We are delighted to achieve European Digital Schools status; we as a school had to demonstrate strong leadership in digital education and provide sufficient access to resources and infrastructure. The school culture, professional development strategies and teaching practice were also assessed as part of our submission. Dominican College is the very first school in Ireland to receive the award which recognises and celebrates best practice in digital education.
The award recognises excellence in the following areas; Leadership, Collaboration and Networking , Infrastructure and Equipment, Continuing Professional Development, Teaching and Learning, Assessment, Student Digital Competence & SELFIE.
Launched last year, the Digital Schools Awards European programme was created to encourage and recognise innovation, collaboration and skills development in digital technology amongst schools. It is backed by the European Commission’s Erasmus+ programme, national government bodies and leading technology companies led by HP.
Only 90 secondary schools across the continent were selected to take part in the initiative which is being piloted in five European countries namely Ireland, Lithuania, Scotland, Serbia and Slovenia and it is the first of its kind to be available across the continent.
The European Digital Schools Awards requires schools to use the European Commission’s SELFIE self-reflection tool to assess their digital learning and teaching practice and identify areas where improvements can be made. As part of the programme, teachers were given access to expert support and resources to help them develop their digital curriculum and ensure pupils are given the skills they need to navigate the modern world.
We wish to commend our Digital Learning Team pictured below Mr Curry, Ms Johnston, Mr McCarthy, Deputy Principal Lorraine McCool, Ms Karpick, Ms Healy, Ms Brien & not present for photo Ms Sweeney. Congratulations to all involved.