A.L.I. In Action
This week has been another big one for The Ada Lovelace Initiative and we would like to share our latest exciting news with you in today’s instalment of A.L.I. In Action! The A.L.I. role models are currently very busy preparing for school visits taking place this week and in the run up to May, which will be a very significant month for A.L.I.
The Ada Lovelace Initiative targets Transition Year pupils nationwide, all of whom will be finishing by the first week of June for their summer holidays – which means at the end of May we will reach the end of our very first year in action and our very last role model visits until September again!
As we are leading up to this important milestone, we would now like to share a new online resource with our community which will allow you to explore the A.L.I. journey so far.
A.L.I. Story Map
At Verify, we are delighted to officially announce the launch of our new Story Map – a fantastic resource which will allow you to see where A.L.I. visits are taking place. The Ada Lovelace Initiative is now registered in 14 counties – with female technology role models visiting pupils across the country.
With the introduction of this new Story Map, you can not only see visit locations but also milestones of the initiative, the schools taking part and the role models who bring The Ada Lovelace Initiative to life.
This resource was created by Aideen Croasdell of ESRI Ireland. Aideen is a registered role model of The Ada Lovelace Initiative who kindly volunteered to create The Ada Lovelace Initiative Story Map in addition to visiting the pupils of St. Dominic’s College Cabra.
I created the Story map to show how the initiative is being spread across Ireland and to show how many schools are seeing the benefits in having role models visit their schools. The Story Map is a great interactive, visual medium that easily tell a story through, maps, photographs, video and text. It is a powerful geographical technology that can share impactful locational stories easily and it is a great tool for the Ada Lovelace Initiative to use to share their inspirational story so far.” said Aideen Croasdell, Client Manager – Commercial Team – Esri Ireland, Dublin.
“My colleague sent me an email about the Ada Lovelace Initiative and I signed up at the end of last year because it is a really great initiative to be involved with as a woman in technology. I feel like this initiative has the same appeal to young girls in school because they can hear our stories as role models and how we got into technology. This can inspire them to take the same or similar routes and to realise their potential and not to be held back by not trying. It’s important for girls to know that they too can be part of and benefit the world of technology and our society as a whole.”
The map begins with milestones and the final stop of resource features the geographical map of Ireland where you can interact with visit locations and learn more about where visits have taken place. Note for role models who are heading out this month – in June 2016 the map will display the total number of visits for the first year of The Ada Lovelace Initiative – so every role model up will be included in the final count update.
As pictured below, you can view the spread of our school visits across the country on the Story Map and by clicking on a location, you can view either the special event milestone that occurred there or alternatively the schools and role models taking part in that area.
The Verify Recruitment team would like to say a big thank you again to Aideen Croasdell for all of her help with the Story Map!
Please click here to explore
The A.L.I. Story Map
About ESRI Ireland
If you would like to know more about ESRI Ireland – they are software company Esri’s official point of presence in Ireland. Since 2002 they have partnered with both the public and private sector to help them understand the impact of geography on their business. They employ 45 people locally in Dublin and Belfast and are part of the Esri Global Network.
Esri Ireland’s business is built on the belief that knowing where things happen matters. They are a software and services organisation specialising in the application of geographic information systems or “GIS”. GIS is based on the simple principle of attaching a location to every piece of data.
“Forget paper maps on the wall, today’s maps are interactive, global, mobile and extremely fast. Esri Story Maps let you combine authoritative maps with narrative text, images, and multimedia content. They make it easy to harness the power of maps and geography to tell a visual and impactful story. Tell the right story and you can capture attention, entertain, enlighten, and persuade. Stories are fundamental to how we communicate as human beings. Stories are memorable and shareable —two of the most important aspects of the very best online content.” said Joanne McLaughlin ESRI Ireland
Get Involved With A.L.I.!
Schools
The success of The Ada Lovelace Initiative depends on the participation of female technology role models, but also the participation of teachers and schools to host the role model at their school. If you would like an A.L.I Role Model to visit the Transition Year pupils in your school, please click here to register your interest.
Parents
If you think your local secondary school should receive a role model visit from The Ada Lovelace Initiative or if you will have a child in Transition Year in September, please get in touch with Róisín at Verify and we will register that school on your behalf and seek a role model for your area.
Our A.L.I. visits taking place this week coincide with a special occasion in the education and technology industries in Ireland; Tech Week. If this is the first time you have heard of Tech Week, it is Ireland’s nationwide festival of technology aimed at students, parents and the public.
Tech Week began on Sunday 24th of April and will finish this Saturday, the 30th April. If you would like to learn more about the events taking place as part of Tech Week – check out the Tech Week schedule here: https://www.techweek.ie/app/event/
Role Models
If you are a technology professional who would like more information for yourself or your colleagues, about visiting a school on our waiting list or if you would like us to connect you with your former school, please fill out our form here and we will be in touch shortly.
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