The School Excellence Fund (SEF) was launched in December 2017 by the Minister of Education and Skills, Richard Bruton.
''The purpose of the project is to demonstrate the innovative use of digital technologies in teaching, learning and assessment, through clusters of schools collaborating on specific projects.''
The two schools involved in this cluster are Talbot SNS, Bawnogue (Lead School) and St Anne's, Ardclough. Our two schools will work in both individual and collaborative projects throughout the duration of the three years.
There are two schools involved in the cluster. The schools involved will work both individually and cooperatively throughout the duration of the SEF project. In order to name the cluster the children in the current fourth classes of both schools were consulted. The children provided a wide range of different suggestions for the name of the cluster group with the most popular ones being shortlisted. Following a vote in both schools the final result was in!
Bawnclough Digital Cluster (Bawnogue + Ardclough!)
On Wednesday 29th May 4 children from 4th Class went to Athlone Institute of Technology for a Digital Stem Event with Mr Moore. This was part of our collaborative project with St Anne’s NS in Ardlcough, Co. Kildare. Mr O’Leary and 4 children from 4th Class in their school also came with us. The children had to showcase their project of a Lego canal boat and bridge which interacted with each other using sensors and the Lego WeDo2.0 software. The project showed how the canal linked the two schools together. There was a lot of different STEM projects shown on the day and everyone enjoyed it! Well done to all in 4th classes in the two schools for all their hard work!
LEGO WeDo2.0
The initial project that will be undertaken by both schools involves the use of LEGO WeDo 2.0 software and kits. As explained on the Lego Education website, '' LEGO®Education WeDo 2.0 brings to life 280 building elements that motivate students to collaborate, build, problem-solve, and explore, all while deepening their STEAM learning and developing 21st-century skills. The combination of physical LEGO® bricks, standards-aligned activities, and intuitive block-based coding environment means that interactive, creative learning is easier than ever to achieve - students can see their builds in action and test and refine their problem-solving skills!'' We hope that through the use of the LEGO WeDo 2.0 software and kits that the children will become more engaged in enjoyable STEAM, coding and science activities!
More news and updates on the use of LEGO to follow soon!! See below for some videos on LEGO WeDo2.0 and the history of LEGO.