INOTE IT Survey

Over recent weeks, members of the Irish National Organisation for Teachers of English (INOTE) have been filling in a form designed by SCC English on how they use technology. This is the first such survey of English teachers in Ireland, and here are some results prior to the annual conference in Kilkenny tomorrow:-

Question: 'For how long have you taught English?'

• Under 5 years: 16%
• 5 to 10 years: 27%
• 11 to 20 years: 35%
• Over 20 years: 22%

Question: 'How often do you use technology in teaching English?'

• Never: 5%
• Occasionally: 40%
• Frequently: 39%
• Constantly: 17%

Question: 'How important do you think technology is, in teaching English?'

• Unimportant/Peripheral: 5%
• Quite useful: 73%
• Vital/Central: 22%

Question: Which of these do you use in your classroom?
(multiple answers allowed, so % more than 100)

• Computer: 85%
• Digital Projector: 91%
• Interactive Whiteboard: 10%
• Smartphone: 5%
• None of the above: 5%

Do you use Google Docs?

• Yes: 29%
• No: 71%

Does your school use Google Apps?

• Yes: 19%
• No: 42%
• Not sure: 39%

Do you use Twitter?

• Yes: 13%
• No: 87%

Another post coming soon on the survey's comments about web and software use, recommended websites, and training needs.

INOTE IT Survey (Software and Web Use)

The first post today recorded some statistics from our online survey of English teachers in Ireland for the INOTE conference. Now here are some responses given to the question: What web tools and/or software do you use regularly and find helpful in your teaching? Here's an entirely disordered list, with several quotes:-

• Overhead projector is very useful. I often use visuals for poetry, for example or you may find the poem on you tube set to music and visuals. I also put the poem on the overhead and then write over it showing them important imagery or techniques used etc. Great for sample answers also, showing them how to structure their answers and so forth.
• SLSS
• Scoilnet
• Random searched sites
• YouTube (the most-mentioned tool)
• Microsoft Word (several times)
• Video websites
• Google (many times...)
• Very simple use of computers which project sites and information on screen.
• Playing DVDs on projector, using YouTube for clips, Powerpoint
• Active Inspire whiteboard and software
• Online adverts
• Wikipedia (a few times)
• Examinations.ie
• I just started using YouTube this year as it's available for the first time in our school. We just got computers and projectors installed in the classrooms!
• I don’t have a laptop.
• I use microsoft, emails etc on a desktop. Need to modernise
• I have the use of an i-pad in the Classroom. An excellent tool! Hundreds of apps for the classroom. All TY's use i-pads in our school.
• Shakespeare in Bits
• Powerpoint (several times)
• MS Publisher
• E-portal
• Wordpress
• Google Blogger, Microsoft Office, Keynote.
• Webtools: I don't really.
• Tarsia (puzzlemaker)
• Various websites for supplementary notes
• Digitised versions of books
• Edmodo
• Google images
• Unsure regarding 'web tools'
• Prezi
• Google for research
• Teaching English sites
• Wordprocessing notes.  DVD in the laptop.
• Just for research sometimes.  I use web more for History.
• Mediaconverter
• Email
• Music (online)
• Wordpress, Audacity for recording podcasts, YouTube, Edmodo (VLE).
• Powerpoint
• Promethean
• Powerpoint
• VLC Media Player
• RealPlayer
• Dreamweaver
• Skoool.ie
• Examinations.ie
• I use Powerpoint quite often and take images from Google Images. 
• Teachit.co.uk
• Flickr.com
• TV/DVD
• Google for posters for the Shakespearan plays over time to see what aspects of main chararacter are presented to an audience before they see the production.
• [continued - click Read More below]

INOTE IT Survey (Recommended Websites)

The third post today prior to the INOTE conference in Kilkenny tomorrow gathers together suggestions in response to our online survey question:- Are there any other websites you would recommend to other English teachers? Our own comprehensive list (constantly growing) is here. And now for other teachers' responses and recommendations:-

