Post-Primary Schools: Activity 1

Post-Primary Schools

Activity 1: An email project focussing on Languages

Target Group: First / Second Year Students

Prepare communications with corresponding students in the paired school in a language other than English upon an agreed theme or topics. Objectives:

Technology Implementation

To familiarise the class teachers with the use of email as a teaching tool.

To familiarise students with email as a means of communication with others

Curriculum Implementation

The develop their vocabulary and language skills generally
To enable children to prepare short reports in a language other than English,
To enable students to edit and critically evaluate the content and to communicate it with others.
To develop critical skills in evaluating the received material.
To encourage students to research topics of general interest and to collaborate with their peers in producing their reports.
To enable children to contrast their own experiences and views with those of pupils in a different class/school.

Resource Development

To document the benefits of the activity

To document any difficulties that arose during the activity

To share any worksheets or other materials that were useful

To provide suggestions to other teachers for managing the activity effectively

School-based IT-Co-ordinators' Role

To select a suitable first year class to participate in the activity (a teacher who has not used email before might be invited to participate)
To liaise with twin school on selection of topic and time span of the project
To assist with any technical problems that arise with using email etc.
To encourage other teachers of first year students to try out the activity.
To assist with the completion of an activity evaluation sheet and to return same to the project co-ordinator

Class Teacher's Role

To assist pupils in preparing their reports. This should entail assignment of trial exercises on similar themes to those agreed upon with the paired school.

To divide the class into teams, select a team leader to co-ordinate the reports from their team. It is envisaged that each member will produce his or her own report. Selected reports from each team will then be communicated to the partner school.

To encourage each student to critically evaluate their own report in the light of those they have received from the partner school.

To ensure that each student completes the personal activity evaluation sheet.

To complete the teacher's activity evaluation sheet.

Activity 1 Evaluation Form

What language did you choose for this activity? ______________________________
At what level will your class take the JC in this subject? Higher __ Ordinary ___ Foundation ____
What theme was selected for the activity? _______________________________________________
How many pupils in your class prepared and presented reports on this topic in preparation for the email activity?

Boys ________ Girls _______

How many pupils in your class emailed their reports to the partner school?

Boys ________ Girls _______

Please indicate your view on the extent to which pupils in your class, using the following scale achieved the following objectives:

1 (strongly agree), 2 (agree), 3 (disagree), 4 (strongly disagree)

Level of Agreement (see above)	Objective
	Improved the student's vocabulary and language skills generally
	Increased student's ability to prepare short reports in a language other than English,
	Increased student's ability to edit and critically evaluate the content of their material.
	Developed student's critical skills in evaluating the received material.
	Encouraged students to research topics of general interest and to collaborate with their peers in producing their reports.
	Increased pupils' understanding of some of the qualities of an effective report.
	Increased own (teacher's) understanding of the operation of technology.
	Increased own understanding of the potential of email to develop communication skills

Please list any other benefits for you or your pupils that arose from this activity:

Please list any technical difficulties that arose in implementing this activity:

Please list any other difficulties that arose in implementing this activity:

How could this activity be modified and/or improved to achieve the pupil objectives more effectively?

How often would you use computers in your teaching?

Almost every day
Once or twice a week
Once or twice a month
Hardly ever/never

Would you use email activities with your classes again? Yes___ No ___

Comments

Please attach any resources you used in conducting this activity and return the evaluation to the IT co-ordinator in your school.