Leading-edge whiteboard technology adopted by Stamullen national school

St Patrick"s NS, Stamullen, is leading the country and staying at the cutting edge of technology by rolling out 20 SMART Board interactive whiteboards in the school. This will give all 420 students in St Patrick"s access to the technology in each class. Michael Fox, principal of St Patrick"s NS, said: 'Access to technology enhances the educational experience for students and complements the traditional curriculum greatly. The SMART Board provides students with an interactive, enriched experience in the classroom. It provides access to resources like the internet, which wouldn"t otherwise be readily available. In particular, for younger students, the touch-screen facility is of huge benefit as is the screen which allows the whole class to view at the same time.' The new interactive whiteboards are touch-sensitive displays that connect to a computer and digital projector. Using a finger or pen, teachers and students can control computer applications, write notes, pull up charts and images, browse the internet, play videos and save work. The school will hold teacher training over the summer break to ensure that teachers are fully familiar with the SMART Board technology for the start of the new school year in September. Delia Keane, Head of IT at the school, said: 'In order to ensure that teachers and students alike get the optimum experience that the whiteboards can deliver, we"re holding training sessions so everyone will be well positioned to capitalise on the benefits that the SMART Board technology can bring to the classroom in September.' Conor McGrogan of Steljes, suppliers for SMART technologies in Ireland, said the Stamullen school is pioneering the use of this technology by deploying interactive whiteboards in each of its classrooms. 'By giving pupils access to technology from the time they enter the school"s system, Michael Fox and his team are ensuring that, regardless of whether children have access to computers at home, they will be IT literate when the go to post-primary level. This is an essential skill if we are to equip students now to operate in the smart economy.' Stephen Linnane of Liosdoire Computers described St Patrick"s as one of the most progressive primary schools in Meath. 'The decision by the school to embrace the future of education by deploying SMART Board interactive whiteboards demonstrates its commitment to delivering the best learning experience to its students using the most cutting edge technology available today,' he commented. The school principal said they undertook a lot of research before deciding what technology to deploy in the school but the interactive whiteboard technology they eventually decided upon won hands down. He said the school had only just rolled out the boards on a pilot basis and is already reaping the rewards with universally positive feedback. 'The students are benefiting from the additional stimuli and the teachers from easy access to resources. I"m looking forward to starting up school again in September when we can really make the most of them!' St Patrick"s NS has grown from 120 pupils taught by four teachers to 420 pupils taught by 22 teachers in the past five years, an indication of the rapid pace of growth in the east Meath village.