Gaeilge
The 2023 Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) seminar for Further Education and Training (FET) staff has successfully concluded on 31 May.
Taking place over three days, from Monday 29 – Wednesday 31 May, it saw 120 FET staff attend three events, one of which was held in person and the other two were held online to maximise attendance.
At the first event, held in the Radisson Blu Hotel in Letterkenny, Dr Keith Quille spoke to staff about the use of A.I. in the classroom and how they might adapt to embrace it. Keith is a Senior Lecturer of computing in the School of Science, Department of Computing at TU Dublin. His primary area of research is in Computer Science Education (with an emphasis on inclusion) which spans third, second and primary levels.
He highlighted how “Current AI, like ChatGPT, has facilitated a faster change in the use of technology than we have ever seen before (such as search engines), however, it is not all negative. While this pace of change does exacerbate some challenges, it also presents opportunities that we have never had before in education, for students, students with additional educational needs and teachers, why not embrace the opportunities it provides?”
Two further events took place online. On Tuesday 30 May, Trevor Boland Assistive Technologist with DCU presented a webinar on Assistive Technology which staff can use in their classrooms and workshops, while on Wednesday 31 May, Donegal ETB’s Head of IT Ciaran Cunningham presented a webinar on Cyber Awareness.
Speaking about the week of events, Donegal ETB’s Director of Further Education and Training Ciaran O’Brien said, “Technology Enhanced Learning has become so important to the delivery of FET provision and will become increasingly integral to the future of FET delivery in responding to key skills and industry needs. It is heartening to see so many of our tuition staff attend the different workshops this week aiming to grow and expand their own skill set in order to provide the best learning environment for our students. It’s another great example of the drive and commitment of the Donegal ETB team.”
This, now annual, seminar was organised by Treasa McGinley, Technology Enhanced Learning and Professional Development Coordinator for Donegal ETB’s FET Service. You can watch the online sessions here.
