FÓN project

Foghlaim Ón Nuatheicneolaíocht / Learning through new Technologies

The FÓN project is examining the use of mobile phones and networked computers for teaching, learning and assessing Irish at post-primary level.

So how are mobile phones and networked computers used?

The mobile phones are used in three ways:

1. To send vocabulary SMS to students daily
2. To facilitate students to dial up to a voice-response system where they leave recorded responses to their teacher's questions.
3. To facilitate students to dial up to a voice-chat with another student in their class, in the same school or in another school. The chat is based on a teacher's task which the students receive when they are paired up with their chat partner.

The networked computers are used to facilitate online text-chat between students in a secure and teacher-monitored area. Students log in to the system and are paired with an anonymous chat partner from their own class, from a class in the same school or a class in another school. The text-chat centres around a teacher designated task or stimulus (for example, a video or photograph).

Teachers have access to a secure online interface where they can listen back to students' responses, provide feedback, set up new chat sessions and monitor student progress.

Students have a similar online interface, where they can access all of their recorded responses and chats as well as any teacher feedback associated with them. Students can listen to sample answers, view the SMSs they have received and log in to their text-chat area.

You can find out more about the FÓN Project on the FÓN website/blog at http://foghlaim.edublogs.org

Current Work: FÓN, Phase 3

We are currently working with third year students and their teachers in two schools to examine the use of the FÓN system for oral Irish assessment. NCCA is working in partnership with Foras na Gaeilge, the National Centre for Technology in Education (NCTE) and Vodafone for this phase of work.

The FÓN Project has been awarded a Taoiseach's Public Service Excellence Award. The award is given in recognition of projects which promote innovation and excellence, creatively use resources and develop new efficiencies. The biennial award ceremony will take place in Dublin Castle on 8 July 2010.

FÓN, Phase 2

In 2008/9, we worked with 420 second year or year ten students and their 14 teachers in 6 cross-border schools.

The project was a joint venture between NCCA, Foras na Gaeilge and the National Centre for Technology in Education (NCTE).

In 2009, the FÓN project won the European Award for Languages - the Language Label. Click here to read about the award.

MALL Project (Phase 1)

FÓN is the second phase of work in integrating these technologies for Irish, and follows from the Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (MALL) project. The MALL project took place in 2007. Teachers and students were very positive about the integration of these technologies and the impact they had on teaching and learning.

Students reported that their competence in Irish had improved and that they had an increased vocabulary, improved comprehension and more motivation for and confidence in speaking Irish. They enjoyed learning and practising Irish using the 'new age' technologies and found more opportunities for autonomous learning. Teachers welcomed the shift to more student-led learning, the new way to provide feedback for students and the opportunity to hear every student in their class, even those who are usually quieter. Teachers noticed an improvement in students' competence and confidence in speaking Irish.