The Inspectorate wants to thank the followers for the usage of exposure: Clonakilty Community College. Clonakilty. Co Cork Saint Mark’s Community School. Tallaght. Dublin 24 Saint Mac Dara’s Community College. Templeogue. Dublin 6W Scoil Barra Naofa. Monkstown. Cork Scoil Nano Nagle and Talbot Senior National School. Clondalkin. Dublin 22 Whitechurch National School. Whitechurch Road. Dublin 16 © 2008 Department of Education and Science ISBN-0-0000-0000-X.

Designed by Slick Fish Design. Dublin Printed by Brunswick Press. Dublin Published by Evaluation Support and Research Unit Inspectorate Department of Education and Science Marlborough Street Dublin 1 To be purchased straight from Government Publications Gross saless Office Sun Alliance House Molesworth Street Dublin 2 or by station from Government Publications Postal Trade Section Unit 20 Lakeside Retail Park Claremorris Co Mayo ˆ20 Contents Foreword Executive drumhead xi xiii Part 1 Introduction Chapter 1 ICT in primary and post-primary instruction in Ireland 1. 1 1. 2 1. 3.

Introduction Background ICT policy and investing in instruction 1. 3. 1 1. 3. 2 1. 3. 3 1. 4 1. 4. 1 1. 4. 2 1. 4. 3 1. 4. 4 1. 5 Policy for ICT in instruction ICT in the course of study Investment in ICT in instruction Computers in schools Other ICT equipment in schools Expenditure on ICT and proficient support Other countries covered in the nose count 1 2 3 6 6 9 11 12 12 14 15 16 16 17 18 18 20 21 21 22 23 24 25 27 28 30 30 30 30 30 ICT substructure nose count in schools ( 2005 ) Summary Evaluation methods Chapter 2 2. 1 2. 2 2. 3 2. 4 Introduction Approaches to measuring ICT in schools Overview and purposes of the rating National study of primary and post-primary principals and instructors 2. 4. 1 2. 4. 2 2. 4. 3 2. 4.

4 Survey trying methods Survey research methods Response rate Comparison of respondents and population 2. 5 2. 6 Case-study school ratings 2. 6. 1 2. 6. 2 Primary schools Post-primary schools Observations during schoolroom reviews ( primary ) and capable reviews ( post-primary ) 27 2. 7 2. 8 On-line rating Evaluation end products and footings 2. 8. 1 2. 8. 2 2. 8. 3.

Outputs Junior and senior categories Quantitative footings used in this study iii ICT in Schools Part 2 Chapter 3 3. 1 3. 2 3. 3 3. 4 3. 5 ICT substructure and planning in schools ICT substructure in primary and post-primary schools 31 32 33 37 38 41 41 42 45 45 49 53 56 57 59 59 61 64 64 66 69 70 70 72 73 75 79 80 81 90 98 99 99 101 102 102 105.

Introduction The ICT consultative service ICT and funding ICT care. proficient support. and obsolescence Access to computing machines 3. 5. 1 3. 5. 2 Entree by instructors Access by pupils Organisation of ICT installations in case-study primary schools Organisation of ICT installations in case-study post-primary schools 3. 6. The usage of computing machines in schools 3. 6. 1 3. 6. 2 3. 7 3. 8 3. 9.

ICT peripherals Software Use of e-mail 3. 10. 1 3. 10. 2 3. 11. 1 3. 11. 2 The acquisition platform The school web site Main findings Recommendations ICT planning in primary and post-primary schools 3. 10 The online environment 3. 11 Summary of findings and recommendations Chapter 4 4. 1 4. 2 Introduction The planning procedure 4. 2. 1 4. 2. 2 4. 2. 3 4. 2.

4 The ICT maneuvering commission The ICT co-ordinator The ICT program The acceptable-use policy Teachers’ professional development Using ICT in schoolroom and lesson planning and readying Planning for utilizing ICT in learning and larning Principals’ precedences for ICT development Teachers’ precedences for ICT development Main findings Recommendations.

