Transforming education through technology IRELAND Jerome Morrissey Director

Transforming education through technology IRELAND Jerome Morrissey – Director National Centre for Technology in Education Dublin City University Ireland www. ncte. ie 1

Transforming education through technology BACKDROP The celtic tiger 1998 - 2004 Fastest growing Economy in Europe (10% p. a. ) • • Employment growth 6. 5% p. a. Productivity growth 7% p. a. Unemployment rate 4. 5% GDP growth of 10% p. a. Info. Tech - 330 companies-$30 billion exports Pharmaceuticals/Health care (1 st. in Eur, ) $19 b. Financial Services - 400 companies - 800 projects. All world majors present. ($85 bn. dom. funds ) 2

Transforming education through technology Ireland – growth of the Celtic Tiger. A small Island (4 million) on the western periphery of Europe - not a natural location for industry and services. Incentives to create a fertile habitat: • Access to internal market (EU) of 450 million people • Competitive operating environment -12. 5 % corporation tax; • 24% return on investment (after tax) • Planned Economic & Social Pgms. since 1986 3

Transforming education through technology Importance of FDI to Ireland (2004) • Status – – IDA companies – 1, 100 (510 from USA) Total employment – 150, 000 (85 k, USA) Total annual sales - € 85 bn Corporate Tax Paid – € 3 bn • Impact – – >80% of “manufactured” exports >35% of gross domestic product Technology and management skills Global orientation 4

Transforming education through technology FDI in 2001 • Ireland FDI • Attracted 40% of available US manufacturing investment in Europe (2000/1) • 13% of overall US overseas investment (Ireland is 1% of EU population) • Germany UK next in scale • Industry and Services 5

Transforming education through technology THE IRISH ECONOMY 6

Transforming education through technology Why this success? • USA Boom, ICT growth, EU single market • People, skills, costs, • Low corporate tax - 12. 5 % • Corp. profits rise by av. of 13. 3% p. a • Public policy e. g. Education • Performance of Irish Managers • Flexibility, agility, creativity • Ancestral/historical/cultural ties 7

Transforming education through technology Key Sectors • Information and Communications Technology (ICT) • International Business Services • Pharmaceuticals/Medical Technologies • International Financial Services 8

Transforming education through technology ICT • One of Europe’s leading ICT Locations • Over 300 companies exporting € 30 billion p. a. 9

Transforming education through technology Ireland - software 630 + companies (130 foreign incl. World top 15 ) • No. 1 software exporter in world (US-2 nd. ) $16 bn. exports. • Growing Irish companies • Trintech, Riverdeep, Iona Technologies, Skillsoft (Smartforce), Havok, ECDL • World class support: audio/video/art/design/animation/translation/ transport etc. • 80% of national output is exported. 10

Transforming education through technology Digital media research • Medialab Europe -MIT establishes in Dublin 2000 -first outside the US. Failed initiative. • New Digital Media research centre • Inter- varsity collaboration on co-research and on IPR with ICT industry participation • Technology and Learning research 11

Transforming education through technology Government Initiatives in Research & Development • € 2. 5 billion programme of investment in R&D under the National Development Plan 2000 -2006 • Programme of Research in Third Level Institutions – € 605 m approved for broad range of disciplines – Collaboration between colleges – Substantial increase in output of post docs and researchers. • Science Foundation Ireland – € 650 m funding 2000 -2006 – World class research in ICT and Biotechnlogy – Attracting renowned researchers from abroad – Centres of science, Engineering & Technology 12

Transforming education through technology R&D (GERD) & (BERD) • EGFSN (skills group) action plan –target of 2. 5% of GNP by 2010 on GERD • € 1. 9 bn in 2004 – 380 companies active • 8000 researchers needed (current supply of 4400 • € 20 million on Ire. L Initiative (publishing/Journals/online access) • Target of 2. 5% of GDP for BERN (€ 3 bn) € 1. 2 bn in 2004 13

Transforming education through technology The Learner • an affinity with ICT • exploit and push the boundaries of ICT • Communications/entertainments media used are “visual” and multi-format. • highly interactive , participative, individualistic and collaborative. • Individualised /personal learning environments. need for learning resources and tools which connect with this learner profile 14

Transforming education through technology The teacher ? • Delivering curricular objectives – time constraints/ learning & learning resources already propared. • Teacher evaluation linked to pupil achievement in examinations (parental & pupil pressure) • High quality learning objects required to assist teachers 15

Transforming education through technology ICT Industry interface with some of the key prerequisites for ICT integration in education • ‘Pervasive’ ICT facilities for schools and learners • Availability of curriculum-relevant quality digital content • Professional development and ICT supports for teachers • Funding innovation and transferring good practice • Portal sites to facilitate engagement by an active learning community and assist more personalised learning (VLE) 16

Transforming education through technology “Pervasive” ICT facilities for schools and learners 2004. Joint government / industry project to fund design and installation of a new national broadband network. Telecoms and Internet federation (TIF) - € 18 m. Government - € 3 - 4 million. competitive RFT issued. Subsequent EU ruling on e-rate/percentage. Technologies: DSL/ wireless /satellite/fixed line (2 – 10 megs) 17

Transforming education through technology Schools Broadband Network Internet Centrally Managed Services hosted by HEAnet Secure Email Virus Control Spam Management Controlled Internet Access Content Filtering Security Services Firewall Other Applications Leased Line ADSL SCHOOL LAN Satellite Wireless SCHOOL LAN Other Access Links provided by Broadband Service Providers Connecting all ~4000 Schools SCHOOL LAN 18

