Once the e-Learning Plan has been developed and signed off by the principal and the chairperson of the Board of Management, the school is now ready to implement the plan. Integrating an active e-Learning Plan that adds value to the students’ learning and achieves the goals outlined requires continual effort on behalf of all staff members and requires active monitoring of its progress.

In the course of writing the action plans, consideration should be given to designing and putting in place monitoring procedures and mechanisms that are simple and practical. It should be clear from the action plan:

• who is to report back
• to whom they are to report and
• how frequently they are to report

Remember that the purpose of monitoring is to maintain control of the plan, to keep it on track and to ensure its successful completion by helping to identify problems early on so that solutions may be found.

Additional resources and supports are available on the PPDS and SLSS websites in relation to implementing and monitoring Whole School Plans. The school will also find support and advice on the NCTE website and by participating in relevant continuing professional development programmes.

e-Learning roles and responsibilities
Creating and implementing a successful e-Learning Plan requires a whole school approach where each staff member plays their part. The following individuals play a key role in facilitating the successful implementation of the e-Learning Plan:

School principal
Leadership is key to the successful implementation of the e-Learning Plan. The principal leads the e-Learning planning process by:

• supporting the role of the ICT co-ordinating teacher
• ensuring that all staff members have a copy of the plan and that their roles are understood fully. The principal should ensure that all temporary staff members are aware of the e-Learning Plan and are provided with assistance, where necessary, towards implementation
• monitoring how the plan is progressing and consulting regularly with staff members, both formally and informally, in relation to the plan
• facilitating an annual evaluation of the e-Learning Plan and its continuing year-on-year progression
• ensuring the involvement and support of the Board of Management in the e-Learning planning process
• ensuring that the objectives of the Whole School Plan are being met.

School ICT co-ordinating teacher
To ensure efficiency in the organisation and capacity of a school’s ICT system, one member of the staff in every primary and post-primary school should take the lead in the management and co-ordination of ICT. It is also suggested that the duties of this staff member be incorporated in the school’s schedule of posts of responsibility. The duties attaching to such a post should be clearly specified and should include the following:

• co-ordinating the production and development of the ICT plan
• identifying training needs and facilitating staff training
• developing strategies for the integration of ICT throughout the curriculum
• liaison with the senior management and advising on ICT strategies
• evaluating the use of ICT in the school and encouraging greater use by teachers and students
• liaison with ICT maintenance personnel
• developing and maintaining a school learning platform and website.

Teaching staff
The implementation of the e-Learning Plan will differ between primary and post-primary schools. At primary level, where teachers teach all subjects, there is an opportunity for each class teacher to implement the plan within her/his class. At post-primary level, each subject department will play a key role in ensuring the plan is successfully implemented. Each department should identify their priorities, targets and tasks in the context of the overall e-Learning Plan and incorporate it into the subject department plan.

Each teacher can contribute to the successful implementation of the e-Learning Plan by:

• being aware of and by being committed to the school e-Learning Plan
• sharing ideas and resources with colleagues in relation to e-Learning
• using the NCCA ICT Framework to assist them to integrate ICT into their teaching
• ensuring ICT resources are incorporated into classroom activities for pupils with special educational needs
• using www.scoilnet.ie to assist in the integration of ICT
• identifying and pursuing their own continuing professional development needs with the assistance of the ICT co-ordinating teacher.
• building and contributing learning and teaching materials and sharing them through the school network (LAN).

The e-Learning team
The e-Learning team plays a lead role in ensuring that the plan is owned by teachers, parents and students. Facilitation is essential in ensuring that the plan is successfully implemented. The following are ways in which the e-Learning team can enhance the implementation of the plan:

Providing support to teaching staff
The provision of support for individual teachers is an important part of the implementation process. During implementation, the e-Learning team should consider ways in which they can assist the teaching staff. These could include:

• discussing e-Learning regularly at staff meetings and/or subject department meetings at post-primary level
• having formal/informal discussions with individual staff members
• facilitating peer-to-peer coaching where more ICT-confident teachers work with other teachers on a one-to-one basis
• sharing ideas, resources and/or classroom management approaches that prove positive or effective for individual teachers with other staff members
• sharing effective lesson plans, hints or tips with all staff members on the school network (LAN).

Continuing professional development
Due to the ever-changing nature of ICT there is a need to ensure that the continuing professional development needs of the staff are reviewed regularly. Teachers may decide to participate in continuing professional development programmes of their own choice or the school may organise programmes to meet staff needs. The e-Learning team can:

• work with colleagues to identify their ICT professional development needs
• identify suitable professional development courses for the school or subject department
• arrange for whole staff professional development to be carried out within the school where this is appropriate (whole school training can be organised as a summer course, eligible for Extra Personal Vacation days for primary school teachers)
• distribute or provide reference to relevant articles, podcasts, etc., on the use of ICT in learning and teaching among staff
• inform teachers of relevant professional development programmes, which may include online and face-to-face post-graduate accredited courses.

ICT infrastructure
It is important to monitor the provision and use of ICT equipment throughout the school. There are a number of deployment options to be considered and each school should consider the model that best meets their e-Learning priorities and their budget. When making decisions on what equipment to purchase, the school should keep the Strategy Group Report recommendations for ICT infrastructure in mind, as outlined in page 32.