Director in St. Angela's Sligo

Seán is an experienced School and Organisational Leader with thirty years of experience as a teacher, school principal and as a senior manager in a number of roles with the Department of Education and Skills. He has worked as Deputy Director of three Department of Education and Skills funded support services from 2001 to 2017. These support services were funded by the Teacher Education Section and the ICT Policy Unit of the Department of Education and Skills. He has extensive experience engaging with Department of Education and Skills officials and continues to be a member of the Ministerial Implementation Action Group (IAG) guiding the implementation of the Digital Strategy for Schools (2015 - 2020). He played a central role in the integration and consolidation of services as the previously stand-alone Primary Curriculum Support Service (PCSP) and School Development Planning (SDP) support services were integrated to form the Primary Professional Development Service (PPDS).

Assistant Professor Education at the School of Education in Trinity College Dublin

Dr Aibhín Bray is a lecturer and researcher in education and leader of the mathematics strands in the School of Education in Trinity College Dublin. In addition to mathematics education, her research focuses on the development of teaching and learning practices that positively influence student engagement with education and support the development of key skills and competencies. Aibhín has also worked in widening participation for a number of years and continues to act as Research Advisor for Trinity’s widening participation programme: Trinity Access. She holds a B.A. (Int) in Mathematics and Italian and an M.Sc. in Computer Science from University College Dublin, and a H.Dip. in Education and a Ph.D. in Technology and Mathematics Education from Trinity College Dublin. She is a former teacher of Mathematics and has worked with teachers at national and international levels through a variety of Irish and EU projects.

Director, PhD Programme, UCD School of Education

Conor directs the Doctorate in Education (PhD Education) programme at UCD School of Education where he also lectures on various education, ICT, public policy, and research methods programmes. His research interests include professional knowledge, development & sustainability, innovation transfer, digital citizenship, and the impact of new and emergent technology on learning and society. He was UCD lead on the ITELab project, 2017-20, an ERASMUS+ Knowledge Alliance KA 2 project involving higher education institutions and industry to foster innovation and knowledge exchange in initial teacher education (ITE); and is currently part of the team supporting the development and introduction of JRC-Seville SELFIE for Teachers initiative.

Deputy Director for Digital Technologies in the Professional Development Service for Teachers

Anthony is the Deputy Director for Digital Technologies in the Professional Development Service for Teachers. Previous to this appointment, he was the Team Leader for School Leadership supports from 2013-2017. He coordinates the suite of supports available to schools from PDST and PDST Technology in Education to meaningfully, appropriately and safely use digital technologies to support learning.

Anthony was a member of the Department of Education Implementation Advisory Group for the Digital Strategy 2015-2020.

Policy Officer on Innovation and EIT with the European Commission

Deirdre works on the schools education policy team at the European Commission’s education department in Brussels. She is currently working on supporting teacher digital competence, including through the new SELFIE for Teachers tool, and education for environmental sustainability. For 6 years she was a member of the digital education policy team and was one of the authors of the Commission’s Digital Education Action Plan 2021-2027. Deirdre has recently completely a Masters in Digital Education with the University of Edinburgh.

Principal of Faughart Community National School, Dundalk, Co. Louth

Jacqui McCusker is principal teacher in Faughart Community National School, Dundalk, Co. Louth since it opened in August 2018. Prior to her appointment, Jacqui was Deputy Principal in St. Oliver’s National School in Carlingford for 9 years, with responsibility for leading ICT and digital learning, and was involved in the launch and implementation of the Digital Learning Framework in 2017 as a leader in a pilot school. Jacqui has a passion for using digital technologies to enhance teaching, learning and assessment in the primary classroom, and has a wealth of ICT experience from 7 years programming databases within the pharmaceutical industry. She holds a B.Sc in Biotechnology from University of Ulster, M.Sc. in Applied Computing for Technologists from Dublin Institute of Technology, a Higher Diploma in Arts in Primary Education from Hibernia College and a Post Graduate Certificate in 21^st Century Teaching and Learning from Trinity College Dublin.

Deputy Principal, Inver College, Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan

Dr Miriam Nugent has been an educationalist for over twenty years, initially as a lecturer in St. Patrick’s College, Maynooth and then as a teacher in Kells, Bailieborough and Virginia. Miriam is currently the Deputy Principal in Inver College, Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan. She is a certified Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert and MIE Trainer. She has worked for the PDST STEM team and was the Digital Strategist for Cavan Monaghan Education Training Board before joining Inver College. Miriam is passionate about using IT in the classroom and has worked with a dynamic team to bring technology training to teachers within CMETB. She has a strong interest in technology enhanced learning and has worked as a consultant on various projects including the establishment of a STEAM room in Monaghan Education Centre.

Deputy Principal, Coláiste Mhuire Co-Ed in Thurles Co. Tipperary

Clare holds a Masters in Educational Technology and prior to her appointment in Tipperary ETB had been ICT Coordinator in Rashid School for Boys in Dubai, Harrow International School in Beijing and Belvedere College in Dubai. She led the introduction of Virtual Learning Environments in all three schools. Clare has recently been accepted as part of the Google Inclusive Trainer initiative. Clare was part of the Irish team for SELFIE.