Author Archive: Margaret Deane
IT Infrastructure advice and an IT Roadmap for future Expenditure
If you are considering any ICT equipment upgrade or purchases we can help you. We do not sell any IT hardware so our IT engineer can provide you with independent advice and a written report on your existing ICT systems and a roadmap for essential expenditure in future years. Our service includes help with specifications, procurement, and we can also supervise suppliers to deliver their services if required.
Keep in mind that your Microsoft 365 service can be further developed to replace almost all your local server functions (a fact that your IT support company may not tell you) and therefore you should not be investing major sums of money in replacing servers anymore.
Using Microsoft 365 "Intune" service you can also manage all school desktops, Laptops, Tablets,(including iPads and Chromebooks) for all updates, approved software and security. Maximising the use of Cloud services in schools, reduces management responsibilities for IT, keeps users safe, saves money and is more reliable then local server dependent services.
For further information and a free online consultation about your IT plans call Larry Carolan at (087) 277 5777 or email lcarolan@taralearning.ie.
If there is anything else you think we could help you with please let us know.
Taking your use of Microsoft TEAMS to the next level
It is a testament to the hard work of all staff that most teachers were able to use Teams in their online teaching, and while this can be effective for the teachers, Microsoft Teams does not provide any information for school management on student progress. However, there is now a solution to that issue with the Schoolwise platform which has been adapted and aligned to work entirely within Microsoft Teams. The Schoolwise Teams App combines assessment, academic tracking, learner support, and curriculum planning all in one place inside Teams, and provides school leaders and other essential services access to critical information on student progress, directly from your Teams environment. Having assessed the potential benefits of Schoolwise to meet the needs of schools and in order to take Microsoft Teams to the next level, we have partnered with Schoolwise to provide a full planning and training service for the Schoolwise platform. For more information and a free consultation on Schoolwise and how it might benefit your school contact Richard Galvin rgalvin@taralearning.ie (087 709 0889)
Training and Coaching for Digital Learning
Now that we have all experienced the reality of the online school in an emergency situation, the Department of Education has recently issued Circular 0074/20 which outlines what will be expected from schools in the event of further closures. In the light of the requirements in this Circular we are available to help with planning and training ( future planning days or Croke Park Hours included). We can work with various groups of staff including: Leaders, Admin staff, SNAs and Teachers. To discuss this further contact Rose Lawlor at rlawlor@taralearning.ie
Circular 0074/2020
COMMUNICATION/TEACHING & LEARNING PLATFORM
- Circular 74/2020
The recent DE Circular 0074/2020 requires all schools in the country to immediately have a Communication and Teaching/Learning Platform in place. The creation and/or consolidation and development of such a Digital Platform is both an absolute necessity as a contingency measure in the event of a full or partial closure due to Public Health advice linked to COVID-19, as well as being a crucial support tool for communication, teaching, learning and assessment in a ‘face-to-face’ teaching and learning situation.
We can offer advice, support and provide training in the following areas:
Digital Learning Planning, Review and Digital Leadership
“Schools should incorporate planning for remote learning into their Digital Planning to build capacity for delivery of teaching and learning which will also facilitate provision in the context of remote learning if required” (Circular 74/2020)
Our team can help your school reflect and learn from your previous experiences during the last school lockdown and help you integrate your plan for Remote Learning into your overall Digital Learning Plan. We can help you develop your Professional Development Plan for Staff which will integrate the digital skillsets needed for remote teaching, as well as strategies for using digital technologies in Blended and ‘in-person’ teaching scenarios.
Digital Skills Training for Teaching & Learning
“Whatever communication /teaching & learning platform is chosen by the school it is important that whole-school up-skilling on its usage is in place…the development of digital skills of all teachers, to enable curriculum delivery by a variety of means including the use of technology in education, has to be a priority for schools” (Circular 74/2020)
Tara 365 can create a bespoke digital training solution which supports and develops the digital skillsets and pedagogies among staff members, and which will be matched to whatever Digital Learning Platform you decide to use.
Communication
“Ongoing effective communication with parents and pupils/students to successfully adapt to a remote learning model”. (Circular 74/2020)
Our team can help you perform a communications audit among stakeholders in your school and explore how your chosen Learning Platform might be optimized to facilitate effective two-way communication between all school partners. This audit and platform optimization could also be developed as a part of your School Self-Evaluation process.
Managed IT Support & Advice
“Managing in-school and remote learning environments and necessary technologies (school timetable, access to devices, broadband provision, learning platform, digital tools/resources) …access to technology in the school and home is key to engagement with remote learning where the approach adopted includes digital technology and resources”. (Circular 74/2020)
Tara 365 Learning can advise and support your school on how to plan and manage your IT infrastructure, hardware and software so that your systems are ready to work remotely and, in the school, as per circular. Did you know that all your School Desktop Computers. Laptops, Tablets including iPads and mobile phones can be managed from your Microsoft 365 Cloud. We are helping schools around the country reduce their hardware (no more servers) and IT maintenance (Microsoft 365 Cloud manages all security, anti-virus, and software updates from the cloud. Modern desktop managed in the cloud (Azure AD and Intune) and Mobile device management (MDM) where all devices are managed exclusively in the cloud allowing staff and students access to all data from home or in school. Application deployment, single sign on, Email, OneDrive, SharePoint, Teams and device security all available remotely.
Click on this link to book your FREE 30-minute consultation,
or visit our website www.taralearning.ie or Telephone 01 4408795
Tara 365 Learning can offer support, advice and training to your school as you adapt and develop your existing Learning Platform to conform with the requirements of Circular 0074/2020. We can help you create and develop your Learning Platform using Microsoft 356 and Teams, Google’s G Suite for Education or SchoolWise. We can also offer advice and provide training on how to best use other combinations of digital tools and apps which may make up your existing ‘Learning Platform’, for example using Zoom as a conferencing tool or Class Dojo and Seesaw as communications platforms. For any Digital Platform, digital tools or apps, our starting point is always from an educational perspective - our focus is on how digital technologies support and add value (or not!) to an appropriate pedagogy underpinning any teaching and learning situation in an Irish school and classroom.