Gerard Craughwell (Independent)
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On the issue of ownership of assistive technology, I managed the assistive technology in my school for a number of years. We could have as many as 20 or 25 laptops to hand out to students. Technology ages very quickly - the software rushes ahead and the technology chases behind. That has always been the way. If one is lucky, one finishes up after two years with 20 laptops that are obsolete. I am interested in what Mr. Byrne has to say about managing the updating of the software when laptops or other assistive technology is returned to the school. It is a nightmare to manage and it makes no sense. If a student is given a piece of technology that will help them to learn, why can they not bring it with them? Even if they are finished their education forever, they should bring it with them and keep all their files, learning and technology. I understand the Department has to try to manage its resources but a laptop probably costs them €250 and a student has it for three or five years. Today an iPad, depending on the particular model one is working with, costs a couple of hundred euro. I am interested in what Mr. Byrne has to say on this. One cannot recycle an awful lot of this stuff. It finishes up in a storeroom for somebody to count because there is nothing else that can be done with it. It might be passed onto staff to use in their staff rooms. Keeping technology alive is nonsense. We should give it to the students and tell them that it is to assist them for the rest of their lives and that they can take it with them.