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Extra PD info tables
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- Written by: Mary Sheehy
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Artificial Intelligence (AI), What is it and what are the opportunities and challenges for FET? |
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In the last year, there has been a huge interest in the profound potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) within the realm of Further Education and Training. This presentation will cover the basics of AI, demystifying its core concepts and exploring its real-world applications. We will focus on Chat GPT, an advanced AI language model through the lens of a FET teacher or tutor. AI can assist educators, administrators, and students alike, providing personalized support, generating educational content, and promoting engagement. But AI in education is not just about convenience; it's also about the opportunities and challenges it presents to educators. Explore the vast potential for AI to streamline administrative tasks, enhance teaching materials, and adapt learning experiences to individual student needs. We will discuss the challenges and potential threats AI poses to educators in the FET sector, addressing concerns about job displacement and the changing role of teachers/tutors/trainers. Join us for a thought-provoking discussion on the future of education where AI and human educators collaborate to create more effective and personalized learning environments. Discover how you can harness the power of AI to elevate your teaching practices and unlock new possibilities in Further Education and Training. The target audience for this event is: All FET staff members, including teachers, tutors, trainers, instructors and those in a co-ordination and/or quality teaching, learning and assurance roles. Facilitation: John Heffernan and Susan Dunne both from Tipperary ETB John Heffernan is the Technology Enhanced Learning Co-ordinator for Tipperary ETB. John's career, prior to teaching was in IT, working for a number of start up companies. He has taught or worked in ed tech for more that twenty years including two years as a PLC teacher. He is moving to MSLETB as PD co-ordinator in the near future Susan Dunne brings 13 years of experience as an educator in post-primary education, teaching Business, Accountancy, and IT. She was part of one of the first schools to achieve recognition as a Microsoft School of Excellence in Ireland.Over the past four years, Susan ventured into Further Education, where she teaches QQI Level 4 and 5 courses. Within her teaching, she uses OneNote E-portfolio extensively for teaching and assessment purposes. Alongside her practical teaching experience, she holds a postgraduate qualification in Special Educational Needs. Her enthusiasm for technology is constant and she continually explores innovative ways to incorporate it into her teaching practices.Throughout her career, she has dedicated time to enhancing her pedagogical skills, delving into various teaching methodologies, including Assessment for Learning and becoming a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) facilitator. Please note: Pre-booking is essential. Please do not book onto this session unless you are sure that you will attend / have approval to attend (if required). If an emergency arises, please inform us ASAP (cpdcancellations@fess.ie) as we operate a waiting list system and if time allows, we can offer your booked place to another person. |
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Further Information, Dates and Times | |
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Thursday, 19th October 2023 - 14.00 to 16.00 A link to this online event will be emailed in advance. |
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Monday 27th November 2023 - 16.00 - 17.00 As a follow-up to the recent PD event Artificial Intelligence (AI), What is it and what are the opportunities and challenges for FET? we are offering an AI Clinic. This Clinic will be facilitated by FESS and John Heffernan (MSLETB) and Susan Dunne (TETB) who delivered the PD session on AI will be available to answer your queries. Both Susan and John have extensive knowledge of AI and the use of AI apps that might be useful in teaching, learning and assessment in FET. This session is participant led and therefore in order to get maximum value from the session, please come with questions/queries. A further clinic is being planned for December and the date will be published shortly |
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Thursday 14 December 2023 - 16.00 - 17.00 As a follow-up to the recent PD event Artificial Intelligence (AI), What is it and what are the opportunities and challenges for FET? we are offering an AI Clinic. This Clinic will be facilitated by FESS and John Heffernan (MSLETB) and Susan Dunne (TETB) who delivered the PD session on AI will be available to answer your queries. Both Susan and John have extensive knowledge of AI and the use of AI apps that might be useful in teaching, learning and assessment in FET. This session is participant led and therefore in order to get maximum value from the session, please come with questions/queries. A further clinic is being planned for December and the date will be published shortly |
This is a Self-Care session for those working in FET.
