Welcome back to a new academic year. Upon reflection from last year, I really want to focus on the upskilling of digital skills for my students this year. I was considering mentoring programs and even a “Buddy Up” program which I was involved in with Donegal ETB a few years previous, but I wasn’t sure how I would like to establish and operate the program.
That was until I heard about the Microsoft Dream Space Ambassador Program closer to the end of the last academic year and after hearing feedback from pilot schools this week, I am very excited to get students involved in this program.
- Have you got transition year students with a keen interest in digital technology, coding, or ICT?
- Is your focus for the Digital Learning Framework/Plan student upskilling of digital platforms?
- Do you want students to take ownership of digital learning in your school and have an impact on their school community?
If you answered “Yes” to any of these questions, or have a general interest in digital technology in schools, then the Dream Space Ambassador Program may be worth a chance to take part in something new.
So what is a Dream Space Ambassador?
A Dream Space Ambassador is a student leader in your school who has a passion for learning about digital technology and is willing to support and train other members of the school community. You can have a maximum of 10 Dream Space Ambassadors in your school and these students will take part in virtual training sessions with the Dream Space team. These sessions will explore many topics related to STEM education, such as coding activities, digital citizenship and introduction to python.
The Dream Space program was initially run as a pilot program last year, but has now opened for all primary and secondary schools in Ireland. A showcase event is run at the end of the academic year for students to demonstrate their skills learned and reflect on their experiences.
The deadline to sign up is September 29th. See more information here!