• YouTube (again, many times)
• Teachit.co.uk and the BBC site are both good, especially for interactive resources
• Dropbox for storage/back-up
• INOTE
• www.tes.co.uk
• www.slideshare.com
• Worksheet Library
• 'Don't know of any I'm afraid'
• Jstor for articles about poets etc
• www.sccenglish.ie (thanks!)
• TeachingEnglish.co.uk
• www.teachit.co.uk (many times - evidently many INOTE members)
• www.tes.co.uk (many times)
• www.scoilnet.ie (many times) 
• State Examinations Commission
• leavingcertenglish.net
• RTE- Podcasts/Live News/Realplayer 
• BBC 
• Sky News 
• Newspapers online
• CBI
• Not enough knowledge.
• skoool.ie (many times)
• bookrags.com 
• discoveryschool.com 
• sparknotes.com- for modern translations of Shakespeare- can be useful for TY and 1st year - re making Shakespeare more accessible
• not in Ireland
• www.independent.ie, Irish Times online
• I'm not familiar with any.
• None but I would love to find out more about using the web
• www.leavingcertenglish.net 
• www.brightsparks.com
• www.englishcompanion.com, 
• Twitter for Monday edchatie from 8.30 - 9.30pm
• BBC bitesize (several times)
• Webenglish teacher
• bbc.co.uk for background history on trenches (virtual tour) -useful for war poetry & literature associated with WW1
• teachingenglish.co.uk 
• EC Ning 
• Schmoop
• www.hotpotatoes.com
• SESS have great links to interactive projects etc, suitable for weaker students as well, and the TESS website was useful. Lyrics.com for poetry/song modules - I used the lyrics of "Strange Fruit" in class and it was great to be able to actually show them the background to the lyric, including photos.
• prezi.com
• Obviously, BBC and Channel 4
• exam-it.ie 
• www.wondrousworksheets.com 
• www.abcteach.com 
• www.k12lessonplans.com 
• www.softschools.com 
• http://shakespeare.mit.edu/ 
• www.plan-edresources.org 
• www.topmark.co.uk 
• www.slideshare.com
• www.just4englishteachers.com 
• www.worldofteaching.com 
• www.teachersparadise.com 
• www.myvocabulary.com 
• www.eslprintables.com 
• poemfinder.com
• Have been teaching for over ten years now, and teaching English for the first time in the last few years so would love to know the most recommended sites. 
• superteacherworksheets.com 
• Bookrags
• www.nofearshakespeare.ie
• Depending on which comparative texts you use there are extracts from film versions of novels on Youtube, sometimes an entire play, like Antigone - Ed Friedlander has an interesting Shakespeare site-why not enliven Lies of Silence by listening to Ian Paisley doing a fire and brimstone sermon (YouTube) and then go to Google images to look at the famous political murals of Northern Ireland.

INOTE IT survey (training needs)

The fourth post today from our survey of English teachers in Ireland. This one quotes responses to the question What areas of technology would you like training in?

