St Fergal’s College in Rathdowney was the only school during 2023, across Ireland and Britain, to secure a Digital Equity Funding grant from Lenovo.
Consequently, the school recently received 81 Lenovo 500W laptops, worth a total of £40,000, from the computer manufacturer – thus adding to their current stock.
The application process included schools outlining how they have progressed the integration of ICT into the curriculum.
In this regard St Fergal’s, for example, has provided a Digital Media Literacy programme for Junior Cycle students. Central to this is teaching the skills to study safely online.
This course also enables students to engage in self-directed enquiry and to discriminate between multiple sources of information.
These ICT skills, as well as the new laptops, will greatly assist with the increasing number of Leaving Certificate subjects which require coursework and projects to be submitted online. Also, devices are used for Junior Cycle CBAs.
Other aspects of the school’s submission included reference to its Digital Committee which was established in 2022.
It consists of two students and two teachers, whose current focus is preparing for a multimedia room.
The successful application was prepared by Digital Team members, Deputy Principal Carole Devine, and teacher Ms Aisling Comerford.
The Lenovo funding was awarded based on the content of the application including equity.
While St Fergal’s College is clearly embracing the future of education, through ICT, it is also securing what is valuable from the past.
In this respect the school Principal Gerry Quinn points out that their new two storey extension will contain a library space.
Books and digital devices are both part of the school’s future.
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