The recent ‘World Economic Forum Future of Work Report’ highlights that technology adoption will remain a key driver of business transformation in the next five years. Over 85% of organisations surveyed for the report identified increased adoption of new and frontier technologies and broadening digital access as the trends most likely to drive transformation in their organisation.
Recognising these trends and the ways in which digital technology was playing an ever-increasing role in Ireland’s economy, workforce and society, five years ago Microsoft Ireland set out on a journey to help open the eyes and minds of young people to the endless possibilities offered by technology.
With an initial €5m investment, in 2018, Microsoft developed Microsoft Dream Space, a dedicated innovation and education hub at their campus in Leopardstown, Co. Dublin.
Developed in partnership with educators to inspire, encourage and challenge students through new technologies, including AI, mixed reality and robotics, Microsoft Dream Space was designed to help young people shift their perception of the role technology can play in their future career choices and to foster critical and creative thinking skills, which continue to be essential for the jobs of today and tomorrow.
The secret to cooking a delicious, fuss free Christmas turkey? You just need a little help
How LEO Digital for Business is helping to boost small business competitiveness
‘I have to believe that this situation is not forever’: stress mounts in homeless parents and children living in claustrophobic one-room accommodation
Unlocking the potential of your small business
Evolution
Last year, after reaching more than 130,000 students and 5,000 teachers since its opening, Microsoft announced its commitment to invest a further €3m over four years into Microsoft Dream Space.
James O’Connor, Microsoft Ireland site lead and vice president for Microsoft Global Operations Service Center, says this expansion will be crucial in helping to provide every student on the island of Ireland, almost 1m in total, as well as their teachers, with the opportunity to develop their digital skills.
“Through our additional Microsoft Dream Space offering, our ambition is to provide every student on the island of Ireland, regardless of socio-demographics, with the opportunity to take part in an immersive Microsoft Dream Space STEM experience and create the next generation of digital leaders.”
Since it was established, Microsoft Dream Space has adapted to ensure it can reach as many students as possible. Having started as an in-person experience, Microsoft has since launched a range of virtual offerings including Dream Space TV, which brings the immersive STEM experience into classrooms right across the country.
The recent expansion of Microsoft Dream Space also encompasses Dream Space Digital Academy, a free and fully immersive virtual learning environment where students can engage with modules of STEM learning across a variety of pathways. Another added resource is the Dream Space Teacher Package, which aims to empower teachers to deliver Dream Space during their classroom time or as independent learning modules for students.
Impact
Spurred on by the positive reaction it was receiving from classrooms all around the country, almost two years after it began, Microsoft engaged Maynooth University to conduct research to ascertain the impact Dream Space was having on students and teachers.
The research found that 90% of teachers who took part said that Microsoft Dream Space had positively impacted their use of technology and their students. Most notably, given the gender gap that exists in STEM across Ireland, the research also found a 42% increase in the likelihood of girls wanting to pursue STEM after their Dream Space experience.
Sarah Gibbons, Deputy Principal of Old Bawn Community School in Tallaght, says that since the school started engaging with Microsoft Dream Space over three years ago, the impact on the students has been “immense”.
“We have moved from having very traditional computer rooms and classrooms to a completely immersive way of learning,” says Sarah. “So, our students are now much better equipped to actually engage in teamwork, collaboration, problem solving, inquiry-based learning and so much more.”
Expansion
Since announcing its expansion last year, Microsoft has taken important steps towards realising its ambition to reach every student on the island of Ireland. November 2022 saw the official opening a second Microsoft Dream Space STEM education hub at W5 LIFE in Belfast, bringing it even closer to the education community in Northern Ireland.
And, in June 2023, Microsoft Ireland hosted its inaugural Microsoft Dream Space Showcase at its campus in Dublin. Over 300 students from 13 schools and seven clubs from a number of rural locations in Ireland most affected by digital divide gathered at One Microsoft Place to demonstrate the many ways in which their digital skills can help to solve some of today’s sustainability challenges.
Some of the outstanding technology solutions at the first-ever Showcase included wearable tech for improving young people’s wellbeing, inclusive and accessible voting systems, initiatives to clean the ocean and prevent illegal dumping, as well as measures to reduce water wastage and so much more.
STEM Passport for Inclusion
As it has evolved over time, Microsoft Dream Space has also supported specific initiatives that seek to address key issues and inequalities in STEM.
One such initiative is the STEM Passport for Inclusion (STEMP). Co-designed and delivered by Microsoft Dream Space, the STEMP project is led by Dr. Katriona O’Sullivan, lecturer in the Assistive Living and Learning (ALL) Institute of Maynooth University and aims to address gender inequalities among pupils in socially disadvantaged communities. Over 1,250 students across Leinster and Munster have engaged with the initiative to date.
Speaking about the impact, Dr. O’Sullivan says that Dream Space has had a hugely positive impact on classrooms and teachers.
“By tackling the inequalities that exist around digital skills in our society,” she says, “Microsoft Dream Space plays a vital role in levelling the playing field in terms of STEM education.”
The future
In Ireland, we have an ambition to be the European leader in STEM education by 2026 and ensure 80% of adults have basic digital skills by 2030. Initiatives like Dream Space play an important role in helping to address the digital skills gap and in helping us to achieve our national digital ambitions.
However, James O’Connor says that Microsoft Dream Space cannot do it alone.
“Industry, policymakers and the education sector at large must continue to work together to drive broader transformation across the education system, empowering educators to provide digital skills opportunities to students, enabling them to experience and achieve more through the power of technology,” he says.
“Microsoft Dream Space is playing a vital role in supporting its partners in this. With everything it has achieved to date, and its ambitions for the future, Microsoft Dream Space represents the endless possibilities that come about when aspiration, action and ambition come together to drive STEM learning among young people, bridge the digital skills gap, and open the hearts and minds of your future leaders to realise their full potential.”