• Interactive whiteboard (useful when I actually get one!)
• How to incorporate simple IT into my teaching of English.
• Just recently appointed Principal - ITC has been designated one of our priorities so any practical help on making ITC accessible and easily used in English classes would help. ITC needs to be part of daily teaching plans not the novelty item!
• Would like more on Google Docs and Apps
• Using i-pads, lists of useful web-sites, Moodle.
• Computers!
• I would really, really like to upskill in this area. I believe technology will be more important in the classroom going forward and I'm not that skilled. Looking forward to the presentation in Kilkenny.
• Presentations, animations, useful websites for english
• All and any!
• Not sure, but keen to hear about others.
• Anything that's going.
• Use of visualiser & other such equipment.
• Everything. I am a technophobe!
• I find that practice and experimentation are the best way to hone my technology skills, as, at 56, I don't feel that I'm as 'receptive' to learning all of these new skills as readily as some of my younger colleagues!  We had some very useful in-service in May as part of our Croke Park hours. What I need to do is to work on what we learned there, to master and perfect those skills.  Colleagues in my school are wonderful in terms of helping and teaching each other, as we slowly adapt our teaching methodologies to the new era.  Such 'gradual' learning suits me!  Interestingly, I asked my 6th year Higher Level students today if they would like me to use the Data Projector/Powerpoint presentation, in conjunction with my handout for teaching 'Literary Genre'  and they said no.  They preferred me to use the whiteboard + marker with the handouts, teaching in my traditional way!!!!
• Using laptop and screen to present and to engage pupils in texts and debate, etc. 
• Moodle, Visualisers, Educational apps.
• Any training would be great apart from the very basics! 
• Interactive whiteboards (many times).
• Using technology in a more interactive way for students.
• Day to day stuff - to make English more interactive - update skills
• Audacity - interactive whiteboards - recording/filming students doing recitals/presentations
• Use of interactive whiteboard (and to have one!!)
• Basics
• Downloading YouTube clips
• Loading notes/lessons onto the Internet 
• Interactive whiteboard & useful websites for english
• I don't tend to use technology in my English class other than showing a DVD on the projector screen, so I'd be interested in any ideas about how to use it.  Ideas need to be easy to prepare and to implement as I'm not an expert in using technology. One of the main reasons I don't use technology often is that I'm not confident I'll be able to fix a problem if something goes wrong, so some trouble-shooting ideas would also be good.
• Using laptop and data projector as an interactive resource in class instead of writing on white bard
• Using more technology in the English classroom in general
• How to safely and accurately download material from the net. 
• Information on available software & how to help students  make and upload their own videos
• Interactive white board (just very unsure about it)
• Troubleshooting when problems occur and I end up completely stuck. That's when I end up resorting to chalk and talk - sad but true. 
• Using interactive resources such as Moodle
• All areas
• Blogging with Blogger and/or Wordpress - Ways to self-publish one's own notes - Moodle
• Probably all of them - particularly the areas I have not even heard of!!
• Whatever areas will enhance the teaching/learning experience of English in my classrooms
• Using social media - could I use Twitter - How do I set up a blog?
• Powerpoint and YouTube
• Google apps and the various brilliant but confusing apps I see on SCC English!
• All of it!
• Scanning machine you can scan a picture into and then present to class via pc tv screen.
• Further expansion on IT in classroom - Collaborative projects for inter-school work
• Google docs / Google apps / Prezi
• (click Read More below for further responses)

TY Extended Essay Book Recommendations

Transition Year pupils should now start filling in this form (over the next 7 days), writing a paragraph or two recommending the Extended Essay book you have read or are reading. Link also on the top right column.

Come to our Open Day!

On Saturday next, October 1st, we at St Columba's have our annual Open Day, from 10am to 1pm.  All the things we and our colleagues over at the Frog Blog wrote last year apply again, so here they are again...

 

This is a genuinely open invitation. Just turn up and you will get a tour of the College facilities, led by senior pupils, and be able to meet teachers and current parents. Our website has a huge amount of detail about the school for your interest, and you can learn there about the very high academic standards (including recent exam results) and the excellent extra-curricular life.

 

However, we thought we'd get together with our colleagues at  the science Frog Blog and write a joint post on what we offer as English and Science Departments to our pupils. Both Departments, as can be seen from our blogs, are forward-looking, enthusiastic and technically-innovative. 

Here are some reasons to come to St Columba's from the perspectives of the Science and English teachers:-

English

• You'll become part of a reading culture. However technically-aware we are, real old-fashioned books are the core of what we do. Reading isn't a 'strange' activity here. Everyone does it. And you'll be able to write about the books you enjoy on the blog, too. 
• You'll also become part of a publishing culture. SCC English posts a huge amount of writing every year, and every two years publishes a book of the best writing (yes, that's a real book).  There’s also the Second Bell magazine, written by pupils each term, and also the excellent Library magazine The Submarine (full of good pupil and staff writing).
• Poetry is everywhere too- the Poetry Aloud competition, Teaching English national poetry competition, the annual poetry prizes, the Poems of the Week, and the Voices of Poetry evening.
• We have a brilliant Library, with over 11,000 books and a professional Librarian. It's a beautiful space, perfect for reading, with a superb fiction selection.
• Our Transition Year Programme will really stretch you. You'll write a 3000+ word literary essay, believe it or not, and develop your writing in this crucial year.
• You'll be able to see lots of good theatre productions in Dublin, including Shakespeare through our Shakespeare Society (The Comedy of Errors is on this November, and indeed there will be rehearsals on show during the Open Day)
• There's an amazing amount of drama taking part in the school, with plenty of involvement from English teachers and others. Within weeks of coming, you'll have a chance to audition for a part, whatever age you are.
• If you have problems with literacy or learning, you’ll be well looked-after by our Learning Support Department, which works closely with English teachers.
• Your learning will be supported by podcasts, especially as you come up to exam time.
• There's lots more – just surf around SCC English and find out for yourself.