Transforming education through technology Centrally Managed Services • Controlled Internet Access • Centralised Filtering System • Website blocking, Web Content blocking • Schools can still use their own • Filtering Guideline included • Security Services • Central Firewall • Virus Management Guideline included • Email for schools • Provide email address for every teacher • Additional no. of addresses for each school • Schools decide how to use additional addresses • Integrated Anti-Virus and Anti-Spam controls 19

Transforming education through technology Service Desk Support by email and telephone between Schools and the Service Desk Schools Service Desk ICT Advisory Service NCTE HEAnet Broadband Service Providers 20

Transforming education through technology School infrastructure 2005. Exploration of a joint government / ICT industry sponsored initiative to enhance/refresh ICT equipment to schools. More difficult than the TIF initiative. – industry consensus unlikely. 21

Transforming education through technology Availability of quality digital content for learning and teaching market difficulties Small market base – (First level. 45 m. Second level. 35 m. Third level. 14 m) • Several unique “national” subjects areas Market advantages • English speaking • Proximity to UK providers • EU - wide content access • Localisation deals with publishers and producers • Pool of software /learning content providers 22

Transforming education through technology Digital Content strategies and Industry - production partnerships with Irish publishers and producers - localising existing UK/US content - tagged to the curriculum utilising applications profiles - accessing “national” archives and public data files - joint R&D with Riverdeep – localisation actions 23

Transforming education through technology Accessing content in partnership • • Linking to European educational and cultural repositories Customising backend technologies and gateways Partner in Celebrate - learning resource exchange Partner in EUN – interoperability for resource exchange Multi-lingual (13 languages) thesaurus for education partnerships in building content for VLEs teachers and subject matter experts as producers/publishers and as content consultants • Repurpose relevant freeware • Teachers as SMEs to write content • Teachnet. org 24

Transforming education through technology Internet safety “Make IT secure” National media campaign on ICT security including internet safety for children. ICT industry partnership with government Financial contribution of €. 5 m from industry 25

Transforming education through technology IMMERSE Partnership project - RTE (National Broadcasting Authority) and NCTE • To develop interactive curriculum relevant resources for learning and teaching and delivery on interlinked platform - DTV, WEB and DVD Ø Other Partners include Ø NCCA (National Council for Curriculum and Assessment) SMEs (Subject Matter experts) third Level Institutions and Media production companies. I am an artist (www. iamanartist. ie) Scispy (www. scispy. ie) Look at history (www. scoilnet. ie/lookathistory) 26

Transforming education through technology Interdisciplinary Challenge for Education • The major innovations of the 21 st century will occur at interface between ICT and the Sciences Ø Biology, Nanotechnology and Cognitive sciences i. e. human / machine interface (two different worlds, traditionally isolated) • New kinds of collaboration needed to bring them together • Key roles for curriculum, science teaching and the creative arts. • Resource challenge uniquely suited to ICT. 27

Transforming education through technology Looming skills shortage • Decline in student numbers taking SET. • 2006 expected shortage of 4, 000 ICT grads. • Need to support ICT and science at first and second levels of education. • Taskforce on the physical sciences 28

Transforming education through technology Intervention Funding • Education, Technology Investment Fund (1997) € 360 m. 3 rd. level; IT 2000 schools € 200 m. • Technology Foresight Fund-1999 (€ 600) innovation /R&D • Fasttrack to Info. Tech. (FIT) - IT training for the unskilled and for re-skilling - long term unemployed • Job Fairs abroad to attract skills to IRL • Targeting high - skilled Irish to return home (~40, 000 p. a. ). 29

Transforming education through technology ICT in Science Learning and Teaching Industry collaboration / Input • ICT enhanced labs / Portable ICT • Dedicated ICT training for science teachers • Collaborations with Irish Science Teachers Assoc. (Young Scientist Exhibiton) • ICT and teacher training for science teachers • Development of specific digital media resources for learning and teaching 30

Transforming education through technology Professional development – partnerships with Industry • • • Teach to the future - Intel Learning Village – IBM Innovative teacher - Microsoft Teachnet – City Group Cisco learning institute (96% of teachers have taken “ICT in Learning” courses) 31

Transforming education through technology Supporting Innovative practice • Local school-based innovation in ICT integration - € 40 m commercial contribution over 6 years • Matching state funding • National project framework • Dissemination & transfer strategy 32

Transforming education through technology State / industry projects Joint development of e-learning portal site with INTEL - www. skoool. ie IBM Learning Village application Havok games tools INTEL software tool for learning Realising significant export market potential 33

Transforming education through technology Tasks forces and action plans • Technology Foresight – Advisory Group on Implementation (July 2000) • Building Ireland’s knowledge Economy – The Irish action plan for promoting investment in R&D to 2010 (July 2004) • Ahead of the Curve – Ireland’s Place in the Global Economy (Enterprise Strategy Group) (July 2004) • Statement on State expenditure priorities for 2005 (September 2004) R&D 34

Transforming education through technology Hedge schools - learning environment of 1850 • Maths/science (with practical applications), the classics, literature, European history, geography and the classics and philosophy. Artistic skills and crafts. • Intergenerational learning • Discussion and questioning by learner • Love of learning – open ended curriculum • No rote learning 35

Transforming education through technology ~1900 observations of visiting scholar. “. . they are trained to exercise their memories, to be passive recipients of knowledge, to be quiet, submissive and obedient and occasionally to sing the national anthem” 36