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Spotlight #6 - Fintan O’Mahony

Welcome to the sixth ITB Spotlight. This time we’re finding out more about Fintan O’Mahony (@levdavidovic on Twitter) who blogs at levdavidovic.wordpress.com.

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself and your background in education.

I teach English and History in Scoil Mhuire, Carrick-on-Suir. I’ve been there for 19 years, I was lucky to go straight into a job, that was the way in the early 90s. After a career break in 1999 I became heavily involved in the ASTI, becoming Secretary to the Waterford Branch. I was elected to Standing Committee last Autumn. In the last few years I’ve added social media and edtech to my teaching using twitter in the classroom and blogging mainly about the current state of Irish education.

2. Please tell us about your blog.

My blog is just one year old, it began as an experiment in letting off steam but has developed into a sounding board for what I practice in school and the issues that arise out of my ASTI involvement. When my posts are not about good practice that worked for me theytend to come out of an emotional response to the way teachers are perceived.

3. Have you written/Do you write other blogs?

I’ve written a few guest posts and plan on trying to blog with my English classes. I’m researching the right platform at the moment.

4. Are there any other blogs (educational or otherwise) that you would recommend reading?

The blogs I follow most keenly are justtryingtobebetter.com by Kenny Pieper which is a brilliant reflection on the whys and hows of teaching, English in particular, http://www.leavingcertenglish.net by Evelyn O’Connor is very good too. I love http://irishelectionliterature.wordpress.com/ too, some great History resources there. Some others I always read are maggiemulrine.wordpress.com and http://bellitumsblog.wordpress.com/ are really good reflective blogs too. http://www.campaignforchildren.ie has a blog I’ve contributed to and it’s good for different perspectives on children’s rights. http://teachers.guardian.co.uk is very good at collecting a community of contributors. Have a look at http://www.ablogaboutcrisps.com for a bit of fun. I found all these through twitter by the way. I read a lot online so I’ve concentrated on the education blogs and spared you the political ones!

I’d like to thank Fintan for agreeing to take part in this feature and for his valuable contribution to ITB.

Spotlight #5 - Evelyn O’Connor

Welcome to the fifth ITB Spotlight. This time we caught up with Evelyn O’Connor (@evelynoconnor) of the popular website, leavingcertenglish.net.

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself and your background in education.

I’ve been teaching for nine years. To be honest, I pretty much always wanted to be a teacher - apart for that brief phase aged 10 when I was in the Legion of Mary and considered becoming a nun!. My passion in college was English - writing for the student paper, acting with DramSoc, playing Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, working in Charlie Byrne’s bookshop in Galway. Oh, and going to lectures too! After my dip, I taught for a year; did a Masters in Film Studies in UCD; then happily returned to the classroom despite UCD’s best efforts to lure me into a PHD. I knew I wouldn’t have the stamina for it after the 15,000 word thesis almost killed me ;-)

2. Please tell us about your blog.

I started my blog because I had missed a lot of class time with my leaving certs in 2010/2011. A student - their classmate - had died of sudden adult death syndrome when they were in 5th year, then a couple of months later another student - again their classmate - died tragically. Understandably it took months for any semblance of normality to return and then I got sick with a six week bout of laryngitis! So it became my ‘voice’, my means of communicating with them even when we weren’t together. I never meant for it to become anything other than our class website that I’d share with a few friends who were also English teachers but it’s become popular with students all over the country!

3. Have you written/Do you write other blogs?

No, other than a guest post for my husband’s blog www.tablequiz.net once upon a time.

4. Are there any other blogs (educational or otherwise) that you would recommend reading?

My husband blogs @ www.tablequiz.net where I like doing the picture rounds - I’m not really able for the rest! I love http://www.sccenglish.ie, a site I only discovered after I’d set my own up. It’s a beautiful, epic beast to my little minnow with a depth and breadth that’s made it globally popular with English teachers and all lovers of literature. I often find myself reading Fintan O’Mahony’s musings on education too - he blogs at http://levdavidovic.wordpress.com. Finally, I love this site because it sends me in directions I might not otherwise go on the web (via twitter) so kudos to you Nigel!

I’d like to thank Evelyn for agreeing to take part in this feature and for her valuable contribution to ITB.

Spotlight #3 - Damien Quinn

Welcome to the third ITB Spotlight. This time we’re featuring Damien Quinn (@SeomraRanga), author of the hugely popular blog and resource website Seomra Ranga.

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself and your background in education.

I was part of the last cohort of teachers to graduate from Carysfort College of Education in Blackrock, Dublin in 1988 before its untimely closure by the then government. The start of my teaching career was very similar to that being experienced by many young teachers today - my flatmate and I walked the streets of Dublin handing in CV’s to schools while looking for substitute work. Alternatively, we joined the queue in the INTO offices in Parnell Square in Dublin on a Monday morning hoping that some school would ring with a week’s subbing work. It was a difficult time trying to both get work and then get paid. I subsequently spent seven enjoyable years working in Clondalkin, Dublin before returning to my native Sligo in 1998, where I have taught in the same school since.

