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Microsoft Belfast - School Technology Innovation Centre (STIC)Part of the European Education Research and Innovation Centre (EERIC)
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June 24 A new African STICMy colleague, Angela Schaerer-STIC Manager in Johannesburg, has put in a ton of work to open a new STIC in Lesotho. Here is her announcement: The first National School Technology Innovation Centre (STIC) in sub-Saharan Africa was launched at the Lesotho College of Education in Maseru, Lesotho on Wednesday 11 June by the Minister of Education and Training, Mrs Mamphono Khaketla. The Lesotho STIC forms part of the Microsoft global STIC network and was initiated by the Africa STIC which is successfully operating from Johannesburg under the Partners in Learning Programme. The Lesotho STIC will support the development of skills for employability, job creation and continued career development appropriate for the 21st century workforce in the Kingdom of Lesotho, within a globally competitive world.
Minister of Education and Training, Mrs Mamphono Khaketla, opens the doors of the Lesotho STIC
With support and guidance from the Africa STIC based in Johannesburg, the Lesotho STIC is expected to have the following outcomes in support of their vision: · Testing/proof of concept, research and evaluation of new technologies for teaching and learning · Showcase and demonstrate innovative use of technology that has potential for positive impact on inclusive teaching and learning · Provide a programme for continued professional development · Skills and best practise transfer and sharing for innovative in-service and pre-service teachers and school leadership · Advisory role for policy and procedures in ICT integration · Facilitate and host STIC events and programmes · Education and stakeholder community hub where the effective use of ICT in school administration, teaching and learning may be discussed, adopted and disseminated We are proud to welcome the Lesotho STIC to the global STIC network Well done Angela and the whole South Africa PiLs Team June 04 FIT NI officially launched in BelfastAs I may have mentioned in the past, part of my remit for Microsoft in Northern Ireland is to assist my Manager, Peter Russell , in delivering Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)Programs in Northern Ireland. One such initiative is Fastrack to IT (FIT NI). It was officially launched this morning in the Belfast Harbour Commissioner's offices. Rather than re-write what's already been covered, I'll just copy in the release from the Microsoft Ireland Blogsite: Fastrack to IT (FIT) expands into Northern Ireland with model which helped 6,000 Irish people access employment
Initiative launched for Northern Irish businesses to access candidates with ICT skills Belfast: 4th June 2008 - Based on the model established in Ireland to provide unemployed people with ICT skills to access employment, FIT NI (Fastrack to Information Technology Northern Ireland) has launched a new industry initiative providing ready access to candidates with in-demand ICT skills in Belfast today. Aimed at helping those from economically disadvantaged backgrounds to upskill to new levels and access high calibre ICT jobs, FIT NI is based on the Irish model which was established nine years ago. The Irish initiative has a 64% success rate of progressing its participants with private sector employers. Supported by major indigenous and international companies, FIT NI – is a unique private sector response to labour shortages of ICT skills across all industry sectors. Launching the event, Billy McClean, FIT NI’s Northern Ireland Programme Manager, said: “As the recent US NI Conference demonstrated, interest in Northern Ireland as an investment location has never been higher, despite the global uncertainty sparked by the credit crunch and rising energy prices. But is the local workforce fit for purpose?
“Overseas investors will only locate in Northern Ireland if we can maintain a healthy flow of employees with key skills such as ICT. There are already worrying signs though that the local ICT labour market is beginning to overheat, despite the fact that at 27.5% Northern Ireland has one of the highest rates of economic inactivity in Europe. “Given that employers are finding it increasingly hard to find ICT literate employees while there’s a ready supply of untapped talent which has difficulty accessing job opportunities, FIT NI believes that it provides a solution which can tackle social marginalisation whilst also improving Northern Ireland’s competitiveness.” Also speaking at the event was Fiona Mullan, Microsoft’s Ireland’s Director of HR: “In just nine years FIT has provided over 6,000 Irish people with the technical and software skills they needed to access employment opportunities in the Celtic Tiger’s burgeoning ICT sector. Now that Northern Ireland is beginning to reap the benefits of a stable political environment it’s vital that it has the people available to take advantage of any uplift in employment opportunities. Northern Ireland has a rare window of opportunity to sell itself on the world stage – it would be tragic if potential investments were lost due to artificial shortages in the labour market caused by a failure to engage effectively with those from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.” FIT NI has already run a number of pilot programmes in the Belfast area in collaboration with local training providers and community organisations. Over 250 people have completed the process with a significant number progressing into employment or further education. FIT NI now has plans to launch similar programmes throughout Northern Ireland and is looking to work closely with private sector partners and local training providers. Roy Adair, CEO of the Port of Belfast, one of FIT NI’s local supporters, said: “FIT NI is a great example of how businesses can help society at large while at the same time improving the economic conditions in which they operate. These are exciting times for Northern Ireland, but we want to ensure that as many people as possible can access the new economic opportunities which the future holds. I’ve heard it said that if opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door. That’s exactly what FIT is and I encourage other businesses across Northern Ireland to get involved and support the scheme.”
FIT partners across Ireland include firms such as AIB, Alchemy, AOL, Belfast Trust, CSC, Danone, Dell, Eircom, BT, Halifax, HP, IBEC, IBM, Kainos, Liberty, Lionbridge Technology, Allstate Northern Ireland, Microsoft, MyHoliday.ie, Oracle, Siemens, Skillsoft, Symantec, Uniphar, Origin Enterprises and Welocalise.
Find out more about FITNI at: http://www.fitni.org.uk/ May 23 Interactive Whiteboards of the future?Bill Gates showcased new technologies at this year's CEO Summit in Redmond. The Summit is a gathering of the top 100 CEOs in the world. While it is aimed at the commercial sector, I believe what he showed has real relevance in the Education sector. It's a cross between Microsoft Surface and Interactive Whiteboards. Think about how students would react to this type of technology. It speaks their language.
