From our General Manager, Paul Rellis:
Today is a great day for Microsoft in Ireland!.
An Taoiseach, Brian Cowen T.D. officially opened Microsoft’s newest data centre in Dublin, Ireland, expanding the company’s cloud computing capabilities for business and consumers in Europe. This represents an investment which is a mind blowing $500m USD!. This investment solidifies Microsoft’s commitment to Europe and to Ireland, and demonstrates the importance of data centres as a cornerstone of the company’s cloud services offerings and how Microsoft is investing today for the future of cloud computing.
The first mega data centre built outside of the U.S. is more than 300,000 square feet and represents the next evolutionary step in building out the company’s infrastructure to meet the demand generated from Online, Live, and Cloud services.
The Dublin Data Centre (DDC) represents a breakthrough in data centre facility design and efficiency. It has been developed with sustainability in mind – being 50% more energy efficient than traditional data centres. The cool winds and rain help ! After 24 years in Ireland we are still investing.
The Cloud has a Silver Lining for Irish Customers! The launch of this Data Centre in Dublin offers us a fantastic opportunity to bring the message of Cloud computing to our customers like never before. Customers have options to embrace the cloud, and Partners can build businesses, through:
- Packaged applications hosted in the Cloud and managed directly by Microsoft or Partners e.g, Eircom. These services are typically: Exchange, SharePoint and OCS/Live Meeting - Customers are already seeing cost reductions of up to 45% across the globe with over 1m users signed up. In Ireland, Chernobyl Children's Project International is an Irish based example of an organisation using Microsoft Online Services (email and collaboration), in order to connect their 2,000 volunteers in Ireland and around Europe. The charity has seen dramatic time saving of more than 20 hours per person per week for office based staff and seen their communication costs plummet by using Live Meeting instead of traditional conference calls.
- Creating and running their own applications in the Cloud using our Windows Azure Platform - We already have customers in Ireland who are embracing Software + Services solutions. In recent weeks we have worked with Aer Lingus to help support its objective of improving the customer booking experience while also supporting the business objective of encouraging them to look at more offers from the airline. We helped them to develop new booking models for customers, utilising a pay as you go model where costs are directly related to the size and scale of the solution - they are now in a position where they can scale for success without having to worry about forecasting or additional investment. No additional hardware provisioning was required and bandwidth provision is no longer a concern as they now have global reach. In addition, Eirgrid is already using the shared computing resources provided by Microsoft’s Data Centres, and as a result believe all electricity users will benefit from increased security and reliability of supply.
We are also very excited to be working with a group of BizSpark companies many of whom are early adopters and are developing and hosting services in the cloud. These are the innovators and entrepreneurs who will be at the heart of Ireland’s future economic success and part of the Smart Economy. In addition to the launch, we are also hosting 30 of our BizSpark companies at an exciting event in the Data Centre, and announcing to them an Azure Academy which we will be running in October in conjunction with the NDRA. This will be a very exciting event as this group are the optimistic and focused groups we at Microsoft have seen in recent times.
|
Math Worksheet Generator |
|
Do you spend a lot of time searching for worksheets with practice problems to give your students? Now you can easily create your own in just a few seconds with the Math Worksheet Generator. This is a tool that generates multiple math problems based on a sample, and then creates a worksheet that you can distribute. By analyzing the math problem you provide, or one of the built-in samples, the generator determines the structure of the expression and provides similar problems. We tack on an answer sheet too.
The Math Worksheet Generator works best with Word 2007. If you have that, then the tool creates a Word document and the expressions are editable. If you have an older version of Word, we still create a document, but the expressions are small images that aren't editable. (This is because Word 2007 and higher has more built-in support for inserting Math equations.) If you don't have Word at all, the tool will create HTML versions of the worksheet and answer sheet. If you have a Mac, we didn't forget you, so stay tuned - we're working on a web version that should come out later this year. | | |
http://www.educationlabs.com/projects/MathWorksheetGenerator/Pages/default.aspx#
Its been a while since I have posted any updates, but the big news this week is that the exchange team is starting to lift the lid on Exchange 14, or E14 for short.
Without repeating the announcement verbatim here is the link to the exchange teams blog.
Check out the video , this is the technology that is powering the Live@EDU email solution.
There are a lot of interesting posts about the upcoming Windows Live Updates. One of the most exciting ones is that SkyDrive storage is increasing to 25 Gigabytes.
5GB to 25Gb, a 500% increase! There are new features available on the SkyDrive as well.
- Download whole folders as a compressed Zip archive.
- Move and Copy Files between folders.
- Place your Favourite web links into your SkyDrive and Synch them with the Windows Live Toolbar
These are just a few of my favourite upgrades, and there is lots more. There are more details on the SkyDrive team's blog at http://skydriveteam.spaces.live.com/
This will be an interesting talk for Students and Educators on Embedded development and Robotics.
"Are you a student or academic interested in learning how to build the embedded systems and robots of the future?
Then why not attend the Microsoft® Windows® Embedded European Tour which is now visiting university campuses across Europe. You'll hear from experts from Microsoft as well as local industry partners and gain an insight in to one of the fastest growing technology markets.
