Dunshaughlin Community College, Co Meath, is one of 12 schools worldwide to be selected for development by Microsoft as a "school of the future" through new uses of technology.
The Innovative Schools Programme, launched in Edinburgh by Microsoft chairman Bill Gates yesterday, is aimed at facilitating learning through technology.
Research emerging from the programme will be used to develop best practices in other schools worldwide.
It is being rolled out in collaboration with governments, and Microsoft aims to provide expertise and guidance of "holistic school reform and a roadmap for technology integration".
Three representatives from Dunshaughlin Community College will travel to Seattle, in the US, in April for training. The two-year programme will begin at the school from September.
While the programme for each school differs, it is expected that all students at the Dunshaughlin college will work from laptops, develop "e-portfolios" and work on an internal school network, possibly with a virtual teaching assistant.
Digital lesson plans will be accessible to students and it is expected that eventually there will be no need for schoolbooks.
"We've spoken to publishers about the possibility of this, but nothing has been decided yet," said Dr Kevin Marshall, academic programme manager of Microsoft Ireland.
On the internal school network, students and teachers will be able to access assignments, class schedules, grades and community announcements, while parents can see their children's class schedules, grades and teacher comments.
Séamus Ryan, principal of Dunshaughlin Community College, said he was "chuffed" that his school was chosen to take part in what Mr Gates described as an "education experiment".
The 12 schools were chosen by a panel of 10 international education experts. The selection was based on schools' progressive attitudes to technology. "It will be interesting to see how this enhances learning," Mr Ryan said. "But the bottom line is, this is not about technology, this is about learning. Kids are living in a digital world with their home entertainment systems and internet access. Then they come to school and it's almost like a backwards step. This needs to be addressed."
An internal school network is already established at the school where teachers can post lesson plans. Teachers also work from "tablet" computers. "We can now develop our system to a much more advanced stage. Using tablet PCs for teaching is wonderful. It saves a lot of time using electronic chalk. We can introduce tablet PCs for all the students too as well as things like podcasting and video streaming. Being in contact with the 11 other schools will also be an invaluable source of information for us," Mr Ryan added.
Research to chart the development of each school will continue for two years after the two-year programme concludes. The results of this research will help inform national and international education policy, according to Microsoft Ireland. The programme is part of a larger initiative, Partners in Learning, in which Microsoft works with governments, ministries of education and other key stakeholders in 101 countries to offer a spectrum of education resources.
Microsoft has invested €25 million in the project, which was launched over three years ago and has reached 2.8 million educators and 53 million students worldwide.
Schools from 101 countries were eligible to apply to participate in the programme. "It's quite an accomplishment for Dunshaughlin Community College and Ireland that it was chosen," said Dr Marshall.
Second-level schools in Brazil, Canada, Chile, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong SAR, Mexico, Qatar, Sweden and the UK have also been selected.