Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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124. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her strategy for integrating digital technology into teaching and learning in Ireland; and the structures that are in place to oversee the rapid adoption of same. [4619/22]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The Digital Strategy for Schools 2015-2020 sets out my Department’s current policy on the use of digital technologies in teaching, learning and assessment and promotes the embedding of digital technologies in teaching, learning and assessment so that the use of digital technology becomes a seamless part of the whole education experience.

Extensive supports, resources and advice for teachers and schools on the embedding of digital technologies are available through the Department’s support service, the Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST) and its Technology in Education team at www.pdsttechnologyineducation.ie.

Key achievements under the strategy include

- The development and rollout of the Digital Learning Framework (DLF), associated planning guidelines and supporting resources

- The inclusion by Higher Education Institutes of Digital Skills as a core element of their initial teacher education programmes

- The Introduction of Computer Science as a Leaving Certificate Subject

- Over 23,000 high quality curriculum tagged digital resources available at www.scoilnet.ie. The resources can be used by teachers, students and parents to support online learning

- All new and revised curricular specifications include clear statements that focus on the development of digital learning skills and the use of digital technologies as a resource in achieving specific outcomes across the curriculum

- Extensive support and advice for teachers, parents and students on online safety available at www.webwise.ie.

- A broad range of professional learning opportunities including differentiated models of CPD, are available to teachers and school leaders to guide on the effective use digital technologies in teaching and learning practices.

It is worth noting that this has been facilitated by ICT infrastructure grants totaling €210m issued to schools to support the implementation of the Digital Strategy over its five-year timeframe.

A new Digital Strategy is currently in the final phases of development and will build on the progress made to date, under the previous strategy, to harness the capacity of digital technologies in education to enhance engagement and digital skills development for our young people during their education in primary and post-primary school.