Students in Galway and Mayo get chance to hone their coding skills
Life
Leaving Certificate computer science students from eight secondary schools across Galway and Mayo took part in a full day of hands-on, curriculum-aligned learning last Saturday.
Designed and delivered by the PorterShed programmes team in collaboration with Ross Conboy, computer science teacher at St. Joseph’s Patrician College (The Bish), the hackathon is aligned directly with the Leaving Certificate computer science curriculum. Students worked with real-world environmental datasets to develop solutions to climate-related challenges, while building skills essential to their state examination coursework.
“This hackathon consistently shows how engaged and capable students are when given the opportunity to work with real data and real problems,” said Conboy. “Events like this bring the Leaving Certificate computer science curriculum to life and give students confidence in their own abilities.”
Attending the event, Minister for Education & Youth Hildegarde Naughton said: “It’s great to see Leaving Certificate computer science students coming together from different schools to apply their learning in a practical setting. This hackathon is a strong example of how coursework can develop creativity, critical thinking, teamwork and analytical skills, all of which are essential for future careers in STEM.”
The winning team, TreeRoute, was made up of students from Presentation College Headford, St. Joseph’s Patrician College, Coláiste Bhaile Chláir, St Brigid’s College, and Rice College Westport.
TechCentral Reporters