Following this session, participants will: The target audience for this event is: All FET staff members, including teachers, tutors, trainers, instructors and those in a co-ordination and/or quality assurance role. Facilitation: This event will be facilitated by Carrie Budds. Carrie is Youth Mental Health Coordinator with Jigsaw, working in the FET and Higher Education team. She has worked in health and wellbeing for the last 8+ years and is qualified in health promotion, specialising in workplace settings. Please note: Pre-booking is essential. Please do not book onto this session unless you are sure that you will attend / have approval to attend (if required). If an emergency arises, please inform us ASAP (cpdcancellations@fess.ie) as we operate a waiting list system and if time allows, we can offer your booked place to another person. |
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Further Information, Date and Time | |
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Tuesday 24th October 2023 - 10.00 – 12.00 A link to this online event will be emailed in advance. |
Assessing through the UDL Lens | |
This hands on and interactive workshop will invite participants to explore what it means to view and facilitate formative and summative assessment in FET through a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) lens. By the end of this session participants will have had opportunities to: This stand-alone session will follow on from the FESS series of five assessment sessions ( September / October) The target audience for this event is: All FET staff members, including teachers, tutors, trainers, instructors and those in a co-ordination and/or quality assurance role. Facilitation: This session will be facilitated by Carrie Archer. Carrie's pronouns are she/her. She has been working in Further Education and Training for 15 years and is the Professional Learning and Development Coordinator with City of Dublin ETB. Carrie’s interests are coaching, leadership, Communities of Practice, Universal Design for Learning and championing belonging, equity, inclusion, and diversity. She is passionate about the representation and visibility of LGBTQI learners and staff and is currently specialising as an ADHD coach. She facilitates a Professional Learning Network for support teachers in FET colleges and mentors in Technology Enhanced Learning and inclusive pedagogy in City of Dublin ETB. She was a part of the design team with City of Dublin ETB and Trinity College Dublin for a Postgraduate Certificate, Diploma and Masters courses focusing on Diversity and Inclusion in FET. She also currently lectures on Postgraduate programmes in the National College of Ireland on diversity and inclusion, and on assessment and feedback for educational practice in FET. Please note: Pre-booking is essential. Please do not book onto this session unless you are sure that you will attend / have approval to attend (if required). If an emergency arises, please inform us ASAP (cpdcancellations@fess.ie) as we operate a waiting list system and if time allows, we can offer your booked place to another person. |
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Further Information, Date and Time | |
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Wednesday, 8th November 2023 - 10.00 to 12.00 A link to this online event will be emailed in advance. |
Unlocking the Potential of Rubrics in Teaching, Learning and Assessment |
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Please note: This event is a repeat of a previous FESS PD event on 'Unlocking the Potential of Rubrics in Teaching, Learning and Assessment' first delivered online in Autumn/Winter 2022 and Spring 2023. This online event aims to assist FET staff in the development and use of rubrics to support teaching, learning and assessment activities. This is an interactive event where participants will be provided with information, have the opportunity to engage in discussion and participate in a rubric development workshop. This event will:
Learning together in this event will help us to consider the range of possibilities rubrics can bring to teaching, learning and assessment. The target audience for this event is: FET staff including teachers, tutors, trainers, programme co-ordinators and QA staff. Facilitation: This event will be facilitated by FESS. Please note: Pre-booking is essential. Please do not book onto this event unless you are sure that you will attend / have approval to attend (if required). If an emergency arises, please inform us ASAP (cpdcancellations@fess.ie) as we operate a waiting list system and if time allows we can offer your booked place to another person. |
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Further Information, Date and Time |
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Wednesday, 15th November 2023 - 10.00 to 12.00 A link to this online event will be emailed in advance. |
Building a Competency Framework for Soft Skills/Transversal Skills in FET |
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This session is a follow-on from a previous session introducing the importance of soft skills/transversal skills for the future world of work and the key position that FET holds in the delivery of these skills. This session will focus in on those identified priority soft skills and showcase some work already carried out across the education sector. This will form a starting point for the discussion of the requirements of building a soft skills competency framework within FET. Methods of teaching these skills will be addressed and case studies and scenarios will be shared as a basis for the discussion. This is very relevant to the development of programmes for FET. The target audience for this event is: FET staff including teachers, tutors, trainers, co-ordinators, managers. Facilitation: This event will be facilitated by Marie Cleary. Marie is founder and director at ThirdSpace