Teaching and Learning Festival

The first Irish Teaching and Learning Festival takes place in The Citywest Conference Centre, Dublin, on Friday, 15th and Saturday, 16th of October, 2010. The festival, which is an interactive conference and exhibition focused on the future of education in Ireland, provides a unique opportunity for representatives from Irish primary, secondary and special needs’ establishments to come together and discuss the future of education in Ireland.

The exhibition will feature over 80 exhibitors, offering original ideas on learning and teaching across a range of key areas, including educational software and multimedia, educational publishing, network and communications, IT training, audio visual and ICT equipment, computer hardware, utilities and many more.The conference and exhibition are free to all who register to attend and delegates will have the unrivalled opportunity of accessing the latest in educational developments and ideas, which they can then bring back to the classroom.

The Irish Teaching and Learning Festival is a unique opportunity for teachers from all over the country to meet colleagues working on building the future of education in Ireland. The two-day event is open to principals, parents, teachers, Board’s of Management and government policy makers. Keynote speakers at the festival include Oscar winning producer and politician, Lord David Puttman, who will talk about how we best meet the educational needs of our new generation of learners.

Among other things, delegates can also attend seminars to gain practical advice and ideas on using technology in the classroom, find out how to create lesson plans using online content and discover what technology schools of the future may look like. There will also be the chance to get hands on experience of the best educational tools, exchange information and ideas with colleagues and investigate what other schools in Ireland are doing to enhance teaching and learning in the classroom.

The conference programme will cover a wide range of topics including: 

Practical sessions
Using your technology effectively in the classroom
Collaborative Procurement: How schools can save by purchasing together
Internet safety and cyberbullying
New resources for teaching Irish, Maths and Science
Special needs education in mainstream education, resources that are available for parents, teachers and schools

Live teaching and learning demonstrations showcasing the use of innovation in education
Podcasting, animation and film making
Interactive whiteboards, digital content and virtual learning environments 

Delegates will also receive a festival guide and a goody bag filled with information and resources from the event. Commenting on The Irish Teaching and Learning Festival, event organiser Maria Mc Menamin said: 'we believe that this is the perfect time for the Irish Teaching and Learning Festival to take place. The focus on education has never been so important in this country and this festival gives teachers and parents from around the country the chance to come together and find out how innovation and creativity can enhance the way our children are educated today.'

The festival will run from 9am - 6.00pm on Friday, 15th October and from 9am - 5.00pm on Saturday, 16th October. For more information and to register online visit www.itlfestival.ie.