2. Please tell us about your blog.

I started the Seomra Ranga website during the summer of 2007 and it evolved quite accidentally. I had been toying around creating small websites for a while previously so I knew a little of how to put a website together. I had simply been tidying up my school and classroom documents on my PC that summer when I realised that I had accumulated quite a number of resources ranging across many different curricular areas. I decided to put them together into a website to see if it amounted to anything of significance. At the same time I had seen websites like TES and Sparklebox in the UK which were producing classroom resources and realised that there was no equivalent website here in Ireland. I couldn’t decide on a name for the website and thought of all the usual combinations of “teachery/school” words but most had already been registered as domain names. I just then stumbled upon “Seomra Ranga” - it seemed appropriate for an Irish setting as well as the fact that another reason for setting up the site was the distinct lack of free online classroom resources for the teaching of Gaeilge. So I nervously released the new site in September 2007 and it has gradually grown to the extent that it now attracts the same number of visitors in less than a week than it did in the whole of the first year.

Shortly afterwards, I set up a blog as part of the website as I had heard people talking about “Blogs” but didn’t really know what they were. I took the plunge and started writing short articles on the blog. However, the blog was really separate to the website and I soon realised that I really wanted them to be integrated. At the same time the old site was becoming difficult to manage because of the sheer volume of resources it held. So a lot of 2010 was taken up with the re-design and complete overhaul of the site. The new site is now entirely blog-based and after some initial teething problems is now working well.

3. Have you written/Do you write other blogs?

After some time I started a dedicated Christmas section of the Seomra Ranga website and again, it became quite popular so last summer I realised that I needed a totally separate site for all of the Christmas classroom resources. Hence, Nollaig Shona was born. Again we decided that a blog-based site would suit the purpose very well and this new Christmas blog was launched in November 2011.

I have been blogging with pupils in my class for the past three years and it’s been a hugely beneficial exercise. We also started a school blog (ransborons.scoilnet.ie) some years ago and my class regularly contributes to it.

I’m also hoping to set up a personal blog in the near future.

4. Are there any other blogs (educational or otherwise) that you would recommend reading?

I have many blogs that I subscribe to via RSS and use the Feeddler app on the iPad to try to keep track of them all. Irish blogs like Anseo, Anseo a Mhúinteoir, Inside View and The Inside Lane are all worth reading. Of course this Irish Teachers Blog has been a great addition to the education blogosphere and it keeps me up to date with lots of other Irish teachers who are blogging. Other blogs that I enjoy reading are Richard Byrne’s Free Technology for Teachers, Tom Barrett’s EdTech Blog, iPads in Education Scoop.it. I’m currently addicted to Joe Dale’s latest blog An iPad Idea A Day which is a blog where Joe is publishing a podcast of iPad tips every day for one year. It’s compulsive listening for anyone with an iPad.

I’d like to thank Damien for agreeing to take part in this feature and for his contribution to ITB.

I hope you enjoy the Spotlights feature, let me know what you think with a comment below if you have the time.

Spotlight #2 - Helen Bullock

Welcome to the second ITB Spotlight. This time we’re featuring Helen Bullock (@AnseoAMuinteoir), author of the popular blog Anseo A Mhúinteoir.

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself and your background in education.

For anyone who doesn’t know me, I’m Helen, better known as Hellie to my friends and family. I always wanted to be a teacher, for as long as I can remember I’ve wanted to teach. As a child my favourite game was playing school, I made my poor younger sister sit still in my classroom so I could teach her everything I’d learnt in school and when she was bored and refused to stay in “school” all I day I gathered a class of teddies. It was never ending. During my leaving year I was unsure what to teach, secondary or primary so I decided to do an arts degree in UCC, English and Irish. The teaching subjects. I wasn’t long deciding or realising it was primary I wanted to teach so as soon as I finished in UCC I applied to Hibernia College and started my h-dip in primary education in Febuary 2009, just months out of college and I was back studying again. I loved Hibernia, it was hard don’t get me wrong but it was worth every minute I spent at my laptop.

2. Please tell us about your blog.

My blog can be found over at www.anseo-a-mhuinteoir.com and even if I do say so myself it’s well worth a look. It was suggested to me back in early February 2009 that I should start a blog and while I laughed it off at first I started it on Febuary 14th, a Valentine’s day. I know it seems odd to remember the exact date that I started it but on Febuary 14th 2009 I was in Maynooth for my induction day to Hibernia College and my new life as a teacher. My boyfriend suggested I start a blog to document my experiences and memories of Hibernia and teaching. While at first I thought it a silly idea I took to it like a fish to water. I loved writing and my blog went from strength to strength and really took off. It wasn’t long before other Hibernia students, both from my own cohort and the other cohorts started emailing me looking for advice and ideas. Twitter soon followed along with a Facebook page. I try to cover as many teaching ideas and experiences as possible, from teaching practice to subbing and resources I find useful. In 2011 I was delighted to be a finalist in the Irish Blog Awards in Education. And thanks to that I’ve seen my blog develop even more and become more popular during the year. I can only hope 2012 goes just as well.

