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Austeja Tutkute, Aoife Spratt, Niamh Delaney and Louise Bergen pupils of Warrenmount Presntation Secondary School who do higher level maths course through the connected classroom initiative as part of the overall project. Marc O'Sullivan
Education
Column 'My school was unable to have a dedicated higher maths class, so I studied through video-link'
Through ‘Connected Classroom’ four students participated in higher-level maths classes through a video link-up with their sister school, Coláiste Bríde in Clondalkin.
I’VE ALWAYS HAD a flair for maths and science, and it’s always been my dream to study something maths-related in college. When I came into fifth year at Presentation Secondary School Warrenmount, I was determined to do higher-level maths and give it my best shot in the Leaving Certificate.
But I was one of only a few students in my year who wanted to study maths at higher level. Due to this low demand – and limited resources – the school was not able to have a dedicated higher-level maths class for my year.
Working with The Digital Hub, however, the school came up with a solution: they established a ‘Connected Classroom’, whereby myself and three classmates participated in higher-level maths classes through a video link-up with our sister school, Coláiste Bríde in Clondalkin.
Learning
This ‘Connected Classroom’ was part of a wider project underway at the school: the Schools Broadband Exemplar Project, which was developed by The Digital Hub with support from the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources.
Presentation Secondary School Warrenmount had been one of the first schools in the country to receive a 100 Mbps connection under the Government’s schools broadband scheme in 2009 but, until 2011, due to a lack of internal capacity and know-how, little had been done to maximise it.
In 2011, however, the principal Gwen Brennan began working with The Digital Hub – the school’s neighbours in Dublin 8 – to explore how high-speed broadband could enhance the school.
Over the next two years, all of us students at the school saw our learning environment slowly transformed. Our teachers starting using more technology in the classroom; we got a laptop trolley, so communal laptops could be brought around and used by students in different rooms; and we started using blogs, apps and other digital tools in our day-to-day work. Our lessons became more interactive; teachers began using external resources such as video, music and pictures. The curriculum at our school began to diversify.
The ‘Connected Classroom’ initiative was part of this Schools Broadband Exemplar Project. For me, it meant I could join a dedicated higher-level maths class and complete the higher-level course for my Leaving Cert.
Every day, for maths, myself and the other girls doing higher-level took ourselves to a separate classroom, set up the screen, laptop, and interactive white board, and joined in with Ms. Broderick’s maths class in Clondalkin.
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Lessons
In her room 10 kilometres away, Ms. Broderick used two screens – one for the lesson content and one for monitoring us – and her white board was connected to ours.
I’ve been asked countless times how strange it must have been to be communicating via video with an entirely different class but, honestly, it just became normal for us. We were never excluded from the class, and we felt as much a part of the class as if we were sitting in Clondalkin – if we looked away for a second or were caught talking, Ms. Broderick was straight on our case!
When we actually visited our classmates in Coláiste Bríde and had face to face maths lessons with them, who would have guessed how alien it would feel for us Warrenmount girls who were so used to sitting in front of a TV screen!
The maths teachers in Warrenmount were also hugely supportive of the initiative, and provided additional support for us in their own time.
Self-learning
In the first year of the “Connected Classroom” initiative, we occasionally had technical difficulties and sometimes it was problematic scheduling our classes to match with Coláiste Bríde’s timetable. A lot of responsibility was placed on us to self-learn, and I think this was hugely beneficial: Ms. Broderick would email the exercises and notes to us for the class, and it was entirely our responsibility to ensure we had them with us and were prepared for each class; we never had notes printed and handed out to us.
This, I think, was an excellent preparation for third-level, where all students have to be very independent and proactive.
Success
Studying for the Leaving Cert is always going to be a stressful time, and there were times when I asked myself why I was taking on this extra load. But, having come out the other end, I now see the benefits. I am proud to say I achieved a B3 in higher-level maths, and I have just started to study Science in Trinity College Dublin – a course I couldn’t have applied for if I didn’t have maths at higher level.
I’m a bit nervous about starting college and having to make new friends, but I know I have the ability to learn by myself and I see how technology can help. I won’t be depending on lecturers to spoon-feed me notes!
The Schools Broadband Exemplar Project has transformed Presentation Secondary School Warrenmount. It has helped the school improve learning outcomes and save money and, best of all, it has given students and teachers a new lease of life.
For people my age, we use technology all the time at home. We expect to see it used efficiently in a learning environment too, and that’s what this project was all about.
