

a driver / digital-champion

© Donal O' Mahony

A challenge

Presumption that an online environment will imply dialogue and relationship

Presumption that teachers will easily enter a collaborative educational relationship online

Online dialogue can be difficult to achieve despite the fact that we are so connected...

© Donal O' Mahony

Thank you

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