Susan Nic Réamoinn has been the Irish language Education Officer with NCCA since 2018. Susan has worked across a number of projects at primary level in NCCA including the redevelopment of the Primary Language Curriculum and consultation on the new primary curriculum framework.
Susan has ten years teaching experience in both English and Irish-medium primary schools and has a particular interest in second language development and the use of technology in the early years.
Susan has a Master’s in Business and Information Technology from Dublin City University and is currently pursuing a PhD at Trinity College Dublin, on how the use of robotics can aid language learning in the early years of primary education.
Ben Murray is currently a Post-Primary Director with the NCCA. He has responsibility for curriculum and assessment design at junior cycle and senior cycle levels.
He has 25 years teaching experience in both the primary and the post-primary sectors in Ireland; as a Music, a Classics and a digital media teacher. Over the course of those 25 years, Ben has coordinated a thriving music department, enjoyed a few years as a Deputy Principal, acted as mentor and adviser for initial teacher educator (ITE) students and has been involved in the design and deployment of teacher professional learning.
Ben is particularly interested in researching the embedding of key competencies in teaching, learning and assessment; in the role that technology plays in allowing collaborative cultures to thrive in classrooms and how these collaborative environments support the development and assessment of current and emerging key competencies.
Sinéad Tuohy joined NCCA in 2019 as an Education Officer with responsibility for post-primary developments.
Prior to assuming this role in NCCA, Sinéad previously worked as a post-primary teacher for eleven years teaching through both English and Irish before becoming involved in teacher professional learning. Over the course of eight years she has designed, developed and facilitated professional development programmes for teachers and school leaders to support the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategy, School Self-evaluation and the implementation of the Framework for Junior Cycle.
Sinéad has a particular interest in supporting young people to become active and responsible digital citizens and has been a researcher and manager of two Erasmus Plus projects (KA3), both with a focus on the development of digital literacy and the embedding of key skills into teaching learning and assessment.
Tony Riley joined the NCCA as an Education Officer in 2017 and is responsible for curriculum and assessment developments at primary level.
Having qualified in New Zealand, Tony has worked as a classroom teacher for over 30 years in both primary and post-primary school settings in New Zealand, United Kingdom, and Ireland. He currently works across a number of projects within the NCCA primary team. Tony is responsible for the research and development of the digital technologies competency and subject area as proposed in the draft primary school curriculum framework.
He is an active member of the executive committee for the Computers in Education Society of Ireland and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Education in Dublin City University’s Institute of Education.
Susan Nic Réamoinn has been the Irish language Education Officer with NCCA since 2018. Susan has worked across a number of projects at primary level in NCCA including the redevelopment of the Primary Language Curriculum and consultation on the new primary curriculum framework.
Susan has ten years teaching experience in both English and Irish-medium primary schools and has a particular interest in second language development and the use of technology in the early years.
Susan has a Master’s in Business and Information Technology from Dublin City University and is currently pursuing a PhD at Trinity College Dublin, on how the use of robotics can aid language learning in the early years of primary education.
Ben Murray is currently a Post-Primary Director with the NCCA. He has responsibility for curriculum and assessment design at junior cycle and senior cycle levels.
He has 25 years teaching experience in both the primary and the post-primary sectors in Ireland; as a Music, a Classics and a digital media teacher. Over the course of those 25 years, Ben has coordinated a thriving music department, enjoyed a few years as a Deputy Principal, acted as mentor and adviser for initial teacher educator (ITE) students and has been involved in the design and deployment of teacher professional learning.
Ben is particularly interested in researching the embedding of key competencies in teaching, learning and assessment; in the role that technology plays in allowing collaborative cultures to thrive in classrooms and how these collaborative environments support the development and assessment of current and emerging key competencies.
Sinéad Tuohy joined NCCA in 2019 as an Education Officer with responsibility for post-primary developments.
Prior to assuming this role in NCCA, Sinéad previously worked as a post-primary teacher for eleven years teaching through both English and Irish before becoming involved in teacher professional learning. Over the course of eight years she has designed, developed and facilitated professional development programmes for teachers and school leaders to support the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategy, School Self-evaluation and the implementation of the Framework for Junior Cycle.
Sinéad has a particular interest in supporting young people to become active and responsible digital citizens and has been a researcher and manager of two Erasmus Plus projects (KA3), both with a focus on the development of digital literacy and the embedding of key skills into teaching learning and assessment.
Tony Riley joined the NCCA as an Education Officer in 2017 and is responsible for curriculum and assessment developments at primary level.
Having qualified in New Zealand, Tony has worked as a classroom teacher for over 30 years in both primary and post-primary school settings in New Zealand, United Kingdom, and Ireland. He currently works across a number of projects within the NCCA primary team. Tony is responsible for the research and development of the digital technologies competency and subject area as proposed in the draft primary school curriculum framework.
He is an active member of the executive committee for the Computers in Education Society of Ireland and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Education in Dublin City University’s Institute of Education.
The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) is the statutory body in Ireland that advises the Minister for Education on matters in relation to curriculum and assessment for early childhood education, primary and post primary schools. In this paper, we outline how Ireland is fostering and supporting the use of digital technology and being a digital learner in the early childhood, primary and post-primary education.
Creating and sharing media in a digital environment has become an increasingly important feature of how young people communicate and engage with each other and with the wider world. The rapid growth and expansion of online platforms and applications coupled with the increasing access to information from a range of sources highlights the importance of understanding what it means to be a digital learner.
Integrating digital technology into the curriculum supports broadening the imagination of children and young people while expanding their creative thinking and encouraging a positive and responsible attitude towards technology.
This paper will outline the work we are undertaking to support the development of children and young people as digital learners. It will explore how digital media literacy continues to be integrated into the curriculum in Ireland, with opportunities for children and young people to develop and grow as digital citizens and to apply these skills in a range of contexts, both within the classroom and in their daily lives.
FIGURE 5 OVERVIEW OF THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM IN IRELAND
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