IT is not just for Geeks! - 29/09/17
On Friday morning we were pleasantly surprised to find that we would be getting a talk from two employees from DELL, the computer company. We were greeted by Marie and Aidan in the Halla Nua just before lunch. The overall aim of the talk was to show us the different industries that IT is used in and that it is not stereo- typically just for 'geeks'. They began the presentation by introducing themselves and giving us a background of how they got to where they are in the business today. In my opinion, the pair attain very good public speaking skills which really helped with the overall quality of the presentation. The talk consisted of a few videos to help us understand the concept. They even allowed group discussion in which prizes could be won such as portable chargers and USB keys. As someone who has an interest in travelling, Marie and Aidan opened my eyes to the industries in which that can be possible and how even minimal IT skills can help you in attaining a job in later life. I thought this talk was very beneficial.
Wicklow Enterprise Board Mini Company Talk - 20/09/17
On the 20th of September my year and I were lucky enough to have a guest speaker in to discuss our mini companies.
Serena Bryans who is a representative of the Wicklow Enterprise Board came into talk to us about our mini companies and how our mini companies can be something very simple but can turn into something huge that can become not just a national but international seller. Serena gave all the groups that we split up into a large paper clip and told us to think of things we could make with this, although at first it was difficult to think of ideas but when I really got into it I found it extremely enjoyable and from this I learned the brainstorming time doesn't have to be boring and kept to a minimum but can be a very broad area and really quite fun. As the talk continued and I picked up tips on how best to complete my mini company, it allowed me to feel more prepared on what my group and I would soon endevour on. Following the talk my group and I decided on a final idea for our mini company and are looking forward to presenting this idea to Mr Geraghty.
Serena Bryans who is a representative of the Wicklow Enterprise Board came into talk to us about our mini companies and how our mini companies can be something very simple but can turn into something huge that can become not just a national but international seller. Serena gave all the groups that we split up into a large paper clip and told us to think of things we could make with this, although at first it was difficult to think of ideas but when I really got into it I found it extremely enjoyable and from this I learned the brainstorming time doesn't have to be boring and kept to a minimum but can be a very broad area and really quite fun. As the talk continued and I picked up tips on how best to complete my mini company, it allowed me to feel more prepared on what my group and I would soon endevour on. Following the talk my group and I decided on a final idea for our mini company and are looking forward to presenting this idea to Mr Geraghty.
Eagle's Flight workshop ~ 21/09/17
The Eagle's Flight workshop took place in the Pavilion on a Thursday morning. Presented by Gerald O'Shea, the we were split into teams and in a very clever way, learnt to understand how to successfully complete projects which is a major part of the Transition Year curriculum. Each group was given a poster with a board game layout on it and various sheets of paper with different headings. Gerald, known as Ger, used a PowerPoint presentation to inform us on all the different rules and regulations of the game. It was called 'The Lost Dutchman's Gold Mine', the aim of the game was for each team to get from base or 'Apache Junction' to the gold mine, where the team must collect as much gold as possible, and then must return back to base. The game was set over a 20 day period where each move represented a day, the longer you spend in the gold mine, the more gold you collected, however the team must account for a number of things, such as time, supplies and additional information. My favourite thing about the workshop was that once we had analysed the game at the end, everything began to make sense as to how the game related to our everyday work, which I thought was very beneficial for our cognitive development. Overall I really enjoyed the experience.