A school principal from Co Kilkenny has won an award at the Microsoft Worldwide Innovative Teachers Forum in Helsinki, Finland.
Tommy Maher, Principal of Scoil Naomh Fiachra was awarded the prize in the Innovation in Content category for his project 'Don Quixote: Impossible Dreamers'.
The project was inspired by the novel Don Quixote, which the pupils in his class were studying.
The book was used as a vehicle for integrating ICT, robotics, science and mathematics in the curriculum.
In the course of the study, pupils came across the musical Man of La Mancha and were taken with the idea of Don Quixote dreaming the impossible dream.
Mr Maher said his project focuses on generating ideas for creating and animating robots. He said it ultimately allowed the students to work in a whole new way, enriching the learning experience.
Mr Maher will get the chance to visit the Microsoft campus in Redmond, Washington, in the US next year.
Now in its third year, the worldwide Innovative Teachers Forum is the culmination of a series of regional events designed to honour outstanding teachers for their contributions.
