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Sonru is relevant to many of the learning activities carried out throughout Transition Year. Below is a summary of how Sonru can be used in transition year to benefit student and teacher. Online Video Diary

Using Sonru it is possible for the TY student to keep an online video diary. The online video diary can be used in any way that the teacher wishes. For example, a monthly interview can be taken to create a diary of the TY year. An online video diary could be created for any subject or project. The online video diary is particularly useful as a means of achieving the following teacher/student objectives.

1. Allowing the student to monitor personal development.

2. A clear means of allowing the student to establish goals, monitor progress in achieving these goals and ascertain if he/she has succeeded in meeting these goals when the process is complete.

3. An excellent way for the teacher to review student’s progress, without having to spend a lot of class time in discussion with the student. An email review message can be sent at the end of the process.

4. This is a very thorough and effective means of making the student reflect upon their work. As videos are stored the student can easily reflect on an entire years learning and progress.

5. Effective resource which students can use when drawing up reports of learning’s.

6. Excellent means of helping the student to identify skills and aptitudes and reflect upon their strengths and weaknesses.

Suggested uses

• Diary of TY year: Monthly informative interviews can be created to build an online diary of the overall student experience in the year.

• Diary for specific subject: Online interviews can be created to set goals examine the students knowledge’s of the subject and monitor if goals are being achieved. These interviews can be quite technical if the teacher wishes.

• Report/diary of work experience.

• Report/diary of other projects: Mini Company, theatre/drama projects, community/charity projects.

Suggested template for teachers

1. At the beginning of the year/subject/project the teacher will discuss and outline the general objective of the unit or module.

2. After this discussion the teacher will send the students an interview. This first interview will prompt the student to outline their understanding of the work to be carried out and their learning goals and objectives.

3. At regular intervals daily/weekly/monthly throughout the course of the year/subject/project the teacher will send a short generic interview for the student to complete. For convenience the same generic interview can be sent each time. The purpose of this interview is to prompt the student to describe and review work that has been completed and monitor how and if goals are being achieved. Possible questions could include:

   What did you learn this week?

   Did you meet any goals objectives set out at the start of the year?

   Did you improve or learn any new practical personal or interpersonal skills?

   Did you encounter any personal or study/work related challenges?

   How did you deal with these?

   Is there any area in which you feel you need help to improve?

   Did you learn anything new about yourself, skills interests etc?

    

4. Upon completion of the year/subject/project the student will be asked to review all previous interviews. Upon doing this the student will complete a detailed final interview which will examine: what they have learned. Did they meet the goals set out in the first interview, what was the most/least enjoyable activity/project/subject, did the student’s learn anything about themselves that was unforeseen at the start of the year etc.

Career Guidance

One of the main objectives of TY is to ensure the student reaches a certain level of maturity, intrapersonal knowledge and confidence about where their strengths and weaknesses are. After the transition year the student should have a clearer idea of their post secondary education options. Subject and course selection for the leaving certificate should then be less of an issue. Thus it is important that opportunities for the student to record, reflect upon and discuss their personal development and learning’s in TY are not missed.

When it comes to these important learnings, students are better served by recording their answers and thoughts on video files. Video files clearly and visually represent how assured and confident a student is when answering questions about interests aptitude ambition and potential career paths. As the guidance counsellor will not have to meet the student for online interviews. Time that is spent with the student can be allocated to reflection on interview responses and further discussion and actions. These video files can be stored in the student’s account until the end of their senior cycle, providing ample opportunity to reflect on the videos at any time.

Sonru can be used by the guidance counsellor and TY student in the following ways:

• Online occupational interest questionnaires and career investigation interviews.

• Student online video diary/Interviews documenting career investigation and research carried out. This can include learning gained from general research and learning gained at career exhibitions, colleges of further education, training centres etc.

• Career matching interview. Use video interview to prompt the student to identify areas of employment that match their previously identified skills, aptitudes and interests

Sonru for Schools benefits the TY student and guidance counsellor equally.

• Guidance counsellor can send interviews at any time while student can complete at any time removing the need for scheduling and making the process very convenient.

• The student and guidance counsellor can reflect and review the video before meeting for discussion. Both parties should be well prepared for a proactive and productive discussion when a meeting does occur.

• Face to face meetings are used to review the interview and discuss options rather than carry out the interview.