4. 3 Execution of ICT be aftering 4. 3. 1 4. 3. 2 4. 3. 3 4. 4 Forward planning 4. 4. 1 4. 4. 2 4. 5 Findingss and recommendations 4. 5. 1 4. 5. 2 four Part 3 Chapter 5 5. 1 5. 2 5. 3 ICT and instruction and acquisition in schools ICT and instruction and acquisition in primary schools 107 108 108 111 111 112 113 114 116 120 126 127 127 127 128 129 130 131 133 134 134 134 135 135 137 139 140 141 141 145 148 149 151 152 153 155 163 167 Introduction Teachers’ ICT makings and accomplishments Classroom pattern and ICT 5. 3. 1 5. 3. 2 5. 3. 3 5. 3. 4 5. 3. 5 5. 3. 6 5. 3.

7 Planning Frequency of ICT usage Administration of ICT usage Focus of ICT usage Use of resources and applications in the schoolroom Quality of proviso Provision for pupils with particular educational demands by mainstream category instructors Access to ICT Planning for the usage of ICT Frequency of ICT usage Focus of ICT usage Use of resources and applications Quality of proviso 5. 4 ICT in particular instruction 5. 4. 1 5. 4. 2 5. 4. 3 5. 4. 4 5. 4. 5 5. 4. 6 5. 5 5. 6.

Assessment Developing ICT in the schoolroom 5. 6. 1 5. 6. 2 Factors that constrain the development of ICT in the course of study Factors that facilitate the development of ICT in the course of study Main findings Recommendations ICT and instruction and acquisition in post-primary schools 5. 7 Findingss and recommendations 5. 7. 1 5. 7. 2 Chapter 6 6. 1 6. 2 Introduction ICT makings and accomplishments 6. 2. 1 6. 2.

2 Teachers’ ICT makings and accomplishment degrees Students’ ICT accomplishment degrees Timetabling of dedicated ICT lessons Curriculum and content of dedicated ICT lessons School principals’ support for the usage of ICT in the schoolroom ICT in pattern in the schoolroom Quality of proviso 6. 3 Dedicated ICT lessons 6. 3. 1 6. 3. 2 6. 4 Classroom pattern and ICT 6. 4. 1 6. 4. 2 6. 4. 3 6. 5 ICT and particular educational demands 5 ICT in Schools 6. 6 6. 7 Assessment Developing ICT in the schoolroom 6. 7. 1 6. 7. 2 Factors that constrain the development of ICT in the schoolroom Factors that facilitate the development of ICT in the schoolroom Main findings Recommendations.

168 168 168 170 172 172 174 6. 8 Findingss and recommendations 6. 8. 1 6. 8. 2 Part 4 Chapter 7 7. 1 7. 2 Summary of findings and recommendations Main findings and recommendations 177 178 179 179 181 182 184 184 186 188 188 189 191 194 197 Introduction Main findings 7. 2. 1 7. 2. 2 7. 2. 3 Infrastructure ICT Planning ICT in learning and larning ICT substructure Professional development demands of instructors ICT substructure in schools Planing for ICT in schools ICT in learning and larning 7. 3 Main recommendations for policy-makers and policy advisers 7. 3. 1 7. 3. 2 7. 4 Main recommendations for schools 7. 4. 1 7. 4. 2 7. 4. 3 References Appendix six Abbreviations.

AP AUP BOM CAD CEB CESI CPD DES ECDL EGFSN ERNIST ESI EU FETAC ICD ICT ISC LC LCA LCVP LSRT MLE NCC NCCA NCTE NPADC OECD PCSP PISA SCR SDP SDPI SDPS SDT SESE SESS SIP TIF VEC VLE WSE helper principal acceptable usage policy board of direction computer-aided design Commercial Examining Board Computer Studies Society of Ireland go oning professional development Department of Education and Science European Computer Driving Licence Expert Group on Future Skills Needs European Research Network for ICT in Schools of Tomorrow Education Services Interactive ( Project ) .

European Union Further Education and Training Awards Council in-career development information and communications engineering Information Society Commission Leaving Certificate ( Established ) Leaving Certificate—Applied Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme learning-support resource instructor managed larning environment National Competitiveness Council National Council for Curriculum and Assessment National Centre for Technology in Education National Policy Advisory and Development Committee Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Primary Curriculum Support Programme Programme for International Student Assessment student-computer ratio school development be aftering School Development Planning Initiative ( Post-primary ) .

School Development Planning Support ( Primary ) special-duties teacher Social. Environmental and Scientific Education Special Education Support Service Schools Integration Project Telecommunications and Internet Federation Vocational Education Committee practical acquisition environment whole-school rating seven ICT in Schools Tables Table 1. 1 Table 1. 2 Table 1. 3 Table 2. 1 Table 2. 2 Table 2. 3 Table 2. 4 Table 3. 1 Table 4. 1 Table 4. 2 Table 4. 3.