3. Have you written/Do you write other blogs?

I’ve been tempted as late to start a second blog, a more personal one. If I do start it I’ll be sure to let ye all know. In the mean time I’ve done a post or two for other blogs, last Christmas I was asked by Simon and Rozz Lewis to write the first of their guest posts for anseo.net about subbing. Something I really enjoyed doing. It offered a whole new challenge, writing for someone else but I loved it. At the start of this year I wrote a guest blog for a friend of mine doing a series about traditional Christmas’s around the world. I’ll admit I struggled to keep it short but thankfully she enjoyed the length and detail!

4. Are there any other blogs (educational or otherwise) that you would recommend reading?

I have some favourite blogs these days that I love reading, The Life and Times of Chantelle is one I love! Chantelle writes about her life and adventures, and recently I got to guest post for her blog, it’s no wonder I love it so! I also love reading joyfulantidotes, a blog written by my best friend about her new life in Berlin and her real loves in life.

From an educational point of view I really enjoy reading Pamela O Brien’s blog, Mr. Lane’s class blog, Mr Quinn’s Class blog and of course Seomra Ranga to name just a few of the blogs I have on my reading list. I can spend hours curled up with a good blog!

I’d like to thank Helen for agreeing to take part in this feature and for her contribution to ITB.

I hope you enjoy the Spotlights feature, let me know what you think with a comment below if you have the time.

Spotlight #1 - Katie Molloy

Welcome to the latest feature of Irish Teacher Blogs. This post is the first in a series of “Spotlight” posts which will each focus on one ITB contributor. The idea is to help everyone to get to know the educators behind each blog featured here. With over 30 blogs now feeding through, it may take a while to throw the spotlight on everyone!

The subject of Spotlight #1 is Katie Molloy (@heykatiem), author of Ms. Molloy’s 6th Year English Blog.

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself and your background in education.

I suppose I’m a bit different than some of your bloggers because I moved to America as a teenager and went to secondary and subsequently college there.  I taught for my first two years in an inner city high school in Connecticut while I worked on a MA in English Education.  I had always wanted to move back home, so I applied to the Teaching Council to have my qualifications recognised and found a maternity leave position at Wilson’s Hospital School in Westmeath and moved home.  I’ve been back for four years now and worked in a variety of settings.  Considering the job market, I’ve worked anywhere and everywhere that would have me. I finally found a steady position this year at St. Joseph’s College in Athlone teaching English, Resource and LCVP and couldn’t be happier.  It’s the nicest school environment I’ve ever had the privilege of working in.  I’m delighted to be teaching 6th year Hons. English and I have a lovely bunch of girls.

2. Please tell us about your blog.

I started my blog as a time saving mechanism more than anything.  I had used class blogs in several different positions to showcase student work.  I had also used class wikis in order to work collaboratively on projects.  When I did my Masters, I took a course on ICT in the English classroom that was incredibly useful insofar as the substance behind using ICT.  We learned that ICT isn’t about flash, it’s about function.  We covered digital literacy and worked together to create meaningful English lessons that utlilised ICT correctly.  The course was an eye opener.  It wasn’t about impressing people, or using the equipment available just for the sake of it, it was about utilising technology to enhance your lessons.  This time around I’m using it to provide notes and resources on a regular basis.  There are times where I am updating the blog daily with what we have done in class.  It’s handy for when students are absent that they know what we are doing class.  It’s also handy that students can access all class materials themselves, if they lose something they can print it out again!  I like the site for its organisational purposes in that respect, and it’s also handy for parents to be able to see what we are doing in class.  I also use Edmodo for its library function and assignment submission function.  I like to make myself as available to students as possible.

3. Have you written/Do you write other blogs?

The blogs/wikis I have previously written have functioned in a variety of ways.  Some worked to showcase student work, some were for collaborative purposes and 6thyearenglish.tumblr.com is really a means for sharing class content with our students/parents and anyone else that might benefit from them.  I have never actually “blogged” in the sense that I provide my opinions on issues in education.  Frankly, I’ve never had the time!

4. Are there any other blogs (educational or otherwise) that you would recommend reading?

Right now I’m into Evelyn O’Connor’s http://leavingcertenglish.net/.  She’s a great collaborator.  We’re friends on Edmodo and follow each other on Twitter.  It’s nice to have someone to talk to in a similar situation — she teaches at an all girls secondary school as well.  I also like http://www.sccenglish.ie/ from St. Columba’s College.  It’s such a comprehensive site and it’s nice to see a whole department collaborating.

I’d like to thank Katie for agreeing to take part in this feature and for her contribution to ITB.

I hope you enjoy this new feature, let me know what you think with a comment below if you have the time.