Consultants. She has extensive experience working with senior management and their teams to deliver strategic management interventions, facilitate change, develop leaders and build high performance teams. Before moving into Consulting, Marie was a teacher of Music and English at second level for 10 years. Her 20+ years Consulting career has spanned both public and private sector internationally. Her qualifications in Business, Education, Finance and Psychology, coupled with her previous roles in management of EU funding, gives her an expansive skillset to work in a variety of settings. She recently completed Doctoral Studies on Future Skills. Marie is a coaching psychologist with extensive experience as an executive coach and has worked at a senior level to assist clients resolve challenging issues, build resilience and enhance leadership capability. Marie is passionate about intercultural education and is closely connected to the work of Leargas across the fields of Youth, Further Education and School Education. Please note: Pre-booking is essential. Please do not book onto this session unless you are sure that you will attend / have approval to attend (if required). If an emergency arises, please inform us ASAP (cpdcancellations@fess.ie) as we operate a waiting list system and if time allows, we can offer your booked place to another person. |
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Further Information, Date and Time |
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Thursday 16th November 2023 - 10.00 to 12.00 A link to this online event will be emailed in advance. |
Trauma Informed Approaches for FET Settings |
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Jigsaw is a youth mental health charity which offers a range of mental health supports and services to both young people (aged 12-25 years) and those around them in the settings where they live, learn, work and play. Trauma-informed practice uses knowledge and understanding of how trauma affects people’s lives (biologically, psychologically and socially) to ameliorate rather than exacerbate these effects. Any teaching or person-helping professional can become trauma-informed in their work, and in doing so support the development of psychologically safe learning environments for all. Session Objectives: *Note that while Jigsaw focuses on supporting the mental health of young people aged between 12-25, the strategies and approaches from this workshop can be applied to all age groups* The target audience for this event is: All FET staff members, including FET staff including management, teachers, tutors, trainers, instructors, programme coordinators, guidance counsellors, learning support staff and wellbeing officers. Facilitation: This event will be facilitated by Tara Mulhern and Dr Emma Hickey, Jigsaw Tara Mulhern is Clinical Lead for Education at Jigsaw, and works primarily on their Further and Higher Education Team. Tara is an occupational therapist with 16 years’ experience working with young people and adults in various community based mental health settings, including having previously worked as a Regional Clinical Manger for Jigsaw. She has significant experience supporting learners to be effective and fulfilled with their student role through occupational therapy and more recently through mental health promotion. Tara has particular interests in trauma informed practice, occupational balance, sensory integration, mental health promotion and clinical education. Tara has previously delivered content on trauma informed practice to schools across Ireland. Dr. Emma Hickey is a Clinical Psychologist and Senior Clinician with Jigsaw Limerick. She is interested in making sense of distress collaboratively with young people and is particularly drawn to understanding how we can communicate and reflect on the idea of power in an accessible and meaningful way to support young people to understand what may be maintaining distress levels in their lives. Emma has also been involved in practically implementing the principles of trauma informed working at a local and national level in Jigsaw. Please note: Pre-booking is essential. Please do not book onto this session unless you are sure that you will attend / have approval to attend (if required). If an emergency arises, please inform us ASAP (cpdcancellations@fess.ie) as we operate a waiting list system and if time allows, we can offer your booked place to another person. |
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Further information, Date and Time |
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Thursday, 30th November 2023 - 14.00 to 16.00 A link to this online event will be emailed in advance. |
ChatGPT
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- Written by: Mary Sheehy
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What is ChatGPT?
Generative because it generates words.
Pre-trained because it’s trained on a bunch of text. This step is called pre-training because many language models (like the one behind ChatGPT) go through important additional stages of training known as fine-tuning to make them less toxic and easier to interact with.
Transformers They were introduced by Google researchers, and are used in many of the latest A.I. advancements, from text generation to image creation.
Transformers improved upon the previous generation of neural networks — known as recurrent neural networks — by including steps that process the words of a sentence in parallel, rather than one at a time. This made them much faster.
Background on ChatGPT
An AI text generator or large language model created by the company OpenAI, released November 30.
OpenAI is largely funded by Microsoft.
ChatGPT is built on GPT 3.5, with a premium version 4.0
ChatGPT is considered the most capable publicly available and popular language models.
Open-source LLMs also exist. Google and Meta have also built LLMs that are not currently public.