Table 4. 4 Table 4. 5 Table 4. 6 Table 5. 1 Table 5. 2 Table 5. 3 Table 5. 4 Table 5. 5 Table 5. 6 Table 5. 7 Table 5. 8 Table 5. 9 Support of ICT in instruction policy initiatives Student-computer ratio ( SCR ) in each school sector in given old ages Proportion of schools holding at least one fixed and one Mobile informations projector Comparison of study sample.

and population. primary schools Comparison of study sample and population. post-primary schools Number and degree of lessons observed. post-primary schools Quantitative footings used in the study Awareness and usage of NCTE and ICT consultative services among instructors Teachers’ attending at NCTE and ICT consultative service preparation courses Professional development penchants of post-primary instructors. by capable Teachers’ usage of internet resources in planning and readying for learning Primary principals’ positions on the strategic development of ICT Post-primary principals’ positions on the strategic development of ICT Teachers’ precedence countries for the development of ICT Proportion of primary instructors who rated their proficiency in ICT accomplishments as either “intermediate” or “advanced” .

Proportion of primary instructors who rated their ability in each of three ICT undertakings that facilitate instruction and acquisition as either “intermediate” or “advanced” Inspectors’ observations on the usage of ICT to ease instruction and acquisition in schoolrooms Teachers’ usage of package and the cyberspace to ease larning Most often used applications in the instruction of single curricular countries Applications used by members of special-education support squads to advance the development of accomplishments.

Most often used applications to advance the development of single acquisition precedence countries Comparison of inspectors’ evaluations of the quality of ICT proviso in back uping kids with particular educational demands in mainstream and special-education support scenes Table 5. 10 Table 6. 1 Table 6. 2 Table 6.

3 Sample of inspectors’ remarks on the quality of ICT usage in special-education support scenes Proportion of post-primary instructors who rated their proficiency in ICT accomplishments as either “intermediate” or “advanced” Proportions of post-primary instructors who rated their ability in each of three ICT undertakings that facilitate instruction and acquisition as either “intermediate” or “advanced” 144 Timetabled dedicated ICT lessons in post-primary schools 149 142 133 132 131 130 113 117 117 111 109 12 13 14 24 25 29 30 36 83 88 93 100 100 102 Inspectors’ remarks on the quality of usage of ICT observed in instruction and larning 123 eight Table 6. 4 Table 6. 5 Table 6. 6 Table 6. 7 Table 6. 8 Table 6. 9.

Normally taught subjects in dedicated ICT lessons Principals’ descriptions of how ICT is used in some topics Principals’ positions on the impact of ICT on instruction and larning Location of lessons observed during capable reviews ICT resources available in the schoolrooms of lessons observed Use of the cyberspace and package in instruction and larning 151 153 154 155 155 161 Diagrams Fig. 2. 1 Fig. 2. 2 Fig. 2. 3 Fig. 3. 1 Fig. 3. 2 Fig. 3. 3 Fig. 3. 4 Fig. 3. 5 Fig. 3. 6 Fig. 3. 7 Fig. 3. 8 Fig. 3. 9 Fig. 3. 10 Fig. 4. 1 Fig. 4. 2 Fig. 4. 3 Fig. 4. 4 Fig. 4. 5 Fig. 4. 6 Fig. 4. 7 Fig. 4. 8 Fig. 4. 9 Fig. 4. 10 Fig. 4. 11 Fig. 4. 12 Fig. 4. 13 Fig. 5. 1 Fig. 5. 2 Fig. 5.

3 Survey response rates Mainstream lesson observations in primary schools Subjects reviewed at post-primary degree Teachers’ evaluations of NCTE and ICT advisory services Access to computing machines by primary instructors Access to computing machines by post-primary instructors Access to computing machines by fifth-class pupils Access to computing machines by fifth-year pupils Frequency of usage of ICT peripherals by primary instructors Frequency of usage of ICT peripherals by post-primary instructors Provision and usage of e-mail reference by capable taught. post-primary schools.

