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24 November
One Hand Can't Stop Ireland's Two Steps Forward
Economic Recovery & Technology.
by
SoftwareGuru
As painful as Ireland's exit from the FIFA World Cup play off
game at the hand of France has been for most people, it should
be used as an opportunity to acknowledge growth.
In recent months Ireland has taken two massive steps forward in
terms of the national soccer team's ability to compete against
the world's top ranked nations.
More importantly, we have taken two equally massive
steps forward in the formation of a national digital agenda to
kick-start economic recovery - and with it in place there is no
turning back.
Ireland needs
to continue to roll up its collective sleeves and get on with the task at hand,
whether that is
rebuilding our economy or encouraging excellence in sport.
The problems are well documented. The issue of implementing ICT in schools
and the need to develop a digital plan for Ireland to guide us
through the next decade is already under way.
With technology firmly at the tip of the spear,
it's time to stop with the hard-luck stories and, as the former
Republic of Ireland footballer Paul McGrath used to say, "do
your talking on the pitch".
Finally, ICT is being seen as the tool with which to educate
school children and students in Ireland as opposed to
"computers" being a
separate subject in itself.
Where schools fall short, parents are usually expected to pick
up the slack. From a financial point of view during a recession,
that is an immense responsibility.
Thankfully, Software4Students offers low cost
official software which can play an important role in furthering
next generation skills desired by future employers.
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New Skills and Approach
Students in Ireland must recognise the need to emerge from the
education machine cycle with skills and abilities that can give them an
edge when it comes to finding a career.
The qualities that an employer looks for will have little to do
with what points were achieved at leaving cert level.
Parents must encourage students to think for themselves, to
challenge conventional beliefs and to foster a love of learning
new things. The current examination system is completely at odds
with the latter but that's worthy of a entirely separate debate!
The shift towards a more technologically driven mindset is
evident from reports that
93% of consumers plan to shop online this Christmas.
Computers are no longer just for geeks or the workplace, and
social networking has played a role in achieving this mainstream
acceptance.
The head of Google recently stated that if you want to get an
idea of how the web will look in 5 years time, take a look at
how teenagers use the internet today.
Software skills and the ability to learn new things quickly will
play important roles in the future of all Irish students.
The
Dreamspark campaign in Ireland showed that Microsoft are
willing to give third level students cutting edge software for
free to help them prepare for a future which would have been
unimaginable to their grandparents.
This is on top of all the free software Microsoft provides to
all users via the revamped
Windows Live,
which even allows Windows Live Messenger (MSN) on most mobile
phones.
As always, the tools are there if you decide to look for them.
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Approaching the
end of 2009
As we enter December 2009 it provides us with the opportunity to
take stock of how the year has passed.
The recession and nationwide redundancies have left many former
company men becoming entrepreneurs and launching their own
businesses.
The changing global economy has forced many Irish employees out
of their comfort zone and pushed them towards a new digital
business.
Almost every day the IT & Technology News Media websites based
in Ireland are reporting on another entrepreneur launching a new
idea and it's extremely encouraging.
Many new Irish businesses will fail but it is the process and
experience that is important. Most successful business owners
have launched previous enterprises that failed and it is often
the third or fourth attempt which achieves long-term success.
Whether you are a student, parent or an entrepreneur, there are
software tools available today that previous generations never
had and that is where our salvation lies.
We are the gatekeepers to our own destiny. If we can imagine it,
we're a step closer to achieving it.
Ireland must believe in itself and have a vision. The next step
is crucial.
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Posted by
admin
at
09:46
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One Hand Can't Stop Ireland's Two Steps Forward