SAMI blog

At SAMI we love to report on innovative events going on in Education, especially when there's a 'techie' element to it!

The first item we want to talk about in this week's blog is World Maths Day. When we had a look at their website www.worldmathsday.com initially we thought the had got their numbers wrong as it happens over five days, not one day (!) but actually there is more to it than Maths, encompassing as it does a Spelling Day and a Science Day too.

The idea behind this Australian initiative is to get schools and students around the world excited about learning and competing against each other. Students are lined up against students of similar ability and go 'head to head' doing online maths quizzes and other problem solving.

It is part of the World Education Games which are aimed at ALL schools and students. It runs from 6th to 8th March, involving a staggering 5.5 million students from over 200 countries and territories. Practice opened on 1 February. The Games are part of a global challenge to get ALL students (4-18 years of age) excited about learning, and to give the top students in each school an opportunity to see how they measure up against the best.

At SAMI we are happy to promote events like this, which use I.T. in an innovative way to make learning fun for children. As we know, children learn much more effectively if they are having fun.

Another event closer to home which we're happy to mention is Seachtain na Gaeilge. Here is their website www.snag.ie
This event, initially organised by Conradh na Gaeilge has grown in recent years and encompasses everything from games and walks to competitions. And that's just the school element - taken as a whole it is now closer to being the biggest celebration of Irish culture on the calendar. As a supplier of school management systems (Edvance Primary) and other software to many Gaelscoils, we'd like to wish everyone involved go n'eiri libh!
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SAMI hits the road and will be at the IPPN Conference in Citywest this week! See you there?

karolina@sami.ie — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:35:00 GMT

So, Christmas is long forgotten, January has rolled around once more, which must mean it’s IPPN Conference time again!

Category: Education & Economy

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Merry Christmas from SAMI

karolina@sami.ie — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 15:08:00 GMT

So, it’s Christmas, and time for the Sami blog to pour itself a mulled wine and wind down for 2011..

Category: Digital Ireland

Budget 2012 – How will it affect the Education sector?

karolina@sami.ie — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 09:20:00 GMT

We take a look at effect of Budget 2012 on students, so it was with some relief that, while bad enough, there are no major or unexpected knock-out blows.

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Minister gives his backing to the new Framework for Junior Cycle, strong emphasis on ICT

karolina@sami.ie — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 12:35:00 GMT

In a webcast last week on the website of the NCCA, Minister for Education and Skills Ruairi Quinn gave his full support (almost!) to the recently published document ‘Towards a new Framework for Junior Cycle’.

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Software Asset Management Ireland ranked 2nd in Deloitte Technology Fast 50

karolina@sami.ie — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 10:05:00 GMT

Software Asset Management Ireland attributes its growth on delivering value for its customers

Dublin, 24/10/2011 — Software Asset Management Ireland (SAMI) today announced that it ranked number 2 in the 2011 Deloitte Technology Fast 50, a ranking of the 50 fastest growing technology companies in Ireland. Rankings are based on average percentage revenue growth over five years. SAMI grew 6899% percent during this period.

Tags: Deloitte awards,Technology Fast 50

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Leaving Certificate 2011

karolina@sami.ie — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 10:44:00 GMT

So, the 2011 Leaving Cert results are out and congratulations to all the students who have come through it in one piece! We should also congratulate all the teachers and parents whose support was crucial throughout a stressful 12 months for our latest school-leavers.
It was disappointing yesterday to see the media commentators mainly focussing on negative aspects of the results, so we’d like to add a little balance to the issue.

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Jobs in the industries of the future

karolina@sami.ie — Mon, 02 May 2011 09:23:00 GMT

The 2011 Irish census will show a worrying change from the 2006 survey. Whereas then, Ireland was a young country with a lot of highly-skilled people in employment, this updated national survey will indicate the country's high unemployment, and high emigration levels. Should we be fearful? We must remember that media headlines are designed to catch our eye and grab our attention. With huge multi-national information technology companies like Google, Microsoft, Dell, Apple, HP, and Facebook operating from these shores, there is a burgeoning technology sector, which should be cultivated and expanded. At primary school level, we still have bright young pupils who want to learn and explore new ideas using Microsoft software for schools. Growth in broadband services, cloud-computing, and smartphones have meant that everywhere on the island of Ireland is accessible, all the time, every day of the year. What we need though is more money in the technology education sector. Our young people need to be taught valuable IT skills to put them on career paths that will ensure them work in the industries of the future. This needs to start at the most basic level. Primary and secondary school mathematics needs to be made more accessible and more interesting for students. Maths should not be seen as the difficult subject, leading to the “ah it's grand, I'll do pass” mentality that is seen in the majority of Irish schools. Without a grounding in maths, Ireland can not cater for these future technologies. A recent Higher Education Authority survey also showed how computer science courses had the highest dropout rates of all third level courses. This is also something that needs to be addressed.

Rebuild The Pier

Cloud-computing makes a lot of things easier for companies, thus lowering operating costs. This opens that capital to be spent on hiring more staff and expanding the company. IT is the one sector that continues to grow, despite a worldwide recession, and total headcount is expected to grow by 5% in the IT sector for this year. This trend will continue, with salaries actually expected to increase by 10% too. So rather than emigrate, Irish young people should look to the information technology sector to ensure that they can stay at home with their friends and families, and actually make some good money by doing so. If Ireland embraces cloud computing now, as well as restructuring education in maths, there can be a guaranteed future for all of Ireland's young people. We can continue to be a young, vibrant, educated economy, but only if changes are made now.
Talk to Software Asset Management Ireland today and discover how Edvance can help teachers and students get the most out of Primary School resources. Phone us now on 01 8973100.

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