Avril Watson was one of the speakers at a showcase event to promote the findings of The Digital Hub’s Schools Broadband Exemplar Project. The project – developed by The Digital Hub with support from the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources – ran at Presentation Secondary School Warrenmount in Dublin’s south-west inner city over the past two years. Its aim was to pilot and test learning, teaching and management solutions made possible due to the school’s high-speed broadband connection.
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@Peter: Doesn’t matter who won, NZ will destroy SA in final and England if they won? Argentina game will be interesting though and their love of the English.
@Horsebox: exactly. I couldn’t understand why sexton kicked the ball to the line at least twice when the penalty kicks were kickable. We had our chances to win the match last week against NZ but didn’t take them and that is sport. Hopefully Ireland learn, regroup and take the lessons learnt and become a better team in the future
@Peter: better team of the two in the tournament, SA were wrecked after last week, England had fresh legs! Wonder how that happened. Nah, the better team overall got through.
@DJ D: this argument again? It’s really simple, don’t know why people keep bringing that up, they were down to 14 men at the time, it’s the logical decision, the outcome didn’t happen but statistically it does so if statistically it works against 14 men and is logical, what you’re suggesting is you go for the lesser points on offer. Oh you mean in hindsight it was something you couldn’t understand? In hindsight. Yes, must remember that one.
@Anna Carr (Morrigan_Dubh): but I’m not an armchair supporter! I’ve supported Irish Rugby all my life which is nearly 50 years so don’t make BS accusations!!! I know what I am talking about unlike you who just clicks a studid comment
@TheGood Feign: sometimes logic doesn’t come into it especially when you are playing a Team of NZ character. You take whatever scores that come your way! Simple!!!
@DJ D: England in fairness did that tonight ie penalties, a drop goal and also did the same against Argentina. My point is you do whatever beats your opponent
@DJ D: obviously England didn’t win but could have won the game which it was looking like towards 70 minutes even if they didn’t score any tries. SA thankfully prevailed which hopefully will make a better final against NZ. N H teams need to learn and hopefully when the next world cup comes around it is the 2 from Europe who ultimately in my view are the best 2 teams in the world who play in the final in Australia
@TheGood Feign: I don’t think the statistics stack up kicking to the corner, even against 14 men. He did it to try and mentally dominate SA but it failed
@DJ D: to be fair the argument of taking points vs going to the corner isn’t a particularly good one. Whatever choice one makes is wrong if the team end up losing. The perfect example was actually last weekend where you had two teams, both 4 points down going into the last 10 minutes. One team took the points on offer, the other tried to go to the corner. One team lost by 1 point and fans said they should’ve gone to the corner as the likelihood of getting a second chance in attack wasn’t in their favour. The other team went to the corner and lost by 4 points, with people claiming they should’ve taken points and tried then to get the chance for another penalty or drop goal. Whatever way you look at it at the end of the day there is no right answer unless you win.
@DJ D: I said armchair sportsmen not supporters. Those who know everything, but aren’t actually on the field. I also supported rugby from my mother’s lap, which is also over 50 years.
@Anna Carr (Morrigan_Dubh): you’re the EXPERT so I guess you’ll get a call from Andy Farrell any day now!!! Wow, how could he leave such an EXPERT out of the team is beyond me
@DJ D: yeah, great comeback to cover up a silly mistake. I’m not claiming to be an expert, because I’m not on the pitch. That Sir, is my point. Thanking you!!!!!
@Mick Duvanny: worked a lot of the time for both Ireland and Leinster (who also do this against 14 all the time). Show me these stats you’re referring to and I’ll believe you. You look at the points racked up against 14 men over 2022 and 2023 for Ireland and Leinster. Otherwise I’m afraid you’re not really talking about stats now are you?
@DJ D: haha no complaints from the armchair fans when it was working the past 2 years. Really. Logic came into it all through 2022 and 2023 for Ireland v 14 men, just look at that situation in previous games. Yes in hindsight you look like a genius saying this but if we’d lost and we had taken the points you’d be first on here saying why didn’t we go for the corner when we were against 14 men because we usually have success against that. We usually have success doing that statistically we usually score from that situation! Instead of focusing on Sextons kicks (because that logic was sound) the focus ought to be on how great NZ were, what if we’d got that try down but was held up huh?
Lovely to see the wheels of the Chariot fall off in Paris….
Here’s hoping Argentina help too next Friday evening and England leave empty handed again….. I couldn’t even listen to the English people at work with their “it’s coming home”
@Luka Roche: You won’t have to listen to ,,,,,,,,?? What about the likes of us that have to put with the likes of you with this, such predictable comment? If you haven’t got anything positive to show (apart from your clearly anti English feelings) then say nothing.
