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The Minister for Research and Innovation, Seán Sherlock T.D., welcomed the launch of the public consultation phase in the development of a new digital strategy for schools.

Minister Sherlock said that the development of a new strategy provides an opportunity to facilitate important Departmental strategies including the National Strategy to Improve Literacy and Numeracy among Children and Young People.

This strategy adopts a modern and comprehensive definition of literacy and acknowledges that this includes oral language and all forms of written and printed communication from handwriting to digital literacy.

Minister Sherlock also welcomed the contribution ICT will play in the new framework for Junior Cycle which outlines eight key skills required for successful learning by students across the curriculum and for learning beyond school. Literacy and numeracy, which includes digital literacy, are part of those key skills. The inclusion of technology as one of the subjects available in the new Junior Cycle Framework is also a welcome development.

“The development of a digital strategy for schools affords us the opportunity for further consideration of the use of ICT in the teaching of STEM subjects,” he said.

The Minister recognises the key role teachers continue to play and how sustained professional development will be important, not just to focus on their personal ICT skills, but also their professional discretion to use ICT in their teaching approaches and methodologies to enhance their teaching and pupil learning.

Minister Sherlock has called on all education stakeholders to engage with the Department in the development of a new digital strategy for schools.

The new Digital Strategy for Schools will be completed during 2014, and will set out how resources, policies and projects can be prioritised and organised throughout the school system for the next five years.