The primary school web site: teachers’ responses The post-primary school web site: teachers’ responses Contentss of ICT programs. primary schools Contentss of ICT programs. post-primary schools Staff ICT preparation in primary schools within the old three old ages Staff ICT preparation in post-primary schools within the old three old ages Principals’ and teachers’ positions on ICT preparation demands. primary schools Principals’ and teachers’ positions on ICT preparation demands. post-primary schools Use of computing machines for lesson readying Resources provided by mainstream primary instructors utilizing ICT Use of the cyberspace in planning and readying for learning. by capable Scoilnet visits by instructors.

The most popular subdivisions of Scoilnet among instructors Teachers’ evaluations of Scoilnet Teachers’ positions on what Scoilnet should incorporate Use and related proficiency of applications in learning Extent to which mainstream instructors plan for the usage of ICT Organisation of learning and larning during usage of ICT 23 28 29 34 41 42 43 44 54 54 58 62 62 77 77 81 82 86 87 90 91 93 94 95 96 97 110 112 113 nine ICT in Schools Fig. 5. 4 Fig. 5. 5 Fig. 5. 6 Fig. 5. 7 Fig. 5. 8 Fig. 5. 9 Fig. 5. 10 Fig. 5. 11 Fig. 5. 12 Fig. 5. 13 Fig. 5. 14 Fig. 6. 1 Fig. 6. 2 Fig. 6. 3 Fig. 6. 4 Fig. 6. 5 Fig. 6. 6 Fig. 6. 7 Fig. 6. 8 Fig. 6. 9 Fig. 7. 1.

Frequency of ICT usage to advance acquisition in curricular countries Frequency of ICT usage among mainstream and particular category instructors to ease development of accomplishments Frequency of usage of single cyberspace resources by cyberspace users Inspectors’ evaluation of the quality of usage of ICT in learning and larning Students’ proficiency in single undertakings Level of ICT support for pupils with particular educational demands in mainstream schoolrooms Level of entree by pupils with particular educational demands in special-education support scenes.

Extent to which special-education support squad members plan for the usage of ICT Inspectors’ observations of the usage of ICT to ease instruction and acquisition in special-education support scenes Frequency of ICT usage in special-education support scenes to ease development of accomplishments Inspectors’ evaluations of the quality of usage of ICT in learning and larning observed in special-education support scenes Proficiency and usage of applications in learning Students’ usage of computing machines Students’ ICT accomplishment degrees Use of ICT in the planning and readying of ascertained lessons Main utilizations of ICT in learning and larning in the topics inspected. as reported by instructors.

Frequency of usage of computing machines in learning Settings in which ICT is used in schoolrooms Use of the cyberspace and applications. by capable country Inspectors’ evaluation of the quality of usage of ICT in learning and larning ascertained International student-computer ratios from PISA 2003 114 115 119 122 125 126 127 128 128 129 132 143 146 147 156 157 158 159 162 164 179 ten Foreword.

Information and communicating engineering has brought profound alterations to about all facets of our lives in recent old ages. It has transformed activities every bit basic as how we work. pass on with each other. dainty unwellnesss. travel. store and bask our leisure clip. The gait of alteration shows no mark of decelerating: so. the development of ICT and its applications to countries such as the integrating of media. are go oning at even faster rates than heretofore. In a comparatively short period of clip. ICT accomplishments have become as cardinal to populating a full life as being able to read. compose and calculate. Ireland has been a taking participant in the development of the ICT industry.

We have been a taking exporter of ICT hardware and package. and many of the cardinal concerns in the industry have of import bases here. Like other states. we have besides recognised that if our immature people are to populate full lives in a universe transformed by ICT. they need to hold chances to get and develop ICT accomplishments from an early age. Since the late ninetiess. we have made considerable investings in ICT substructure in schools. and in preparation for instructors and other professionals. Until now. small national research grounds has been published on the impact that the new engineerings have had on schools and particularly on learning and acquisition.

This study examines the extent to which ICT has been used in schools at both primary and post-primary degrees and. more significantly. assesses the impact that ICT has had on instruction and acquisition. including the ways in which ICT is used to back up the acquisition of pupils with particular educational demands. The rating shows that while much advancement has been achieved in the roll-out of ICT in schools. considerable challenges remain.

The study presents findings and recommendations that will be of involvement to instructors. principals. school support services. course of study developers and policy-makers. I hope that it will inform argument and policy determinations on how we can guarantee that immature people have the accomplishments. cognition and attitudes necessary to profit from the chances presented by this powerful engineering in the old ages in front. Eamon Stack Chief Inspector xi ICT in Schools xii Executive drumhead xiii ICT in Schools Executive sum-up.