@Chris Thaunton: is this a rugger only page then, can only rugger types comment, not many of us could go through another 80 minutes of Farrell kicking the leather off the ball and serial boring renditions of Swing low sweet chariot.
@Luka Roche: The ‘Big Chip on the Shoulder’ brigade emerges, eh? A heroic performance from England. Pity Ireland didn’t perform with the same intensity after the flukey win againsy the Boks.
@P. V. Aglue: wow good point, didn’t think about that fiasco. Tortorous game even the players don’t want to play. It’s interesting World Rugby don’t want to pursue a Plate/Bowl off shoot run simultaneously, but persist with the farcical 3rd place run off. Just do like boxing and award both teams a bronze….and proceed with the Plate/Bowl
Thank Christ for that. England were brilliant in fairness but they are also still essentially terrible and the thought of them in the final would turn you off ever watching rugby again. Next match for Ireland and France is against each other in the stade France in the six nations, that is basically the third place match for this World Cup
I’m delighted. England didn’t belong in the semi final and south africa played badly. We beat them, and they’re in the final. Anyway, I’m thrilled with that result. Yay.
Irish rugby fans are every bit as difficult to listen to as English ones these days. Both would have been unbearable to listen to winning the World Cup. The final for the neutrals to all enjoy happened thank god.
Typical Engerland, fall at the first difficult hurdle. They always seem to get the easiest draws in football and rugby and when they beat the minnows all the troglodytes think that they are world beaters. It’s glorious to see them fail after all the hype that surrounds Engerlandish sport.
@Plastic Paddy: Well your name says it all…. It was an interesting match as a neutral, South Africa didn’t play good rugby at all …. And now, both finalists should make a great game of it..
@Blue Moon: All blacks and Ireland are by far the best teams,would have been a great World Cup if they were playing each other.
The draws unfortunately were just not in our favour,we were better than any other team bar the all blacks who had slight edge on us but not a lot…we actually could have been World Cup winners.
Sorry for England,good game but nothing as good as ours last week…
Last rwc England lost the final and refused to put on their medals, this time lost to sa again and started to push the sa team around, and they wonder why people don’t like them.
This was a boring game of rugby it was all kicking and scraping very little open play. But saying that England should have won they played their hearts out…
Whilst England were the better team for 75 mins, they never once looked like scoring a try. It’s that lack of ambition and final third attacking prowess that holds them back. The best teams always look to score with ball in hand.Surely New Zealand will have the fresher legs in the final. But will their setpiece hold up against the bomb squad. Intriguing!!
@EVAN MEADE: provincial bias in a world Cup that’s sad. I suppose Leinster will be happy to have signed Nienaber for next season but it’s a bit of a yawn fest to go on about it.
Reg Morrissey… because Farrell was afraid to upset sexton by taking him off.. could you imagine the toys he would have thrown out of the pram. heavens above the terrible twos.
Sexton mentally bottled it on the night and kicked for the corner
@hi from heaven: Correct …. He should have taken him off after 50 minutes. Whining Matt Williams would have Byrne on as he’s a better player than Crowley …. that man is clueless… no wonder Leinster got rid of him.
Personally, Eng had an easy route, but what was worse was the UK commentary, as only northern team and.. God they are shocked now the free counts were the difference bad game as the World Cup has gone
Fair play to rassie. His team were atrocious so he made wholesale substitutions.i never understood why,when teams are playing terribly that the coach doesn’t take off all the ones playing terribly. Make changes while you can and don’t complain when the game is lost.
Sexton bottled it and kicked for the corner…they were not always down to 14 when this decision was made,as above comment suggests( probably watched it in a pub and doesn’t remember), he kicked for corner in opening couple of minutes
England have cemented their place as the best team in the northern hemisphere. South Africa easily win the final. New Zealand aren’t a good outfit nowadays.
Anti English you’re having a laugh. It’s just a bit of banter between people/countries with a history of rivalry. You think the Scottish and Welsh people are not doing the same. Chill man
Terrible tournament not one single upset in the whole world cup, winner of each game could have been predicted well before the tournament started. SA must be laughing, most of their squad picking up handy money and coaching with European sides. The game should go back to being amateur
@Peter Byrne: so you called fiji beating Australia, Georgia drawing with Portugal and portugal beating Fiji? You must be a very wealthy boy with that sort of foresight
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