Newsletter
Spring 2000

Lisbon European Council
The European Council meeting in Lisbon in March agreed a new strategic goal for the European Union in order to strengthen employment, economic reform and social cohesion as part of a knowledged-based economy.

 It was recognised that a challenging programme for building knowledge infrastructures, enhancing innovation and economic reform, and modernising social welfare and education systems was needed.

Amongst other measures the European Council calls, in particular, on the Member States to ensure that all schools in the Union have access to the Internet and multimedia resources by the end of 2001, and that all the teachers needed are skilled in the use of the Internet and multimedia resources by the end of 2002.

Inadequate funding for training
The proportion of the Educational Budget being spent on ICT training is much too small. In the private sector a greater percentage of budget is spent on such training. So asserted Richard Bruton T.D. Fine Gael Spokesperson on Education as he  launched Student Fair 2000 in DCU on Saturday April 8. Mr Bruton was alos concerned that there was an increasing gap between advantaged and disadvantaged groups in the population in their access to technology.

Mr Bruton praised the competence displayed by the students in their projects and complimented their teachers on the work being done in the schools.
Study of the Impact of ICT on school organisation
The Department of Education and Science has invited tenders for the completion of the Irish portion of an international OECD research study on the organisational and other impacts of ICT on schools. The study will involve constructing 10 detailed case studies of Irish schools, during the period April 2000 to October 2001. The schools selected for the case studies will be based on existing schools who are involved in the  Schools Integration Projects of thre IT2000 initiative and the research will form part of the evaluation of these projects.
New Chairperson for CESI
Conor McLiam of Kilkenny was elected Chairperson of CESI at the AGM held in Laois Education Centre on Thursday 30 March last. He succeeds  Eddie Guilmartin who held the position for the last 6 years.

Dundalk CESI
Dundalk CESI held a very successful student Fair on March 30th.  They had 21 projects from 12 schools, primary and secondary.  All entrants received a certificate and all schools represented received a plaque.  Local media attended and refreshments were served.
Students from St Louis Secondary School Dundalk  and their teacher Mr Jim Kelly disolay their project at the National Student Fair

Dublin CESI
The Dublin Branch has been holding its monthly meetings in the Blackrock Education Centre on the last Tuesday of each month.  Some of the topics covered todate include Uploading your first webpage, What’s out on the Internet, The Programmable Brick and Networking in my school. Networking night had a bumper attendance. April energies are directed at organising the Student Fair and May (30th) will be the night of the AGM.
Kilkenny CESI
There has been a lot of activity, mainly in conjunction with the Education Centre and the SIP projects.and the Information Age Town as the city moves to a virtual community.
Athlone CESI
The inaurgoral meeting of Athlone CESI took place in the Education Centre, Athlone in February. An outline of the work of CESI and exploration of ScoilNet  formed the basis for evening meeting.
 

DWEC Support Group
This group continues to meet on the last Wednesday of each month. in either Presentation PS, Terenure or St Brigid’s Castleknock. Contact Fintan Keating for uptodate details  tel 01-8643052  or email him at ictadvisordwec@eircom.net
Tullamore CESI
Tullamore Branch has been devoting their time to demostrations of hardware and software.
New Appointment in NCTE
Dominic McEvoy has been appointed  National Co-ordinator for the Training Skills Initiative (TSI) in the National Centre for Technology in Education (NCTE). Dominic takes over the position from Seonad Cooke . We wish him well in his new post.
ICT Advisors
A significant feature of the Schools IT2000 programme is the Teaching Skills Initiative (TSI) and an integral part of TSI is the appointment of ICT Advisors to the Education Centre Network.  Twenty regional ICT advisors were to work out of  Education Centres. Most of the appointments have been made. Here is the list:

*Gàidhlig air an Lìon - Gaeilge na hAlban
*Recortyssyn Gaelagh - Gaeilge Mhanann,
*Rudan Ceilteach air an Lìon - Ceangail cheilteacha
*Mion-teangacha na hEorpa
*Seirbhísí WWW in Éirinn

Bain triall as na láithreacha seo chomh maith.
http://www.ceantar.org/Comp/soft.html
http://www.fiosfeasa.com/
http://og-man.net/ethlang.htm

Ní an liosta go léir anseo. Níl ann ach tús an aistir. Ar aghaidh leat!

The "Empowering Minds-Control Technology" project is one of the Schools Integration Projects (SIP) funded by the National Centre for Technology in Education (NCTE). An exciting development of the project has been the establishment of a collaborative partnership between St. Patrick’s College (Drumcondra), the National Centre for Technology in Education (NCTE), the Media Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and selected Irish primary schools.

The project is being co-ordinated by Deirdre Butler of St. Patrick’s College and four schools have been taking part in the initial phase: St. Brigid’s NS , Castleknock, Dublin 15; St. Finian’s NS . Newcastle, Co. Dublin; City Quay NS, Dublin 2.; Clontubrid NS, Kilkenny

For the technology basis, the  project uses the LEGO Mindstorms set of robotic design materials.  Using these materials allows children and teachers to have rich and in-depth explorations of key ideas in control technology, including (but not limited to!) mechanical design, power, speed, gearing, friction, sensing, feedback, software design, and project management.

 HUMANITIES/LANGUAGES
Social, Environmental and General Education
Integrating English and ICT
Aithint
The use of ICTs in Teaching Religious Education
Language Development Using ICT
The Computer as a Cross-Curricular Mediational Tool in the Primary School
Preparation of a Primary Schools Web Site
A Sociological Study of Shopping
European Studies
Children as Authors and Publishers
Local History, the Environment, Culture
A Sense of Japan
The use of ICT in Teaching Languages
An Awareness, Appreciation and Enhancement of the Local Environment
The Marine
You are What You Eat

CULTURE AND THE ARTS
Technology in Music (TIM)
The Potential of ICT in the Arts
Eur-Opera

 SPECIAL NEEDS
The Role of ICT in Supporting Students with Reading Difficulties
The Role of ICT in Learning Support
Open and Distance Learning for Circus and Fairground Families
The Virtual Classroom
Special Education Access to Knowledge (SPEAK)
Solas
The Line Projects
Ógra Chorcaí

 TECHNICAL/INTERNET
Classroom of the Future
Second Level/Primary Education: A Project in Sharing Resources and Curriculum Development
Extension of ICT Awareness and Integration of ICT into General Subject Areas
Preparation of a Primary Schools Web Site
 A Trans-National Environmental Project
The Thin-Client Server Solution in Irish Schools
 The Development of a School Subject-based Intranet
 West Cork Information Technology Network
 An Inter-Schools ICT Initiative

 OTHER
The use of ICT in Career Guidance in Schools
Dublin Inner City Schools Computerisation (DISC)
Wired For Learning

To find out more about the SIPs visit the site
http://www.ncte.ie/sip.htm
http://homepages.iol.ie/~ednet1/
ScoilNet Revamp
The ScoilNet site is currently undergoing a transformation and will be completely revamped by the middle of April 2000. A group of teachers and technical people are currently engaged in adding new material and updating old work.

International Conferences

EUROPRIM 2000 (October 9-13, 2000)
at the State Institut
for School and Adult Education in Soest, Germany. The conference will be open to teacher practitioners and researchers from all over Europe.
CESI is a co-sponsor of EUROPRIM 2000

European Virtual school Conference Malmo Sweden October 2000

WCCE 2001

7th World Conference on Computers in Education
Networking the Learner
29th July to 3rd August 2001
Copenhagen
www.wcce2001.dk
Autumn 1999 Newsletter

Editor: Tomás O Briain