Useful Functionality of ChatGPT
ChatGPT has a variety of useful features that can be used in educational settings. For example, it can provide personalized guidance to students and help them find the information they need quickly. It can also be used to provide support to teachers and automate certain tasks. Additionally, it can be used to help track student performance and provide real-time feedback.
How ChatGPT Can Help Teachers
ChatGTP can be used to help teachers in a variety of ways.
It can be used to automate certain tasks, such as:
- planning out course content over the duration of the programme
- generating teaching materials
- generating scenarios
- generating examples
- grading and tracking student performance
- etc.
ChatGTP can provide real-time feedback to teachers, which can help them stay on top of learner progress and make adjustments accordingly.
Limitations of ChatGPT
Although ChatGPT can be a powerful tool for education, there are some limitations. For example, it is not always able to understand the nuances of human conversations, and it cannot replace human interaction. Additionally, ChatGPT requires a lot of data to be able to accurately respond to questions, and this data can be difficult to obtain. Sometimes information provided is incorrect so all materials should be checked before being issued to learners.
AI terminology
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- Written by: Mary Sheehy
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Here you will find some AI terminology that may be useful to asist your understanding of AI
Algorithm | An Algorithm is a set of instructions designed to perform a specific task. In machine learning, algorithms are used to parse data, learn from it, and then make decisions or predictions about new data. |
Data Mining | Data Mining is the process of discovering patterns in large data sets involving methods at the intersection of machine learning, statistics, and database systems. |
Generative AI | Generative AI is a subset of artificial intelligence that leverages machine learning techniques to generate content. It can create new content that is similar to the input data it has been trained on. Examples include creating images, writing text, and composing music. |
Hallucinations | In the context of AI, hallucinations refer to the generation of information that isn't present in the input data. This can occur when AI models, such as language models, generate outputs that include false or misleading information. |
Large Language Model (LLM) | A Large Language Model is a type of AI model designed to generate human-like text. It's trained on a large amount of text data and can generate sentences by predicting the likelihood of a word given the previous words used in the text. |
Machine Learning (ML) | Machine Learning is a subset of AI, providing systems the ability to automatically learn and improve from experience without being explicitly programmed. |
Neural Network | A Neural Network is a series of algorithms that seek to identify relationships in a data set via a process that mimics the way the human brain operates. |
Artificial Intelligence (AI) information, resources and tools
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- Written by: Mary Sheehy
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If you are confused about Artificial Intelligence(AI) and what it may mean for you as an educator, on this page you will find information on AI and some links to tools, resources and information on the use of AI in education and training that may help. John Heffernan, TEL Coordinator in Tipperary ETB and Susan Dunne, Teacher in Tipperary ETB recently delivered a session on behalf of FESS on AI and many of the links here came from their presentations.
AI is rapidly evolving and has the potential to become an integral part of education in the future. AI-powered chatbot technology, such as ChatGTP, can help improve student engagement, reduce teacher workloads, and provide personalized support to both teachers and students. Additionally, AI can be used to create virtual learning environments, personalize learning experiences, and automate grading and assessment tasks.
What is Artificial Intelligence?
AI, or Artificial Intelligence, is a powerful technology that allows computers to learn and think like humans. As we engage with information on AI, we realise that there is new terminology that we need to become familiar with in order to better understand AI. You can explore some of the termilology relating to AI by clicking here
What is ChatGPT?
ChatGPT is probably one of the most talked about AI tools in educationan and training at the moment so it might be worth having a brief look at what it is, potential uses and limitations. Prompts are important when using ChatGPT or other generative AI tools in order for you to get the best result possible, we have included some links to useful information on prompts and prompt engineering frameworks below. There are many resources available on how ChatGPT might be used in the classroom and save you time, as a teacher, including:
- 20 ways to use ChatGPT in the classroom
- ChatGPT Teaching Time-savers
- 10 things that Teachers can do with ChatGPT to save time
- 6 Ways to Use ChatGPT to Save Time
Click here for more information on ChatGPT
When using generative AI it is useful to follow a prompt framework in order to achieve best results. Here are some links to prompt frameworks that may be useful
9 Frameworks to master ChatGPT Prompt Engineering
3 Prompt Engineering Frameworks - Youtube video
Teacher's Prompt Guide to ChatGPT
Little Book of Generative AI prompts for Teachers
PREP-EDIT Prompt Enhineering Framework
Supporting Teaching, Learning and Assessment in an AI world
There are many tools available and more being developed all of the time that have potential for use in teaching, learning and assessment. The speed of development makes it difficult to keep up with what is coming on stream but here was have included links to some of the tools that you might find useful in your teaching, learning and assessment in the FET sector.
