Education is constantly changing to meet the ever-changing needs of today's society. In Ireland, film is moving into the class room, and helping children learn and develop key skills in communication, teamwork, problem solving and critical thinking.

The Government's FÍS film project has proved such a success that, by the end of the year, all 3,500 schools are planed to be participating in the project.
"The three watch words for FÍS are simplicity, connectivity and creativity," says Creative Director Ciarán McCormack. "Apple gets ticks in all three boxes. The hardware and the software are so intuitive that teachers and children can just get on with what the project is all about - making and using films to learn."

FÍS is a Gaelic word meaning 'vision,' but it also serves nicely as an English acronym for Film In Schools, a project first piloted by the Irish Department of Education and Science in 1999. The pilot was so successful in the 31 Dublin and Cork schools that six years later over 100 primary schools are making great use of film to enrich their studies.

The fact that Apple's software and hardware are an important part of this project is no coincidence… "iLife is ideal for introducing film into classroom because it's plug and play, and the interface is very user friendly. Just looking at it makes children want to use it. iMovie and GarageBand in particular offer massive creativity," Ciarán McCormack, Creative Director, FÍS.