10/09/2019

First Bilingual Technology Curriculum Launched

A new bilingual technology curriculum has been announced by the Government Chief Whip and Minister of State for the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Islands Seán Kyne T.D.

The Techspace Programme focuses on training youth workers and teachers throughout the country who are functioning through the medium of Irish and is the first STEM, Creative Media and Computer Science material to be made available both in English and Irish.

The material will be available on a new internet network which has been developed for educators by Camara Education Ireland, as well as an Annual Diary for teachers which will be available to those who take part in the network.

The Minister of State will launch the new curriculum at Scoil Chuimsitheach Chiaráin in An Cheathrú Rua in County Galway today. It is the first school in Ireland to receive a Skriware package – an educational package which utilises a 3D printer and a robot for coding in order to develop the students' technological and engineering skills in a modern and creative way. This is the first of its type to be focussed entirely on the classroom and 12 hours of Skriware will be made available entirely through Irish for the first time.

Launching the new curriculum, the Minister of State Seán Kyne, said: "It is a great honour for me to launch the curriculum and diary today. I commend the great work being undertaken by the Techspace Programme and by all the group's partners to maintain and strengthen our national language and to incorporate technology into the curriculum in an attractive, appealing and useful way. This new curriculum fills a very important gap for young people and the diary is a very helpful asset to those teaching the programme.

"Séamus Ó Fátharta, the Co-ordinator of the Techspace Programme said it was a source of pride for him 'that a suite of material will be made available for classrooms for the first time ever'."

He added: "Our primary aim is to provide teachers with the confidence to utilise new material such as this and the Techspace team will be on hand if any help is needed."

The Techspace Programme has been funded to date through a grant of €419,000 from the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.

(MH/CM)

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