An rating of the substructure. planning and usage of information and communications engineering in learning and acquisition was conducted by the Inspectorate in primary and post-primary schools during the school twelvemonth 2005/06.

The aims of the rating were: • to analyze the extent to which ICT was used in primary and post-primary schools • to measure the impact of ICT on instruction and larning • to measure the ICT accomplishments of pupils at selected points in the instruction system and to obtain their positions on their experience of ICT in their schooling • to obtain the positions of principals and instructors on their ICT accomplishments and their sentiments of the impact and future function of ICT in instruction • to do recommendations for policy development sing ICT in schools. fourteen Executive sum-up.

The rating methods comprised: • a national study of primary ( 234 ) and post-primary ( 110 ) principals • a national study of primary ( 1. 162 ) and post-primary ( 800 ) instructors • case-study school ratings by inspectors ( 32 primary schools. 20 post-primary schools ) • observations during schoolroom reviews ( 77 primary schools ) • observations during capable reviews ( 111 post-primary schools ) • a follow-up online study of instructors in case-study post-primary schools. Summary of chief findings The findings and recommendations are summarised here and are elaborated in chapter 7. Infrastructure • The student-computer ratio ( SCR ) in Irish schools is 9. 1:1 at primary degree and 7:1 at post-primary degree.

Information available from the OECD suggests that states that have taken the lead in the proviso of ICT in schools are taking for or accomplishing a SCR of 5:1. • In the chief. schools make effectual usage of the grants provided by the DES for developing their ICT systems. However. schools by and large spend well more on ICT than the amounts made available through these grants strategies. • The deficiency of proficient support and care is a important hindrance to the development of ICT in schools. • At primary degree. computing machine suites are by and large a characteristic of the larger schools. However. entree by pupils to computing machines was found to be superior where the computing machines were located in the schoolrooms.

At the post-primary degree there is a greater pervasion of computing machines in specializer suites than in general schoolrooms. • Schools were found to utilize a limited scope of ICT peripherals. chiefly pressmans. scanners. and digital cameras. Digital projectors were found in post-primary schools.

At primary degree. synergistic whiteboards were present in a little figure of schools. • Schools that made dedicated computing machine installations available to instructors reported that it led to the usage of more high-quality and originative instruction resources in schoolrooms. fifteen ICT in Schools Planning • Responsibility for ICT in a school can lie with an ICT guidance commission. the principal. the deputy principal. an ICT co-ordinator. or a combination of these forces.

Greater efficiency is achieved where a named individual has duty for ICT within a school and where their function is clearly defined. • The bulk ( 71 % ) of primary schools surveyed. but fewer than half ( 46 % ) of post-primary schools. were found to hold a written ICT program.

These programs tend to concentrate more on infrastructural issues than on how ICT can be used to heighten instruction and acquisition. • Most schools ( 83 % of primary schools. 87 % of post-primary schools ) were found to hold an acceptable-use policy ( AUP ) . This is a merchandise of the demands of the Schools Broadband Access Programme and the safety-awareness enterprises of the NCTE.

It is besides an indicant of the earnestness that schools attach to the hazards associated with the usage of the cyberspace. • The bulk of instructors make some usage of ICT in lesson planning and readying. Newly qualified instructors are more likely to utilize ICT for this intent than their more experient co-workers. However. fewer instructors were found to be after for the usage of ICT in learning and larning. At the post-primary degree. planning for the usage of ICT in learning varies between topics.

The programmes for Transition Year. LCVP and LCA specifically promote be aftering for the usage of ICT in learning and larning. Teachers of these programmes on a regular basis reported that their engagement besides encouraged them to utilize ICT in their instruction with other category groups.

• School principals and instructors identified the proviso and care of hardware in schools and the proviso of professional development chances in ICT as being strategically of import for the development of ICT in their school. Generic programmes of professional development. because of their wider entreaty. were found to hold a greater take-up among instructors than topic-specific programmes.

Teaching and larning • Merely 30 % of primary instructors and 25 % of post-primary instructors rated their ability as either “intermediate” or “advanced” with respect to utilizing learning and larning methods that are facilitated by ICT. Recently qualified instructors had a higher perceptual experience of their ICT accomplishments than more experient instructors.