Science

• You'll become enthusiastic about science and nature and be encouraged to explore, ask questions, investigate and experiment - not just remember facts and regurgitate them in exams (we believe exam success will come naturally through an inherent interest in the complexities of the natural world and a willingness to explore these complexities).
• You'll learn how science really works, see the simplicity of the scientific method and use it in the learning process.
• You'll spend your time learning about science in our purpose-built Science Building - complete with four dedicated laboratories, wireless internet access, computers, interactive whiteboards, an extensive DVD library, live (and dead) specimens and other resources.
• You'll get access to our Science Department Website, with weblinks, fully downloadable teacher notes, exam archive material and more. 
• We'll also ask you to contribute to the Frog Blog, our frequently updated blog and our principal means of promoting science within the school, encouraging you to become part of St. Columba's publishing culture.
• In Transition Year you'll be challenged to explore science beyond the confines of the Junior or Leaving Certificate syllabi, kept up to date with science news and be asked to produce projects on topics that interest you. Transition Year pupils also undertake an Astronomy Module, where the wonders of the solar system and universe are explored.
• You can take part in our Science, Chemistry, Physics, Biology and Agricultural Science prizes - our annual science competitions for pupils. These competitions vary in their format but encourage exploration, investigation and self directed learning.
• You'll explore science beyond the boundaries of the schools gates with science field trips both nationally and internationally. As well as the annual Form I science trip to Northern Ireland and the Form V Biology trip to the Burren, members of all forms will visit science attractions like the Natural History Museum, the Science Gallery, the Bodies Exhibition, the Wax Museum and Dublin Zoo. Recently, the Science Department organised a cross-curricular trip to London and visited all the science attractions there (Natural History Museum, Science Museum and the Darwin Centre)
• You'll gain access to our brilliant Library's extensive and ever increasing collection of science-related books and magazines and you'll be encouraged read and review them!
• You'll be taught by enthusiastic, experienced, dedicated, professional and (mildly) entertaining science teachers, many of whom are involved with in-service teacher training and leaving cert exam marking. We aim to make science interesting but also fun!
• There’s loads more, so please visit our Science Department Website, the Science Department Page on the St. Columba's website and explore the archives of our Frog Blog to find out more!

The Comedy of Errors cast

Auditions are complete, and rehearsals have now started for the 2011 Senior Play, the Shakespeare Society's The Comedy of Errors.

Below, the cast (as some may notice, one of two genders have switched...)

Solina, ruler of Ephesus : Kezia Wright

Egeon, merchant of Syracuse : Patrick Tice

Antipholus, a merchant of Syracuse : Zach Stephenson                                 

Antipholus, a merchant of Ephesus : Robin Fitzpatrick

Dromio of Syracuse, a servant : William Maire                                       

Dromio of Ephesus, a servant : Hamish Law                                         

Balthasar, a merchant of Ephesus : Eamonn McKee

Angela, a goldsmith : Jasmine Blenkins O’Callaghan

A merchant, friend to Antipholus of Syracuse: Leonhard Dihlmann                            

Another merchant : Seyive Hotonu

Doctor Pinch, a schoolmaster-conjurer : Richard Matuschka

Emilia, an Abbess : Aoise Keogan-Nooshabadi

Adriana, wife of Antipholus of Ephesus : Opeline Kellett                                

Luciana, her sister : Bella Purcell                                 

Luce, a kitchen maid : Katie Cogan

Courtesan :  Rachel Rogers

Officer : Konstantin Behr

Voiceovers : Catie McGonagle

'Jane Eyre'

Tonight, all Transition Year are going to the new film version of Charlotte Bronte's novel, Jane Eyre. Below, the official trailer.

