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I completely agree with you Una. Barnardos provide an outstanding and invaluable service to schools when it comes to raising awareness about internet safety. We also invited them to our school and the impact their talk had on our senior classes was really striking. Like you mentioned, many of our pupils were surprised at how little they actually knew about the risks involved in sharing content online and how easily information can spread.
One aspect we found especially helpful is that, on request, Barnardos can provide a facilitator who delivers the session entirely through Irish. This was really important for us as a Gaelscoil, and it ensured the message was delivered in a way that resonated more deeply with our pupils.
Considering the minimal cost involved, I would highly recommend their workshops to any school. They are professional, engaging, and deliver an age-appropriate message that stays with the children long after the session ends.
Reply Post: Promoting Digital Citizenship with ‘MySelfie & the Wider World’ and Other Webwise Resources
One of the most valuable resources I have used to promote digital citizenship in our school, Gaelscoil Raifteirí, is the MySelfie & the Wider World programme, developed by Webwise. This resource is especially suitable for pupils in 5th and 6th class, as it explores crucial aspects of online behaviour, identity, peer pressure, privacy, and digital footprint—all through age-appropriate videos and engaging discussion prompts.
In our school setting, we integrate MySelfie & the Wider World into our SPHE and Wellbeing curriculum during term 2, aligning it with our SSE focus and Digital Learning Plan. Pupils watch the short video scenarios and then participate in circle-time discussions, group tasks, and reflection activities. They are encouraged to think about how they present themselves online, the influence of social media, and how to stay respectful and safe in digital spaces. The downloadable Webwise SHARE Checklist further helps reinforce responsible sharing habits.
For younger pupils (1st–4th), we complement this with the HTML Heroes programme. Its animated stories, quizzes, and interactive whiteboard activities provide an excellent foundation in online respect, passwords, and the importance of telling a trusted adult. Junior pupils also benefit from Jessie & Friends and Digiduck—simple story-based resources that help them identify online risks and make safe choices in a developmentally appropriate way.
Using these Webwise resources as part of our whole-school approach to Safer Internet Day and ongoing digital learning has helped us foster a respectful, informed, and safety-conscious school culture. They also support our work in developing and updating our Acceptable Use and Bí CInealta Policies and enable us to meet the learner outcomes outlined in the Digital Strategy for Schools to 2027. Overall, these tools empower our pupils to become responsible digital citizens both within and beyond the classroom.
One way I envisage the use of AI is in creating a monthly school newsletter using Canva. It’s a go-to tool for pulling everything together — updates, achievements, upcoming events — and presenting it all in a clear, professional, and engaging way. Because we’re a Gaelscoil, I also envisage using ChatGPT alongside Canva to help translate passages into Irish quickly and accurately. This should make the process a lot more manageable, especially when juggling a busy schedule.
Using the RASE framework will help me to think more intentionally about how I combine these tools in my work.
R – Role
As a school leader in a Gaelscoil, part of my role is to maintain high-quality communication with staff, parents, and the wider school community — trí mheán na Gaeilge. The newsletter is a key piece of that communication. Canva will help me design and format it beautifully, and ChatGPT will support me with Irish-language translations when needed.A – Ask
My main “ask” is to create a bilingual newsletter that is visually appealing, easy to read, and quick to produce. I anticipate using Canva to help with layout, headlines, and visuals, and ChatGPT for tasks like:“Translate this school update into accurate, natural Irish.”
“Suggest a short Irish phrase for a heading about student achievements.”
“Reword this English paragraph into Gaeilge suitable for parents.”
S – Specific
I will try to be really specific with both tools to get the best results. Examples of prompts may include:
To Canva:“Design a section header for ‘Imeachtaí na Míosa’ with a bold, playful font.”
“Choose a layout that separates English and Irish text side by side.”
To ChatGPT:“Translate: ‘We had a fantastic school tour last week – thanks to all who helped!’ into fluent Irish for a school newsletter.”
“Give me an Irish version of: ‘Upcoming Events’.”
E– Experiment
Both Canva and ChatGPT will allow me to experiment freely and find what works best. I aim to try out different:Layouts (e.g. bilingual sections, themed colours)
Formats (e.g. image-based event recaps vs text blurbs)
Language styles (e.g. formal Irish for school announcements vs more relaxed tones for class news)
I might also experiment with ChatGPT for things like slogan ideas, Gaeilge captions, or creative headings. In short, I believe using Canva and ChatGPT together will make a big difference in how I manage communication in a Gaelscoil setting. It should save time, ensure accuracy in Irish, and allow me to keep the newsletter engaging, clear, and reflective of our school’s bilingual identity.My understanding of constructivism and its value in our school’s digital vision
From my own experience as a principal, I see constructivism as a really practical and meaningful approach to learning. It’s all about pupils being active in their own learning—exploring, asking questions, making mistakes, and figuring things out for themselves. It moves away from the old idea of just ‘teaching facts’ and instead encourages children to build their understanding through real experiences and reflection.
This way of learning fits perfectly with the digital vision we have for our school. Learning platforms like Seesaw, GSuite and Scratch help make learning more hands-on and creative. Pupils can share their thinking, work together, and use technology to show what they’ve learned in their own way. That kind of active learning really motivates them—and we see them becoming more independent, confident and curious as a result. This is something I see working every day in classrooms, helping us all move forward together as a school.
Hi Kitty. I really like the idea of creating rubrics for assessment on G-Suite using slides and docs for both clarity and convenience. Having pupils create an e-portfolio is a practical way to foster digital learning and peer/self-assessment in encouraging students to decide their best work. Ticking boxes on the assessment and digital learning continua. Definitely ideas I will develop in senior classes next year.
Hi Sinead. I agree. There are any practical and useful resources on the Mary I website. Wordsearch labs is an excellent way to help students learn and revise spellings. Wordle is one I haven’t heard of before but will also consider using it with Infants next year.
Which digital tool you will use? How you use it to assess either literacy or numeracy?
The digital educational tool that I intend to utilize with senior classes next year is Google Workspace for Education. It is a really versatile tool for students and teachers. I like that teachers can plan lessons, assign and collect homework tasks. In addition it offers a robust framework for assessment and the development of e-portfolios allowing teachers to track student progress across key subject areas and give feedback.
Students can use it to get their homework done, collaborate on presentations via Google Classroom, Docs and Slides. Given our students experience with using technology, the availability of sufficient chrome books/laptops to facilitate all students in a class and the individual logins system that is in place for students in 4th – 6th, the potential for developing digital literacy is super, while aligning with curriculum benchmarks and our schools digital learning plan.
In terms of literacy the options are many. Using Google Slides will allow students to present their work orally, catering to specific target audiences and enabling assessment of both subject matter comprehension and presentation proficiency. Creative writing activities can be facilitated through Google Docs, offering opportunities for collaborative editing and conferencing among peers and teachers.
At a whole-school level the integration of G-suite tools will enable all teachers to create diverse assessment formats, ranging from quizzes encompassing multiple-choice questions to open-ended responses, thereby enriching the assessment repertoire and facilitating seamless integration into students’ portfolios. This approach to assessment is particularly inclusive, benefiting students facing challenges in literacy or handwriting. Assessment and e-portfolios are aspects I hope to explore in the upcoming school year.
