Exploring the Evolution of Educational Technology Policy in Ireland: From Catching-Up to Pedagogical Maturity

Abstract

Many countries have launched national educational technology policies in the past number of decades aimed at increasing technology integration in schools. This article analyses educational technology policy in Ireland from 1997 to 2017 and draws attention to an underlying economic agenda for technology integration in schools, set against a backdrop of neoliberal discourses. The study found that the challenge of integrating technology is no longer understood as simply a challenge of “integration” but rather as a realignment of the existing education system toward a more student-centered experience. Most recent policy also recognizes the complex and contextually bound nature of the associated change process suggesting a maturation of understanding in respect of the intersection between technology and education. The article also highlights the symbolic function of policy and the role it plays in representing the educational system in a particular light to national and international audiences. Recognizing the symbolic function of educational technology policy and the neoliberal ideology underpinning it can help identify the reasons for the apparent failures of past attempts to integrate technology in schools as well as informing future policy iterations.