The Comedy of Errors

The St Columba's Shakespeare Society has produced many fine versions of the play over the years, including The Merchant of Venice, As You Like It, A Midsummer Night's Dream and Twelfth Night (twice, including the most recent production in 2006). 

Now, the Society returns to the fray with its second production of one of Shakespeare's earliest plays, The Comedy of Errors. A brilliant tale of two identical twins, it also has some interesting deeper qualities beyond the obvious farcical elements. The final audition is tonight, and rehearsals start tomorrow for its mid-November showing. Lots more here over the next couple of months.

TY Extended Essay choices

IV form should complete this form by Friday (also on the link at the top right), indicating their final reading choices for the Extended Essays.

A Poem a Day

Check out our Twitter feed: the aim is to tweet one great poem (the complete list here) a day during this school year. First three: Elizabeth Bishop, Philip Larkin, John Keats. More from Monday onwards. Suggestions are welcome via @sccenglish.

Junior Certificate results 2011

Well done to our candidates in the Junior Certificate this year, who received their results today and are now on a trip out to celebrate. An analysis will appear of the overall College results on the website in due course. In English, 95% of our candidates took the exam at Higher Level, and 73% gained an A, B or C.

Transition Year Extended Essays, 2011

IV formers should click here for the advice sheet on selecting books for your Extended Essays. This document is evolving, as different teachers amend and add to it.  The most important message is: choose books and a topic you are genuinely interested in. 

You have this week to decide on your three (or more) books. You should definitely go to the Library and wander around the shelves, and another good option is to go to Amazon for ideas and connections.

Transition Year Course, 2011-12

Transition Year have just started on their new course, first of all searching for topics and books for their Extended Essays. Click here for the full details of the course. In the coming weeks, there will be much here about this reading and these essays (culminating in publishing some of the best pieces in December/January).  

They will also shortly be studying topics such as Anglo-Saxon and W.B. Yeats, as well as investigating images in poetry and working on creative writing. Their first literary text, in October, will be Twelfth Night (we are aiming this year for an innovative and exciting approach to this text). Other literary texts include To Kill a Mockingbird and A Streetcar Named Desire.

Start of Term

The school year 2011-12 starts today, with new pupils arriving this afternoon, and classes getting underway tomorrow.

This will be our sixth academic year blogging (click here for the very first post, on July 2nd 2006). There will be lots of the usual stuff connected with English, including pupils' writing. We also have some more audio plans, and later on in the year our third book will be published (with different material than the first two).

Back shortly.

Summer Reading via Audioboo

If you haven't previously seen our annual summer reading list of 22 excellent books, here's a short audioboo introduction. Listen via the player below. Click here for the original list.

Leaving Certificate results, 2011

Congratulations to our candidates in this year's Leaving Certificate, who maintained the very high standards of their recent predecessors by achieving an average points total of 448 across all candidates and all subjects.

In English,

• 91% of our candidates took the exam at Higher Level (nationally, 63%) :-
• 3.6% of all our candidates achieved an A at Higher Level (nationally, 6.5% of all candidates achieve this).
• 14.5% achieved a B (nationally, 17% of all candidates).
• 49% achieved a C (nationally, 24% of all candidates).

Congratulations also to our Ordinary Level candidates (two As, three Bs).

 

See previous results by clicking on the years for 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010.

Summer Reading 2: Howards End is on the Landing

Susan Hill's Howards End is on the Landing is sub-titled 'A Year of Reading from Home'. Prompted by realising that she wanted to 'repossess' her books, both read and unread, she has written a memoir of a year's reading. With formidable discipline for a writer and reader she restrained herself from buying new books for twelve whole months, and concentrated on discovering or re-discovering the books in her rural English home. 

This book is the story of that year, but also the story of her house and indeed her past. It's a great summer read, and you're certain to find at least one or two books you will want to discover for yourself. The tone is personal, passionate, rather rambling, occasionally entertainingly cantakerous. Among her strongest enthusiasms are Frances Kilvert, W.G. Sebald and Penelope Fitzgerald. On the other hand, she's not exactly keen on Jane Austen.

Finally, for those of us anxious that we don't have enough time to read everything (especially new books), her thoughts on 'deeply satisfying' Slow Reading are consoling. Ironically, it's difficult to read her own book slowly...