Brian Hayes
Question:635 Deputy Brian Hayes asked the Minister for Education and Science if teachers will receive access to the on-line encyclopaedia for schools from their homes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4474/10]
View answerTuesday, 2 February 2010
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The Deputy will be aware that following the establishment of a Digital Reference Content framework agreement, World Book and Britannica Online are now available to schools through the Scoilnet website and within the Schools Broadband Network. Each of these online encyclopaedias contain a diverse range of learning objects including text, research aids, video clips, 3D simulations and other media rich representations of information.
The National Centre for Technology in Education (NCTE) has been exploring ways to provide home access to this digital content to all teachers. The challenge is in authenticating those who will access the content from outside the Schools Broadband Network. This was done previously for 1,600 Geography teachers in regard to home access to Scoilnet Maps and digital mapping tools, and is very successful. Providing access to digital content to all teachers is a much larger project. However, the NCTE is currently working with HEAnet to implement an authentication system that will allow teachers to access this digital content from outside the Schools Broadband Network.