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I’m really excited about my first ever online course. I’ve always toyed with the idea but never found the time or motivation. The advent of AI is giving me the same excitement as Interactive Whiteboards did when I first saw them over 20 years ago. I think AI has the potential to transform teaching in the same way.
A very big welcome to over 100 new subscribers that joined this week. My newsletter consists of my thoughts on primary education in Ireland so if that isn’t interesting to you, you can skip to the end to get access to the course!
I send a newsletter every two weeks, and I know you won’t agree with everything I write, but I hope you’ll agree there’s something for you each fortnight.
In this newsletter:
📻 In the media
🎙 Throwback podcast
💭 Education Stories over the last few weeks
🧵 Some threads
🤖 My First Free Course
Please pass on this newsletter to your friends and please encourage them to subscribe so it comes to their inbox every 2 weeks.
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(if you haven’t already!)
If you were the Minister for Education… 
I was on Pat Kenny talking about the Modern Foreign Languages Curriculum and it got me thinking about it and how on earth it’s going to work. More on this here.
Latest Podcast Episode
Last week the SET Allocations were released for 2025-26 and the usual carnage went on with principals screwing each other over. However, Complex Needs were again dropped as a criteria for allocations and last year I recorded a podcast to find out more.
Listen Now
With pressure on the Department of Education to get information out earlier, the dreaded Cluster Games were announced last week, with principals scurrying around like pigeons after breadcrumbs. It’s the second year that Complex Needs have been dropped as a criterion for allocations but there was no outrage this year from the advocacy groups.
The summer programme was also announced with the media more interested in the fact that the kids doing it, will get lunch.
Meanwhile the new Minister, Helen McEntee seems to be blindly following in Norma Foley’s footsteps. It’s disappointing for such a senior member of Fine Gael not being brave enough to reverse some of the very poor decisions made by Fianna Fáil.
Finally, on World Safer Internet Day, it was revealed that 82% of 8-12 year olds are using phones unsupervised in their bedrooms. By complete coincidence, a number of schools in Clare closed down due to a bomb threat, which turned out to come from a child. Word is, he was hacked by bullies. But sure the mobile phone pouches in schools will sort that out! (Yes, Helen McEntee is still going to push ahead with those too.)
You can read all the stories I found interesting here!
Given how “threadful” X has become, I’ve decided to focus on anything I can find on social media that might be of interest. Some of them I’ve found and some of them I’ve made. Let me know what you think.
You’ve finally made it to the course and you haven’t pressed the unsubscribe button. Well done. 🎉
I have been really busy developing my first ever online course on my own platform. (I have designed several courses for other providers in the past.) As I said AI is really exciting me and I want to help teachers use it well and not as a piece of magic for generating generic lesson plans.
For me, if there’s any “magic,” it was looking at AI as a personal assistant rather than something that generates things. I began using it to help me code a number of projects over the last two years and I decided I would share that with you.
To access the course, all you need to do is click the button below. There’s no sign in, passwords or anything like that. It’s all yours to share with whoever you like. Now, wasn’t it worth sifting through my mad thoughts on the education system?
If you’ve enjoyed my newsletter, pass it on to your friends and ask them to subscribe by going to: https://www.anseo.net/subscribe