You’ll see the Microsoft Windows Embedded family of products at work in the real world and discover how they are being used to power systems in factories, cars, your personal navigation or music player device or even your set-top box at home. You’ll get under the hood of the Microsoft® .NET Micro Framework and also discover just how easy it is to build robotics applications for a wide variety of hardware using Microsoft® Robotics Developer Studio, the Windows-based environment. "
Register here for the event
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032394842&Culture=en-IE
First Education Project of its kind will see 7 Irish Secondary Students travel to Antarctica to research global warming, climate change and wildlife.
Pat Falvey, Explorer/Educator is one of the world's great adventurers, having completed 62 expeditions successfully, including the South Pole and summiting Everest on two occasions in his quest to examine the depths of human endurance.
In February 2008 shortly after returning from the South Pole, Pat under his Corporate Social Responsibility Charter, founded the Beyond Endurance Adventure-Based Learning Experience (BE ABLE) Programme which seeks to use “adventure learning” to create awareness of global issues and to encourage active citizenship in young people. Science and technology are used extensively to demonstrate their utility in solving these issues and as potential career paths for students.
The primary focus of the BE ABLE Programme is to empower the youth of today using adventure based learning projects like Transition Year Antarctic Voyage of Discovery (http://www.TYACT2008.com) which combines real science/investigation and real adventure integrated in to the curriculum.
Students are assisted both in the classroom and actually out in the real-world to seek out and find solutions to climate change and other global issues while utilising the very best of modern technologies including spatial technologies and with the help of professional scientists who act as mentors to the students for one year.
Selected students will be offered a unique opportunity to work on the cutting edge of scientific research "in the field" by assisting highly skilled scientists on site in the Antarctic and in turn use the knowledge and experience gained to generate increased public awareness of the various issues investigated on their return to their classmates in Ireland. The first group of 10 Secondary Students (chosen from schools throughout Ireland including three from disadvantaged areas) will be travelling on the Voyage of Discovery to the Antarctic on November 6th 2008 for three weeks.
ALLOWING THE CLASSROOM TO GO FURTHER THAN EVER THOUGHT POSSIBLE
It is rarely possible for teachers and students to travel to remote places to undertake valuable school field studies. Some places are just too far and time issues all reflect the difficulty in taking students outside the classroom. Beyond Endurance Education Project will take selected students on scientific expeditions to far flung locations such as Antarctica, to be followed by the Himalayas, Tanzania, Eastern Russia, Patagonia and the Arctic Circle, while communicating and working with students throughout the country who will learn from their Adventure Peers.
TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION COMBINED WITH GRIPPING ADVENTURE!
Students that remain in the classroom can participate in the TYACT Project in numerous ways using technologies supported by Microsoft Ireland who is the preferred Technology Partner for the Project. Activities such as plotting the journey that their fellow students take using Microsoft Live Maps and other Spatial Technologies will enable students to understand what is happening and where. Mapping Penguin colonies across the Voyage and plotting sea temperatures as they are relayed by satellite back to the classroom. Data will be captured using GPS, sensing technologies, dataloggers, and digital microscopes and relayed to schools connected to the Project portal.
Ever wondered what it feels like to stand on Antarctic ice. Is it hard, soft or slippery? Students can ask one of their peers to actually find out. How cold is it – well students can ask them to take a temperature reading and record the result with their data loggers! How tall is an Adelie Penguin? Stand next to one and measure!
By logging on to Voyage blogs, podcasts and datastreams recorded and broadcast daily during the expeditions, students in classrooms across Ireland can begin taking positive action to reduce their carbon footprint and that of their fellow students on the Voyage and research questions for the Live Video Broadcasts.
What is that Scientist doing on the iceberg? Just ask and they can tell you and show you as you sit there in the classroom.
The Project Resources Portal will provide starting points including numerous class worksheets for research in to all things relevant to the Project and the scientific investigations being carried out and connecting everything to the relevant parts of the curriculum.
REAL SCIENCE – IT’S NOT JUST BOOKS!
There will be 6 innovative Scientific Research Investigations undertaken by Scientists on the TYACT Voyage of Discovery to the Antarctic.
The Science Programme is coordinated under the direction of Dr. Sandra Riordan who ensures that all participating Third Level Institutions take on the role of mentors to the students and actively seeks to increase the number of Universities working on TYACT. Scientists from GMIT and LIT are working with the Programme team to develop proposals for TYACT and future Expeditions as well as sending out scientists to work on the Voayge of Discovery
Frederick T. bear
BE ABLE also works with Primary Students using the innovative Adventure Bear, Frederick T. Bear who travels around the world on various expeditions in a bid to help save the planet and relays his experiences through his website, blog, podcasts, and on his return from each expedition - personal appearances to children in schools throughout Ireland.
Children are encouraged to assist “Freddy” in his researches on Global issues such as Climate Change by following in “Freddy’s Footprints” a series of simple actions to improve the world around them. One simple action will be to turn off their TV for thirty minutes each day and do some simple but activities including walking, playing and reading. Students of all ages will be encouraged and actively facilitated to record their "classroom adventures" using blogging and moderated social networking will be encouraged as an extension of the school learning community using online tools provided by the Project and some of its partners.
Photos by Priory Studio, Dublin
