Free Digital Technology Kit for every Primary School in Ireland

Published: 7 Mar, 2024

four students playing game — Pupils from Stanhope Street Primary School with Karen Nolan

Students from Stanhope Street Primary School visited Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin) today to celebrate the launch of a landmark educational research project that will see every primary school in Ireland receive a free Digital Technology kit. EDTips – Enabling Digital Technology in Primary School will provide every primary school with free digital technology teaching resources and equipment to prepare for the introduction of the Primary Curriculum Framework during the 2025/2026 academic year. The project, led by CSinc (Computer Science Inclusive) at TU Dublin, has received funding from Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) and is supported by the University's industry partners AWS In Communities and Workday.

Running over two years, EDTips will train primary school teachers in a suite of age-appropriate and interactive educational tools, catering to the abilities of all pupils and encouraging them to become confident, creative, and critical users of digital technology. TU Dublin academics with research expertise in Computer Science education will develop comprehensive teaching materials and activities modelled on the Primary Curriculum Framework, while AWS In Communities will supply 3,000 free offline Digital Technology kits, enabling all schools, irrespective of technical infrastructure, geographical location or socio-economics, to fully engage pupils in the curriculum. EDTips is also supported by Workday, a leading provider of enterprise cloud applications for finance and human resources. Employing over 2,000 people in Ireland, Workday will provide critical resources to help deliver the programme, including software development, content, design and project management.

Commenting Minister for Education Norma Foley T.D. said

EDTips will not only equip primary school teachers to deliver Digital Technology education but also has the transformative ability to spark the imaginations of young minds. This could set the pupils from Stanhope Street Primary School on a trajectory of educational discovery, potentially paving the way for a rewarding career in Ireland's tech sector

Welcoming the Stanhope Street Primary School pupils and their teachers to Grangegorman, TU Dublin's Vice President for Research and Innovation, Dr Brendan Jennings, said

Empowering primary school teachers with resources such as EDTips not only enhances their ability to deliver quality STEM education, but also contributes to the overall development of their pupils. This early exposure to STEM concepts has the potential to set students on a path of educational discovery, helping them build a strong foundation for future academic and professional pursuits in digital technology

Keith Nolan, EDTips Principal Investigator said:

This programme will improve teacher confidence in delivering digital technologies in the classroom

Welcoming the launch of EDTips, Dr Lisa Higgins, Head of Challenge Research, Education & Public Engagement at SFI, commented:

Science Foundation Ireland's Discover Programme is funded by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and is designed to create opportunities for broader participation and engagement of the public with STEM. SFI is delighted to support this significant STEM educational programme that builds awareness and confidence in teachers to effectively deliver digital technology in primary school classrooms using fun, hands-on learning

AWS Country Lead for Ireland, Neil Morris, said:

These new technology kits will enable teachers in every primary school in Ireland to learn and be curious with coding and empower them further with digital literacy tools ahead of the introduction of Digital Technology curriculum. At AWS Ireland, we are determined to play our part in fostering the next generation of Irish technology leaders and we will continue to look for opportunities to encourage young technology talent and supporting them in their journey through school and into further education

Welcoming the EDTips initiative, Victoria MacKechnie, Director of Corporate Affairs and Operations, Workday, said:

Skills are increasingly important in the future of work, which requires competencies for new jobs and roles that are emerging every day. EDTips is an innovative way to further upskill teaching professionals in the latest technology, enabling them in turn to transfer both tech knowledge and skills to their students. This will help ensure pupils are ready for a flourishing skills-based economy