A case of AV1 in Irish Secondary Education

Without supplying sensitive information about the user, can you tell us a little about the student’s needs?

‍The boy is in Junior cycle and had a serious medical condition that required lengthy hospital stay and time out of school. He has been out of school for almost a year now. However, thankfully his treatment has been successful, and we expect that he will be able to return to school soon. To protect the boy’s privacy I’ll refer to him here as Joe.

What was the reaction of other pupils, teachers and parents when you first introduced AV1? Were there any concerns? If so, how did you address them?

‍Joe missed being at school and especially being with his friends. When he introduced him to the AV1, he was delighted. He had seen others use it in the hospital he first attended. His parents were anxious that we would start using it as soon as possible so that he would be able to keep up with his studies. Joe’s friends were eager from the beginning to have it set up so that they could catch up with Joe at break times. They were also happy to take charge of bringing the AV1 to class with them and setting it up at Joe’s desk. The teachers were assured that the AV1 was not recording anything, and they were happy to have it in class.

When did you see AV1 having the biggest impact in school/ class?

‍The biggest impact was possibly at break times when Joe could chat with his friends and see what was going on around them. He was going through a lot and he could enjoy some respite laughing and joking with his friends. Regarding classes themselves, the AV1 was better than MS TEAMS, for example, as he could see and interact live what was going on and teachers could tell how he was by looking at the ‘expressions’ on the robot ‘face’. He could choose to participate or just to watch, depending on how he felt at the time.  

Can you share any stories of when AV1 was used outside of the classroom?

Two events spring to mind. One was a football match. Joe would have been on the team but obviously couldn’t go himself. The boys brought the AV1 and Joe was able to ‘sit’ on the bench with his team mates and be part of the occasion. The other event where we used the AV1 outside of the classroom very effectively was for the school summer sports day. His friends brought the AV1 all around the sports field so that Joe could effectively be part of what was going on. When it was left in a particular spot, his classmates and teachers could come up and chat with him throughout the day.

How has it been managing AV1 in a secondary school?

The AV1 has been very easy to set up and to manage. This year we assigned another teacher the role of looking after the two AV1s and she has attended the on-line training. This training and the on-going support has been excellent.

Do you have any final remarks you wish to share?

We now have two AV1 robots. I believe they make an excellent contribution to inclusion at our school. I’m sorry we hadn’t found out about them sooner as other students could have benefited from them in the past.