May 22 Live@Edu now available in the STIC
Working with the other School Technology Innovation Centres (STICs) in Brussels and Johannesburg, Check out the demo for Windows Live@Edu Live@Edu give you a full spectrum of online services to meet the most demanding of needs. Applications such as:
You can find out all the details and benefits Live@Edu by visiting this site May 13 Microsoft Worldwide Telescope beta launchI've talked about it back in February and now the Microsoft Worldwide Telescope has launched it's Beta version for you to try out. It's free and unbelievable. Download it today Microsoft SilverlightWe had a great session at the STIC today around Microsoft Silverlight . Martha Rotter, MS DPE Ireland, came up from Dublin for a morning session with the management team from MMC Consulting who have some really powerful offerings in the Education and Community space. In Education they offer a variety of products all based on .NET through WholeSchool.tv that are making real inroads in the NI Education sector. Their 2 key products are Curriculum Mapping and School Development Planning (still in development). In the Community sector they are working with the Department of Finance and Personnel (DFP) NI and offering the MYGroupNI to over 2500 community based organisations.
Be sure to visit the Silverlight.net website to learn more aout what's already been done and what you can do youselves
Watch this space to be keep up to date on what they develop. May 06 NHS Training Session on IT AcademyLast week we hosted a terrific pair of training sessions for senior trainers with the NHS Northern Ireland. Participating in the training were 5 of the senior trainers from Beeches Management who are responsible for delivering staff training to NHS in NI. It was an intense pair of 3 hour sessions but very fruitful and deeply informative. By using Live Meeting and the Smart Technology 600i interactive whiteboard, we we able to see Michele and have audio linkage that delivered a quality experience. Below are a few pictures of the attendees on the day: May 01 From the Wallace HS WebsiteWallace at E-Learning Frontier
Wallace High School Sixth Year students have been working at the forefront of technological innovation, in partnership with ICT leaders Microsoft. As part of an exciting pilot scheme the Lisburn teenagers have been paired with young people from Dunshaughlin Community College, Co. Meath. Wallace’s ICT coordinator David Cleland explained, ”We were delighted to be the only school in Northern Ireland to be selected to take part in this cutting edge scheme. Dunshaughlin CC is a Microsoft Innovative School and we have thoroughly enjoyed working in partnership with them.” History teacher Neil Armstrong went on, “Our AS History students have had the opportunity to use the latest Ultra Mobile Personal Computers (UMPC), supplied by Intel and Samsung, to facilitate their learning through the Microsoft OneNote Program.
OneNote, whilst created primarily for the office environment, has become a useful tool in the classroom in the United States, as has the use of UMPC’s. Our students have used this cutting edge and environmentally friendly device whilst completing their work on Twentieth Century Germany and they were able to share resources with their peers in Dublin.” Microsoft’s School’s Technology Innovation Centre Manager Tom Jackson added, ”When I was considering what school I wanted to approach to participate in this Microsoft OneNote project, Wallace High was the very first that came to mind. They were a natural choice, because of their passion for innovation and their commitment to student learning, From the Principal, Mrs McBride, through the ICT staff and teachers, Wallace was fully committed to making the most of the opportunity. The feedback from teachers and students alike shows that Microsoft OneNote is a powerful and important learning tool.” Sixth Year Katie Martin concluded, ”I thoroughly enjoyed taking part in this pilot scheme and found it very beneficial in helping me organise my research. It also promoted independent study which will help prepare me for university life.” David Cleland concluded, ”I am delighted that Microsoft offered us this opportunity and look forward to further collaborative learning experiences in the future.”
More to follow in the coming weeks so keep tuned
April 29 VIPs in the house !!Mitch Benson visits the Belfast STIC Last week after delivering his keynote speech at the LSDA NI Conference at Galgorm Manor in Ballymena, Mitch Benson, MS WW Managing Director for K12 Education took some time out to visit the Belfast STIC. It was his 2nd visit to the STIC and much has changed since last year. The space has been reconfigured with a"model classroom" and new equipment has been installed. Smart Technologies have supplied the STIC with 2 Smart Board 600i interactive whiteboards (1 static and 1 mobile). You can find the product sheet here. Mitch was accompanied by Dr. Kevin Marshall, Microsoft Ireland Academic Program Manager, who was in town to attend the quarterly European Education Research and Innovation Centre (EERIC) Governance Board meeting. Dr. Marshall has been a real champion of the Belfast STIC and he shared his enthusiasm with Mitch as they were shown around. Now the challenge to you Educators out there- Why not come to Northern Ireland and see the great work this unique partnership with Classroom 2000 can show you
Mitch Benson visits NIMitch Benson Keynotes LSDA Conference Last Tuesday, Mitch Benson, Microsoft WW Managing Director for K12 Education, visited Northern Ireland to deliver the keynote speech at this year's annual LSDA NI (Learning and Skills Development Agency Northern Ireland) Conference. The theme for this year's conference was: Delivering a Demand Led System. This was Mitch's 2nd trip to attend the conference and now as he says "Belfast is one of my favourite places in the world to visit". Last year he delivered a compelling and exciting presentation entitled: "If there's one thing we know for sure.." (available here). This was so well received he was asked to return and deliver this year's keynote. This year's presentation was entitled: "If you are not criticized.." (available here) and he blew the audience away again. He is a true master of getting your attention and keeping you engaged, interested and excited by what he has to say and how he says it. I only hope he graces our shores again next year. A big thanks goes to my colleague, Stephanie Conville- Microsoft Business Education Manager NI, for getting Mitch's involvement for the past 2 years.. You can see the news article here.
Mitch in action He also opened with this terrific video:
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