Digital Learning Framework
ST Brendans Digital Learning Framework
Introduction:
The development of this plan was set out as a priority area by the school to comply with the Department of Education publications ‘circular 0001/2017’,Digital Learning Framework and ‘Digital Strategy for Schools’.
There are four key aspects to this plan:
• Overall approach to e-learning to include the role of school leadership, planning for e-learning and the vision of an e-learning culture in the school.
• ICT in the curriculum, to include targets for each class level and examples of best practice in the school.
• Professional development issues, to include staff training.
• The ICT infrastructure in the school, to include a maintenance and refurbishment plan, budget and technical issues.
School Details:
St. Brendan’s is an all-boys DEIS school in Birr Co. Offaly of approximately 190 students. The school has one stream of each mainstream class with 3 special classes ( MGLD / ASD)
Overall approach towards e-learning:
Vision for e-learning here in St Brendans:
In line with the guidance provided by the National Council for Technology in Education (NCTE), the approach in St Brendans is to emphasize the integration of ICT across the curriculum, in order to improve the quality of teaching and learning. Therefore ICT is not a subject or a curriculum in its own right. It is a tool that can add value to the teaching and learning process when it is used appropriately. The purpose of computer literacy is the same as all teaching and learning, to awaken and to support the development of intellectual curiosity.
However, parents and teachers can overestimate the benefits of exposure to ICT for children. Some suggest that technology does little beyond distract children from real learning opportunities much of which could better be accomplished by pen and paper and traditional teaching. While children may have a passionate engagement with technology, some research suggests that it can lead them to trial and error responses (click and see) and guesswork answers. Technology can detract from time spent socially, from imagining.
At the same time, we are educating children who live in a technological age (digital natives) and so our teaching and learning must reflect that reality. Pedagogically, e-learning can be highly motivating for the learner and particularly for those children who find the more traditional methodologies of the school setting constraining. In that light, we will strive to maximize the potential for children’s learning using ICT, where appropriate.
Our vision for e-learning is about trying to ensure that the children begin to develop a critical appreciation of the role of ICT in society and develop habits which reflect an ethical and responsible use of ICT.
St. Brendan’s is committed to the implementation of an e-learning policy based on the following principles:
• ICT is a cross curricular tool, not a subject in its own right
• ICT is an essential part of the administration of the school
• Schools have a role to ensure that all pupils in the school, not just those with access to technology at home, can access an e-learning environment
At present, we are focusing on Domain 1 and Domain 2 from the DLF . We hope to include domain 3 and 4 teaching and learning then and also including aspects from leading and management domains.