These tools have been divided into three categories, generative text tools, generative image tools and generative image tools:
Generative text tools | Generative voice tools | Generative image tools |
Bing Chat | Generative Voice AI | Muse AI - Text To Image with AI Art GeneratorMuse AI - Text To Image with AI Art Generator |
ChatGPT | Microsoft Bing - Create Images from Words with AI | |
Google Bard | Open AI - Dall-e | |
There are some tools available that can help generate lessons and or teaching, learning and assessment materials. The following are some of the tools that have been recommended for use by those delivering and assessing courses in FET
AI Tool | What it can do |
Curipod - https://curipod.com/ai |
Curipod is an interactive presentation tool for making lessons. You can create your own lessons or use our AI generator to create engaging and interactive lessons and activities. Curipod makes reading, writing and drawing engaging and makes it easy to create fantastic learning experiences. |
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Magic Design™ (Beta) is a free AI design tool that lets you visualize your design ideas with a selection of refined templates made just for you. Start by uploading your own media, and watch as custom designs, Presentations, or edited videos appear in the context you need. No coding and advanced design skills required. |
Khanamigo - https://blog.khanacademy.org/learner-khanmigo/ |
Khanmigo is a new experimental artificial intelligence (AI) guide, which a limited number of users will have access to. For learners, Khanmigo aims to mimic one-on-one tutoring experiences by providing tailored support, prompting critical thinking, and suggesting relevant resources. For teachers, Khanmigo can serve as an assistant that helps with administrative tasks to save time. |
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MagicSchool.ai is a game-changer for educators seeking to streamline their workload and accelerate their teaching processes. The platform offers a diverse range of tools designed to enhance productivity, optimise planning, improve communication, and support special education needs. It includes Text Transformer Tools, Planning Tools, Communication tools and Special Education Supports |
Diffit - https://web.diffit.me/ |
Diffit.me is a user-friendly website that allows teachers to easily differentiate their instruction by creating multiple versions of their lesson materials. This means that teachers can provide tailored levels of support and challenge based on the unique needs of each learner. |
Eduaide - https://www.eduaide.ai/ |
Eduaide.AI is an advanced educational platform that combines AI algorithms, machine learning, and natural language processing to create an interactive and personalised learning environment. It goes beyond traditional methods of education by providing intelligent tutoring systems, adaptive learning pathways, and comprehensive data analytics. The platform acts as a virtual assistant, supporting both learners and teachers in their educational journeys. |
Midjourney - https://www.midjourneyai.ai/ |
Midjourney is a text-to-picture artificial intelligence (AI) service. It allows users to generate images based on textual descriptions, creating a wide range of art forms, from realistic to abstract styles. Midjourney’s AI is especially known for its high-quality, well-structured, and detailed images. |
Assessment and AI
Academic integrity is a concern in the education and training area and with the development and proliferation of AI tools and apps, those delivering courses and assessing learner assessment evidence have concerns as to how assessment can be carried out in an AI world. Here are some links that may provide you with some information on assessment and AI.
Designing assessments for an AI-enabled world - UCL
Assessment ideas for an AI-enabled world - UCL
Assessment Menu: Designing assessment in an AI enabled world - JISC
Approaches to Assessment in the Age if AI - King's College London
Some articles and resources:
AI Competency Framework for Teachers
AI image generators: 10 tools, 10 classroom uses - Ditch That Textbook
How Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny De-aged Harrison Ford
Empowering educators to teach with and about AI
European Commission An Ethical Use of Artificial Intelligence(AI) in Education
Generative Artificial Intelligence: Guidelines for Educators
GPT and a New Generation of AI for Education
How a brain Implant and AI gave a woman with paralysis her voice back
Use of AI in learning - student guide
Some AI courses:
How to Learn Artificial Intelligence - Coursera.org
Manuals for Joomla - FESS
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- Written by: Mary Sheehy
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