25 October, 2006 - Minister Hanafin presents Digital Schools Award to St. Joseph's Boys NS, Terenure

Minister for Education and Science, Mary Hanafin T.D., today  visited St. Joseph's Boys National School in Terenure, Dublin to present the school with the Digital Schools Award.  The scheme which is funded by the Department of Education and Science, through the National Centre for Technology in Education (NCTE), aims to recognise excellence in a school?s approach to the integration of Information Communications Technology (ICT) in learning and teaching.
 
St. Joseph?s school, which has over 490 pupils, is one of only 24 schools in the country to receive this award.
 
"The Digital Schools Award being made to St. Joseph's National School acknowledges the hard work and commitment of the entire school community here, teachers, students and parents, and has led to the full integration of ICT across all school activity from curriculum to culture" said Minister Hanafin. 

During her visit to the school this morning, Minister Hanafin met with pupils in Junior Infants who demonstrated learning the alphabet through digital technology.  In 1st class the pupils of St Joseph?s showed the Minister how they are dealing with maths sums and learning songs through the use of integrated technology, while the students in 5th class demonstrated researching geographical locations through the internet.
 
Minister Hanafin said the pupils were right to be proud of their achievements in integrating ICT into the classroom. "Watching pupils and teachers use the mobile mouse and wireless keyboards to create digital links between the classroom, the computer room and home is testimony to the ICT culture of this school."
 
In the past two years St Joseph?s BNS has spent nearly €100,000 on ICT hardware, with about half of the funding being grant aided by the Department of Education and Science and the remainder through parents fundraising and corporate involvement.
 
Minister Hanafin went on to say "This scheme will award the achievement of St Joseph's and provide a notable mark of ICT success in this school.  It will provide inspiration and encouragement for other schools." 
 
In the past two years the 24 computers in the Computer room at St Joseph's were replaced.  Work on the Digital Curriculum project was completed in May of this year.  Now all classrooms have two network points for classroom computers, the whole school is wirelessly networked and all 16 classrooms have a digital projector.  Each of the classrooms has a wireless keyboard and mouse to allow the children to interact with the technology in the classroom, while all classrooms have access to colour printers, digital cameras, camcorders and webcams.
 
Outlining the Government?s commitment to the on-going development of ICT in schools, Minister Hanafin said "over €170million has been invested in the ICT in schools programme.  At the moment, the major focus of the Department of Education and Science is the roll-out of the broadband connectivity to all schools which is being delivered in partnership with industry, following the establishment of a three year €18m joint Government and Industry fund.  Overall costs of the schools broadband access programme including set up and ongoing costs are likely to be the region of €30million over the three years."
 
Minister Hanafin also paid tribute to the National Centre for Technology in Education and its partners in this initiative, the Irish Primary Principals Network, the Irish National Teachers' Organisation and the Computer Society of Ireland who have worked together to develop the scheme.

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