• The student can review interviews at any time throughout the senior cycle allowing for ample opportunities to reflect upon the interview and personal development since it was carried out.

• As it is easy to send an interview to an entire class, the guidance counsellor can carry out more interviews more often without the need for scheduling.

• As more interviews can be carried out, the career guidance counsellor can carry out a more comprehensive investigation of students that are unsure of post secondary education options.

• Different types of interviews can be carried out to ascertain different information about the students’ aptitude, interests, maturity etc.

Thus overall a much more comprehensive career guidance and investigation can be carried out providing the student with the best opportunity to make the right decisions and have fewer regrets later on in life as a result of immature decisions.

Work experience preparation and completion

Work placement/ shadowing/simulation is an integral part of the transition year programme. Sonru is a particularly relevant and useful tool that can be used to assist the teacher and student throughout this process.

Interview preparation

Because of the ease at which interviews can be created and sent to an entire year in a couple of minutes Sonru allows the teacher/ career guidance counsellor to conveniently interview more students more often. Thus the student can be thoroughly prepared for job or work experience interviews. Below are some the advantages and benefits of using Sonru throughout the Transition Year students interview preparation:

• Interviews completed at any time: The student can complete the interview at any time, as part of homework or in the classroom environment.

• Teacher Review anytime: As video files are stored in the teachers Sonru account the teacher can review at any time which is convenient to him/her.

• Practice makes perfect: The more mock interviews a student completes the better equipped he/she will become.

• Bank of interviews: As interviews are stored on video file, each completed interview along with the teachers email feedback can be reviewed at anytime. The student will hold a bank of recorded online video interviews and feedback that can be reviewed at any time.

• More time for review with student: Teacher/guidance counsellor time that is allocated to the student can be spent discussing and reviewing the interview as opposed to completing the interview.

• Different types of interviews: As a greater number of interviews can be completed using Sonru, the teacher/guidance counsellor can examine the student in different types of interviews competency, behavioural, informative etc.

• Add reviewers: Other teachers can be added as viewers to share the workload and to share feedback on the student. Feedback comments can also be shared on the viewers’ comments board. Review of video files can easily be carried out as often as required.

• Different types of viewers: Entrepreneurs, business people or other members of the community can be added as viewers if the teacher feels it could be beneficial or interesting to get their feedback on interviews.

Work Experience

As outlined in online video diary, the student can create an online video diary or report of the work experience. Below is a brief suggestion of how this can be carried out:

1. Before work experience
   

   • Interview in which Student record goals and expectations for the experience.

2. Whilst undertaking work experience
   Student records and Reflect upon each days experience. Teacher can use the same generic interview each day. Examples of questions that can be used include:
   

   • Did you improve or learn any new practical personal or interpersonal skills?
   • Did you encounter any personal or work related challenges?

3. Post experience

• Post experience interview to examine student development as a direct result of the experience, this also allows for student reflection on the experience.

• Recorded videos used for teacher and student reflection on the achievement of goals set out before experience.

• Recorded videos used as a reference point for teacher/student reporting on the experience

• Recorded videos used as a reference point when creating future goals and objectives.

Languages

Transition Year is an excellent opportunity to place the impetus on the student to develop their spoken languages ability. Sonru creates an environment in which the students oral ability can be tested and recorded. Please see the languages to find out exactly how Sonru can be used by the teacher and student to further the Transition Year language education.

Information Communications Technology

ICT is becoming an integral part of every subject across the curriculum. However it demands particular attention in the Transition Year where it is expected to be used across many subjects in addition to being studied as a core subject layer or subject sampling layer.

Sonru offers the ICT student and teacher with the opportunity to maximise the use of emerging digital technology in the class. The teacher can create ICT examinations and quizzes or competitions using sonru and in the process the student can learn the following ICT skills.

• Access a website and add to the favorites/bookmark list.

• Receive and decipher email messages and thus identify the main components of an email address.

• Identify and learn how to set up the following devices: webcam, microphone/ headset.

• Learn how to use the following input devices; keyboard, webcam and microphone/headset.

• Use these input devices to upload video files onto the internet.

• Access and view recorded video files in a safe and secure online environment.

Transition Year Assessment Requirements Fulfilled using Sonru

• Oral assessment. (Online Interview /oral examination) 

• Report of Work experience (online diary). 

• Pupil diary /Log Book recording personal progress. (Online Diary) 

• Records of skills and competencies attained.(Online Diary)

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