A new report suggests technology in classrooms may not have a positive impact on children's learning and is detrimental in some cases.

The OECD has measured the impact of computer and internet use on test scores and found no real improvement in countries that had invested heavily in technology for education.

It also found that intensive use can lead to problems like "information overload" - and tends to be associated with significantly poorer student performance.

Ireland is ranked fifth from the bottom for use of ICT in schools, and fourth from the bottom for its use for schoolwork at home.

Andreas Schleicher is the director for education and skills at the OECD.

He told Newstalk Breakfast we need to be careful at introducing technology for the sake of it.

"If students (are) in there cutting and pasting from Google to prefabricated questions, we're not going to do any better than with traditional learning" he said.

"Technology seems to amplify good teaching, but it doesn't replace poor teaching" he added.