Important: Participants in this course will not be entitled to EPV days upon completion of the course.
This course is aimed at teachers who work through Irish and who use computers regularly in the classroom. Participants will learn about the technological resources currently available to Irish speakers, including teachers and pupils. This practical course is suitable for teachers who are familiar with computers, as well as those who are less knowledgeable about technology and find it difficult to use computers. It will help teachers:

• to use their computer more effectively;
• to write more accurately in Irish;
• to make effective use of Irish language software and the wide range of online facilities now available through Irish;
• to get new ideas and activities for the classroom.

By the end of the course, teachers will know far more about the most important technological resources available in Irish, and will be able to share what they have learnt with their pupils.

Each module in the course also contains interactive grammar exercises, and these will help teachers add to their writing skills in Irish.

Authors

This course was written by Cóilín Ó Floinn and Éamonn Ó Dónaill.

There are five modules in Irish Language IT Resources for the Classroom and each module contains advice and information on various technological resources for Irish, as well as practical ideas for the classroom. Please note that there are two versions of Module 1, one of which is suitable for those who have Windows XP on their computers, and the other which is suitable for those using Windows Vista.

Unit 1 - Windows XP / Windows Vista

In this unit, you will learn how to:

• set up the operating system, the language, and the keyboard on your computer;
• set up Microsoft Word for Irish;
• ensure that a capital I won’t appear as you type a lowercase i in Irish;
• put the spell checker GaelSpell on your computer.

Grammar: The imperative mood

Unit 2

In this unit, you will learn:

• how to use the browser IE 8;
• how to use the browser Firefox through the medium of Irish;
• about the computer suite OpenOffice;
• about Windows and Office in Irish.

Grammar: Gender of the noun

Unit 3

In this unit, you will learn about:

• useful Irish resources available on the internet;
• useful Irish resources for primary school teachers available on the internet.

Grammar: Simple preopostions

Unit 4

In this unit, you will learn about:

• computer packages and useful books;
• online shops.

Grammar: Location, movement and time

Unit 5

In this unit, you will learn how to:

• copy material from a site and paste it into Microsoft Word;
• record material from the internet;
• use Wikipedia to find articles that would be useful for primary school children;
• translate those pieces to Irish and upload them to Vicipéid.

Grammar: Dates and ordinal numbers

There are five modules in Irish Language IT Resources for the Classroom and each module contains advice and information on various technological resources for Irish, as well as practical ideas for the classroom. Each module has a different objective, and the learner is asked to complete exercises based on the content of the module.

All the exercises are interactive. Once you have completed an exercise, you can then click on the Seol (Send) button and receive feedback immediately. You’re told which answers were correct and which were incorrect, and you’re given the correct answers and a score.

At the beginning of each module, you’re told what the focus of that module is.

In order to move from one screen to another, all you need to do is click on the icon, which appears on the right-hand side, at the top and bottom of each screen. You can also click on any line of text under the words PLEAN AN AONAID on the left hand of the screen in order to access another part of the unit.

On the last page of each module, an leathanach scoir, you’re given an overview of the work that you’ve done in that module and your total score for the module. You’re given several choices as well: to continue to the next module, to go back on the module that you have just completed, or go back to the very beginning of the course.

Important

This course focuses on Microsoft Windows, especially Modules 1 and 2, therefore those two modules are not suitable for Apple Mac users. Those who use a Mac, however, will find the rest of the course relevant, apart from the section which deals with WinGléacht, a program only available for PCs.

It is not necessary to have advanced computer skills to benefit from this practical online course.

Please note, however, that this course is written in Irish - you must have reasonably good Irish to understand the course content. But don’t be too worried - complicated terminology is avoided!

When can I begin the course?

Immediately! Students study the course independently of a teacher. This means that you can improve your Irish in the office or from the comfort of your home, at your own pace, and at whatever time suits you.

What happens if I have a question?

Write it on the forum! You’ll be able to contact other learners through this discussion forum. You can send messages, ask and answer questions, and express ideas there. Members of the Gaelchultúr team keep an eye on the forum, so they’ll be able to answer any tricky questions.