• At the primary degree. the inspectors reported grounds of the usage of ICT to ease instruction and acquisition in 59 % of the schoolrooms visited. However. the inspectors observed ICT really being used in merely 22 % of the lessons observed. About a one-fourth of all reviews showed a competent or optimum degree of public presentation in relation to the usage of ICT in the schoolroom. sixteen Executive sum-up • Where ICT is used in primary schoolrooms it predominates in nucleus curricular countries. such as English and Mathematics. and in Social. Environmental and Scientific Education ( SESE ) . • The rating found that many fifth-class pupils in primary schools do non hold the competency to finish basic undertakings on the computing machine.

While most pupils reported being able to execute many of the most basic computing machine undertakings. such as turning a computing machine on and off and opening or salvaging a file. more than 30 % reported that they were non able to publish a papers or to travel on the cyberspace by themselves. Almost half ( 47 % ) reported non being able to make a papers by themselves. The bulk did non cognize how to make a presentation ( 72 % ) . utilize a spreadsheet ( 86 % ) . or direct an fond regard with an e-mail message ( 88 % ) . Competence in the usage of ICT is limited for the most portion to basic ICT accomplishments. centred on the usage of word-processing. • Merely 18 % of the post-primary lessons observed by the inspectors involved an ICT-related activity.

Students’ interaction with the engineering was observed in merely about a one-fourth of these cases. The most common ICT-related activity observed was the usage of a information projector to do a presentation to a category group. Inspectors judged that effectual integrating of ICT in learning and acquisition was happening in about half of the lessons in which the usage of ICT was observed ( i. e. in about 11 % of all lessons observed ) .

• Dedicated ICT lessons at the post-primary degree are more prevailing among freshman categories. and are provided less often as pupils progress towards the Junior Certificate. The bulk of schools concentrate on supplying pupils with such lessons in their Passage Year. in the LCVP. and in the LCA.

• High degrees of integrating of ICT were found at the post-primary degree in the scientific discipline and applied scientific discipline topics and in topics in the societal surveies I group. 1 Subjects were besides identified that seldom made usage of ICT. the most noteworthy being Irish. • The rating found that fifth-year pupils in post-primary schools had the assurance to execute many basic computing machine operations by themselves. for illustration salvaging. printing. deleting. gap and redacting a papers.

However. it besides found that they by and large needed some aid to execute more complicated undertakings. such as traveling files. copying files to external storage devices. and composing and directing electronic mail. A comparatively low proportion of these pupils reported being able to make a multimedia presentation.

Students required most aid with attaching a file to an e-mail message. building a web page. or covering with computing machine viruses. While the post-primary inspectors by and large commented positively on the students’ ICT work that they observed. they were besides concerned that the undertakings undertaken by the pupils were mostly word-processing and presentation undertakings.

1 Social Studies I group includes History ; Geography ; Art. Craft. and Design ; and Music. Social Studies II group includes Religious Education ; Physical Education ; Civic. Social and Political Education ( CSPE ) ; and Social. Personal and Health Education ( SPHE ) . seventeen ICT in Schools • ICT is widely used to ease the proviso by schools of particular instruction.

By and large. ICT is used more often by members of the special-education squad instead than by mainstream category instructors. The accent in students’ battle with ICT in special-education scenes is chiefly on the support of literacy. Support for ICT • The degree of consciousness among instructors of the ICT consultative service is by and large low. with fewer than half the respondents at both the primary and the post-primary degree describing an consciousness of it. Awareness is higher. nevertheless. among ICT co-ordinators than among other instructors. • The usage of the ICT consultative service is besides low. At the primary degree merely 22 % of all respondents reported holding used the service. while at the post-primary degree the corresponding figure was 15 % .

Summary of cardinal recommendations for policy-makers and policy advisers • The degree of ICT substructure in schools demands to be improved. Specifically. Ireland should be working towards fiting non merely all schools but all schoolrooms with an appropriate degree of ICT substructure. Consideration should be given to fiting all schoolrooms with a computing machine for usage by the instructor. broadband internet entree with equal bandwidth. and a fixed information projector and screen for usage by the instructor in presentations. Furthermore. to guarantee appropriate entree to ICT by pupils. Ireland should endeavor to cut down its student-computer ratio ( SCR ) from the present 9.

