Corracrinn National School
Digital excellence going from strength to strength.
Corracrin NS is a large rural primary school in North Monaghan, situated just outside the village of Emyvale. We currently have 212 pupils from Junior Infants - 6th Class as well as one special class for children with autism.
The Challenge
We had struggled with integrating technology across the curriculum for some time. We had been using an ad hoc selection of devices and decided that the way forward would be to invest in Chromebooks and to commit to them as our preferred device for learning across all year groups. A separate challenge was the level of IT confidence among the teaching staff, which varied from highly competent to basic understanding.
The Solution
The Olus portal provides step by step instructions and easy to follow plans (for pupils and staff) that starts with teaching the pupils the basic levels of Google Workspace. After some time we were able to progress to more complex programs like coding. Olus provides yearly plans from 1st - 6th Classes, with clear, achievable learning outcomes, so that by the time the pupils leave us at the end of 6th Class, we can be confident in their competence as digital learners, and feel that they have a head start for second level.
The Results
The children's digital competence is increasing daily and the school is getting excellent value from its investment in the Chromebooks. Integration of ICT has increased significantly as children are able to transfer their skills into subjects that are sympathetic to the use of ICT, like SESE, literacy, SPHE and so forth. We know the levels that individual children are working at and the school has a clear plan that the children will be covering from year to year.
Response from the School
“Olus has been a game changer for ICT learning at Corracrin NS. By the time a child leaves our school in 6th Class, I know that they are skilled in Google Classroom and are also competent and confident in a range of programs like Canva, Book Creator and Scratch. Every child looks forward to "Chromebook time" thanks to the the fun, interactive nature of the Olus Education portal. The hybrid model of whole class and student-led learning works very well for us in our context. It has been money very well spent for us and has ensured we continue to get maximum value from our ICT grant investment in Chromebook computers.”
Richard Baxter (Principal)
“Olus has been particularly beneficial to the teaching staff, as they all have varying levels of proficiency. Olus enables educators to teach a variety of skills necessary for this generation and future generations. Teachers and pupils love the interactive games and activities with the lessons. The internet safety lessons are cross curricular and are very beneficial for the pupils. The skills taught are also current in nature. They are a great resource to have and are well worth the investment.”
Karen Mc Cabe (ICT Co-ordinator)
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