Make IT Happen 2008
PITCOM, in partnership with The IET and e-skills UK, are staging Make IT Happen 2008; the technology competition for school students aged nine to eleven.
Make IT Happen 2008 calls on schools to use technology, such as audio-visual materials, web pages or interactive posters, to describe how they would change an aspect of their local community for the better.
Schools are encouraged to focus on an issue they really care about, such as tackling bullying or littering, helping to improve the local environment or supporting their community. Judges will be looking for student-led entries that show initiative and imagination and make the most of students’ technology skills.
£1,000 will be available for the winning school from each of the English Regions and Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland. In addition, £4,500, £2,500 and £1,500 will be awarded to three overall winners.
Winning schools will be invited to visit Parliament in Westminster to have tea with MPs and meet other winning schools.
The closing date for entries is 31 July 2008.
Andrew Miller, Labour MP for Ellesmere Port and Neston and Chairman of PITCOM
The Parliamentary Information Technology Committee (PITCOM), in partnership with e-skills UK, the Sector Skills Council for IT and Telecoms, and the Institution of Engineering and Technology are staging the second annual UK primary schools competition for students aged nine to eleven.
Make IT Happen 2008 calls on schools to use technology, such as audio-visual materials, web pages or interactive posters, to describe how they would change an aspect of their local community for the better.
PITCOM was established in 1981 to provide a bridge between parliament and the IT industry in the UK. The committee provides a forum for MPs, Peers, senior civil servants, academics and industry professionals to discuss the policy implications of new technologies.
During the past 25 years we have seen technology become an integral part of the way we live, learn and work. Today, almost everyone needs to have some level of IT skills in order to participate fully in an increasingly e-enabled world. Businesses across the UK are striving for a competitive advantage and it’s vital the next generation of IT professionals, business managers and leaders understand how technology can benefit their operation.
It’s also important the industry continues to encourage and develop young people as this group has traditionally perceived the ‘Information and Communications Technologies’ (ICT) as boring or difficult. These negative perceptions become embedded and are carried from school through into adulthood, turning young people away from courses, degrees and careers in technology-related subjects.
To combat the issue of negatively perceiving the industry, many UK primary and secondary schools are doing excellent and inspirational work to challenge these perceptions and change attitudes. We have launched Make IT Happen 2008 to encourage primary schools to think about how they could use technology to describe how they would change an aspect of their local community for the better.
Last year we launched a hugely successful competition where I was able to see first hand how UK’s primary schools are using ICT to enhance learning and support extra-curricular programmes. This year we believe our Make IT Happen 2008 challenge will encourage young people to use their technology skills while thinking about how they could make their world a better place to live in.
It really is amazing what young people can do when given access to technology. They devote energy and enthusiasm to organising and running clubs, networks, campaigns and community projects, among many other things. This helps them to understand how technology can make a positive contribution to their world and teaches them vital skills for the future – including technology, problem-solving, team working and communications skills.
For Make IT Happen 2008 we have joined forces with e-skills UK and the Institution of Engineering and Technology. We are delighted to have e-skills UK on board as they already coordinate award winning programmes such as Computer Clubs for Girls (CC4G), which is changing the attitude towards technology among a generation of 11 to 14 year old girls.
For this year’s competition e-skills UK is making software resources and ‘How To’ guides available online, based on the CC4G design, to help schools with their campaigns.
I would like to thank the Institution of Engineering and Technology for their support in providing cash prizes; £1,000 for the winning school from each of the English Regions and Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland. In addition, £4,500, £2,500 and £1,500 will be awarded to three overall winners.
We are delighted to have this opportunity to look for and reward some of the excellent work with technology that is taking place in primary schools across the UK. Members who would like to promote the competition among their constituency schools are encouraged to contact makeithappen@e-skills.com
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From the IET