1:1 in primary schools and 7:1 in post-primary schools. International grounds suggests that states that have taken a lead in this country are taking for or accomplishing a ratio of 5:1 or less in all schools. • Improvements in ICT substructure will necessitate to be supported by the debut of a national ICT proficient support and care system for schools. Schools besides need to be provided with the capacity to on a regular basis upgrade their ain ICT substructure. • The pedagogical dimension of the ICT advisors’ function in an instruction Centre could be more suitably provided by the relevant school support services. in affair with the ICT school coordinators.

The proficient dimension of the ICT advisors’ function could be provided in a figure of ways. including for illustration. by holding a commercially supplied ICT care and support for schools. With an effectual IT care system in topographic point. the pedagogical function of ICT coordinators within schools could be enhanced and supported with appropriate preparation. eighteen Executive sum-up • Support services should give precedence to the integrating of ICT in learning and larning. There is an chance for such services to work more closely with schools. and with school ICT coordinators in peculiar. to find staff preparation demands and aid in organizing appropriate professional development classs for instructors.

Support service forces should take to be proactive in supplying illustrations of how ICT can be used to ease instruction and acquisition in any programmes provided. Furthermore. class organizers should take greater history of the broad scope of ICT abilities and experiences normally found in groups of instructors and should supply differentiated ICT acquisition experiences for class participants. • Extra counsel should be provided to schools and instructors of pupils with particular educational demands so that the demands of scholars may be matched more suitably with the engineering available. • There needs to be an increased accent on the application of ICT in learning and larning in teacher instruction at pre-service. initiation and go oning professional development phases.

It is recommended that teacher instruction sections in third-level colleges should supply pupil instructors with the accomplishments necessary to efficaciously utilize ICT in learning and Foster in them a civilization of utilizing ICT in their work. Consideration should besides be given to widening and spread outing significantly the current scope of professional development classs available for instructors.

A major focal point of such an enterprise should be on how ICT may be integrated to the full in the instruction and acquisition of specific topics and curricular countries. The ICT Framework for Schools. which the NCCA will publish in the close hereafter. will be a farther aid to schools in this respect. Key recommendations for schools • Schools and instructors should on a regular basis reexamine the usage of ICT in their work.

In peculiar. they should endeavor to guarantee greater integrating of ICT within learning and larning activities in schoolrooms and other scenes. • Teachers should work the potency of ICT to develop as broad a scope of students’ accomplishments as possible. including the higher-order accomplishments of problem-solving. synthesis. analysis. and rating. • Principals should promote and ease suited ICT preparation for instructors. Schools should liase with relevant support services and should endeavor to set up mechanisms to ease the sharing of good pattern among members of the staff.

• Schools should endeavor to supply all their pupils with an appropriate and just degree of experience of ICT at all category degrees: at the primary degree and at both junior and senior rhythm at the post-primary degree. nineteen ICT in Schools • Schools should be after for the care and upgrading of their ICT systems. • Computer suites. where they exist. should be used to maximal consequence.

Staff members and pupils should be provided with equal entree to the cyberspace. Post-primary schools in peculiar should take to increase the pervasion of ICT in general schoolrooms. • A designated staff member should be responsible for ICT development. An ICT program should be developed. utilizing a advisory procedure. and an appropriate-use policy ( AUP ) should besides be established.

• Teachers should endeavor to incorporate ICT more in their planning and readying for learning. • Schools demand to guarantee that ICT is used to back up pupils with particular educational demands in the most effectual and appropriate manner. Schools need to guarantee that they match students’ demands to the most appropriate engineering available. and that ICT is used to back up non merely the acquisition of literacy but the widest scope of students’ demands.

• Schools should work the benefits to be had from ICT in their appraisal processs and besides in their administrative patterns. xx Chapter 1 ICT in primary and post-primary instruction in Ireland Part 1 Introduction 1 ICT in Schools • Part 1 Introduction 1. 1 Introduction

Information and communications engineering ( ICT ) is an recognized component in all our lives and has a cardinal function to play in instruction. Since the visual aspect of the first Government policy on ICT in instruction in 1997. a significant investing has been made in ICT installations and preparation in Irish schools.

In Ireland. as in other states. the argument about ICT in instruction dressed ores on the possible impact of ICT on instruction and acquisition and on the steps that need to be adopted to guarantee that the potency of ICT to enrich students’ larning experience is realised. This Inspectorate study presents the findings of a major rating of the impact of ICT on instruction and