A massive new educational website for teachers, parents and pupils was launched last week by the Minister for Education and Science, Micheal Martin. ScoilNet provides a comprehensive online library of educational resources, including curriculum information and extra-curricular activities, as well as discussion and chatroom facilities to enable schools to communicate with one another.
Developed by 50 teachers (specialists in specific subjects) and a group of students over a seven-month period, the site has more than 800 pages of curriculum resources, with an additional 1,200 links that parents, teachers and pupils may find useful. A unique feature of the site is that students and teachers will be able to contribute material to the site by sending articles, essays, class guidelines and notes to an editorial committee of 50 teachers or facilitators from around the State, who will then edit and screen the material before putting it up on the site. Post-primary students will also be able to choose third-level courses over the Internet when the CAO application system goes online. ScoilNet will be the facility by which this service can be used.
One of the purposes of the site is to enable students and teachers to take part in online discussions and live chats and post messages on ScoilNet. It is meant to provide a mechanism for better communication between parents and teachers as well as forming a cyber-community of schools.
"It is one thing to launch the website, but we want to create a potential with tools and mechanisms so that people can add information and educational material on a regular basis," saya Jerome Morrissey, director of the National Centre for Technology in Education. "People who visit the site will be able to dictate what goes on it. "It will encourage people to keep it growing as an organic thing, so it won't be a static entity."
The content of the site is expected to increase over the coming months through the inclusion of the "Content Wizard" facility, which will allow teachers and pupils to publish their own material on ScoilNet. The wizard will help students, teachers and parents create online magazines and newsletters, or e-zines (electronic magazines).
The site also features three levels of security, so teachers and parents can rest assured that the content of ScoilNet will be completely suitable for young people. There is also advice on the site about protecting children online.
While ScoilNet is still very much in its embryonic stages, there is already an large amount of information on the site to interest teachers, parents and students. The homepage of the site is split into four sub-directories for teachers, parents, primary pupils and post-primary students.
The site is laid out in a straightforward manner so even the most novice websurfer should encounter few obstacles viewing the site. Intel, which has provided the technological resources for site, maximised ScoilNet's speedy use of the Internet by using an Intel Pentium III processor. However, the site will also run on old computers with access to the Internet as well as the most advanced. "We will be able to maintain and develop the technological capability of the site in line with the more advanced changes in the technology," says Calum Cunningham, general manager of Intel's Internet Business Group who spearheaded the development of ScoilNet. "The site is `backwards-compatible', so even older computers will be able to access the core elements of the site."
The teacher's site includes information on career guidance, class guidelines and discussion groups and chat facilities to enable teachers to communicate with one another around the world. There is also a staffroom , where teachers can unwind with a link to the Irish Times online crosswords and information on entertainment, festivals and theatre.
PARENTS CAN VISIT a separate section where there is information on adult education and career planning as well as discussion groups. The primary and post-primary sections include games and after-school activities on a page entitled School's Out.
There is a comprehensive music guide in the post-primary section, with articles, essays and discographies on musicians. One fascinating feature in the post-primary section is an section on Refugees in Ireland, written by Deirdre O'Leary and Helen O'Keeffe from Colaiste Choilm in Ballincollig, Cork. They include information on the demographics of refugees in Ireland, a true-or-false quiz, a petition and a sample letter that students can send to the Minister for Justice, John O'Donoghue, highlighting the plight of refugees.
ScoilNet is a joint venture between the Department of Education, Intel and the National Centre for Technology in Education. The participation of Intel and NCTE "combines the best educational resources with the best of technological resources", Martin said at the launch of the site last week. This is Intel's first educational portal in the world and the site was designed to maximise the use of the Internet.
"ScoilNet is a graphic manifestation of what can happen when expertise and support can come from the private sector to education. We can see how education can benefit enormously from that," Martin said.
Close to 100 people were involved in the development of the site. The number participating in further development of ScoilNet is expected to increase over the coming months as pupils, parents and teachers go online.
ScoilNet is at www.scoilnet.ie
