The projects listed here are examples of longitudinal projects that support the creative use of ICT in the classroom.

FÍS

FÍS (literally translated as ‘Vision’) was an initiative from the Department of Education and Science (DES) in the Republic of Ireland and was a project designed to introduce the medium of film as a support to the Primary School Curriculum (Curaclam na Bunscoile). The FÍS project is now managed by the National Centre for Technology in Education (NCTE), in collaboration with Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art Design and Technology (The National Film School).

NCTE’s Soundbeam Project

The NCTE arranged for an evaluation of the use of Soundbeam in Irish special schools via case studies in four schools during the 2004/2005 school year.  The purpose of the evaluation was to establish the suitability of Soundbeam for use with students with severe/profound general learning disabilities or multiple disabilities in Irish schools.  The NCTE supplied Soundbeam version 2 equipment to three of the schools (the fourth schools already had its own Soundbeam version 1 equipment), three days of training for the teachers involved and a template for reporting the school’s evaluative case study of Soundbeam.

Laptops Initiative

An initiative for students with dyslexia or other reading/writing difficulties.
Thirty-one post-primary schools around Ireland were involved in this innovative initiative aimed at supporting students with dyslexia or other reading/writing difficulties through the provision of laptop computers. The initiative aimed to identify how laptops can support these students and facilitate learning in an inclusive environment. http://www.laptopsinitiative.ie/Book.aspx

IMMERSE

IMMERSE stands for Innovative Multi–Media Educational Resources for Students and Educators.A Digital Learning Partnership established in 2002 between NCTE and the national broadcaster, RTÉ, set out to develop digital content relating to the Irish curriculum. This partnership has been a fruitful one, with two DVDs produced and distributed to primary schools and four comprehensive websites created.

Creative Learning in the Digital Age

This project was a partnership between Northern Ireland Screen, the Nerve Centre and CCEA (Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment). Funded by NESTA the project aimed to encourage the use of moving image in the classroom. Digital Film Archive

Access to the site is available to all, however access to the clips is restricted to teachers and pupils studying CCEA’s Moving Image Arts and history teachers involved in the original pilot.

The Dissolving Boundaries Programme

Set up in 1999 to use ICT to link special, primary and secondary schools together in Northern Ireland and the Repulic of Ireland for joint work in the curriculum. The website contains examples of school links, research reports and a video of the programme in 2008. www.dissolvingboundaries.org

C2k

C2k on behalf of the five education and library boards is responsible for the provision of an information and communications technology (ICT) managed service to all schools in Northern Ireland. The C2k website has case studies of pupils and teachers working with ICT. http://www.c2kni.org.uk/casestudies/casestudy.html