Sponsors eircom Junior Spider Awards: inspiring the next generation

Supported by:

Eircom

eircom is the leading provider of telecommunications services in Ireland and has the most extensive fixed line telecommunications network in the country in terms of both capacity and geographic reach. The company has over 1.2 million customers and provides a comprehensive range of advanced voice, data and internet services to the residential, business and enterprise markets.

The company which was formerly listed on the Dublin and London stock exchanges, was purchased by Australian firm Babcock & Brown Capital Ltd (ASX:BCM) together with the eircom Employee Share Ownership Trust (ESOT) in August 2006.

With almost 7,000 employees, eircom Group is one of Ireland’s largest employers.

Our mobile division, Meteor, was acquired in November 2005 and is Ireland’s third largest mobile phone operator with over one million mobile subscribers.

eircom is committed to supporting innovation in technology. This is evidenced through our long standing involvement with the eircom Golden Spiders Awards and our own annual Innovation Fund. We are delighted to extend this commitment to the eircom Junior Spider Awards which will recognise and promote the outstanding achievements of students across Ireland.

National Centre for Technology in Education

The National Centre for Technology in Education (NCTE) was established under the auspices of the Department of Education and Science in 1998.

As the Government’s agency on the use of information and communications technology (ICT) in education it plays a central role in helping to maximise the benefits for learners and teachers in using ICT.

IE Domain Registry Ltd (IEDR)

IE Domain Registry Ltd (IEDR) www.iedr.ie – .ie a local address for local people

IEDR has been proud sponsors of the Golden Spider Awards since 2004 and is delighted in 2009 to sponsor the first ever Junior Golden Spider Awards. IEDR believes it is so important to give Ireland’s young and talented people a chance to be recognised and rewarded for their innovative and creative input and use of the World Wide Web. If we encourage, motivate and feed the enthusiasm and aspirations of today’s young internet users we believe this will build the confidence of the next generation of internet users.

The IEDR was incorporated in July 2000 when it commenced as the registry for all internet domain names ending in .ie. We control, manage and operate the .ie country code Top-Level Domain (ccTLD). We provide complementary registry services for the Internet community in Ireland.

Foras na Gaeilge

Foras na Gaeilge, the body responsible for the promotion of the Irish language throughout the whole island of Ireland, was founded on the second day of December 1999.

In the Good Friday Agreement, it was stated that a North/South Implementation body be set up to promote both the Irish language and the Ulster Scots language. Under the auspices of this body, Foras na Gaeilge will carry out all the designated responsibilities regarding the Irish language. This entails facilitating and encouraging the speaking and writing of Irish in the public and private arena in the Republic of Ireland, and in Northern Ireland where there is appropriate demand, in the context of part three of the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages.

The staff of Bord na Gaeilge, An Gúm (Publishers), and An Coiste Téarmaíochta (Terminology Committee) and their activities have all been transferred to the new body.

Foras na Gaeilge has a role in advising administrations, North and South, as well as public bodies and other groups in the private and voluntary sectors in all matters relating to the Irish language. They will also be undertaking supportive projects and grant-aiding bodies and groups throughout the island of Ireland.

Business & Finance Media Group

Established in 1964, Business & Finance magazine remains Ireland’s number one business magazine. With a readership of over 55,100 and a bi-weekly circulation of 15,767, Business & Finance Magazine has the highest readership of any business magazine among senior business people in Ireland at 32.4% (European Business Readership Survey 2006).

Business & Finance Media Group have also established a specialist Client Publishing Division, which creates, produces and manages over thirty products for a varied client base. Dedicated and professional sales, editorial, design and print staff are on-hand to create quality publications on the client’s behalf. These tailored publications are developed to the client’s personal specifications and are designed to enhance the client’s brand and marketing initiatives.

Discover Science & Engineering

Discover Science & Engineering is managed by Forfás on behalf of the Office of Science & Technology at the Department of Enterprise Trade & Employment.

The aim of the programme is to increase interest in science, technology, innovation and engineering among students, teachers and members of the public. DSE’s mission is to contribute to Ireland’s continued growth and development as a society that has an active and informed interest and involvement in science, engineering and technology.

Overall DSE objectives are to increase the numbers of students studying the physical sciences, promote a positive attitude to careers in science, engineering and technology and to foster a greater understanding of science and its value to Irish society.

The Discover Science & Engineering (DSE) programme was developed in response to a key recommendation of the Task Force on the Physical Sciences. This called for a coordinated effort to increase interest in science and encourage young people to consider science as a viable career option. DSE brings together many science, engineering, technology and innovation awareness activities that were previously managed by different bodies, public and private.

CJ Fallon

Since 1927, CJ Fallon has been one of Ireland’s leading educational publishers and continues to set the standards for Primary and Post-Primary textbooks. Our emphasis on quality over quantity has stood to us…every title that we publish has been extremely well planned, researched and produced.

Outstanding programmes for the Irish Primary School curriculum, particularly in English, Irish and Mathematics ensure that CJ Fallon is one of Ireland’s most respected publishers. The company also produce the most popular assessment tools, namely MICRA-T and SIGMA-T, in use in most Primary Schools throughout Ireland.

At post-primary level, the company has a wide range of market leading textbooks, across many subjects.CJ Fallon are also leading the way in interactive learning and is developing an Irish curriculum-specific version of Destination Maths, in conjunction with Riverdeep HMH.

HB Ice cream was brought to life by the Hughes family of Rathfarnham, Dublin.

Originally dairy farmers, the Hughes family comprised William and Margaret Hughes and their six children, William, George, James, Annie, Frances and Margaret. In 1898, William and Margaret Hughes built their new Hazelbrook farmhouse on a site in Rathfarnham which would eventually house the Hazelbrook Dairy and the HB Ice cream production plant. When William passed away in 1906, his three sons took over the running of the farm and in 1924, these visionary brothers established Ireland’s first dairy factory at Hazelbrook Farm.

Today, HB Ice Cream is divided into the In Home and Out of Home ranges. The In Home range consists of HB’s famous Hazelbrook Farm family tubs and bricks, the Viennetta logs, premium Carte D’Or tubs and our very successful Multipacks. Out of Home, the HB success story continues with brands like Magnum, Solero, Cornetto, Kids and Classics. Our kids range is specially formulated for little taste buds with favourites such as Loop the Loop, Twister and Calippo. The HB Classics range comprises the biggest selling Ice creams in Ireland such as Ice Berger, Maxi Twist and Brunch.

SMART Technologies is the leading provider of interactive whiteboards in Ireland with a market share of 45%.* SMART has a passion and commitment to bring the best of educational technology to teaching. The SMART Board™ interactive whiteboard enriches the learning experience for pupils and acts as a hub for the digital classroom by providing an environment where pupils can work collaboratively, make decisions and solve problems.

SMART offers the complete solution – full product range, training, and after sales support services. Through our exclusive distributor Steljes, SMART has a dedicated team of education development consultants (EDC) all of whom are fully qualified teachers as well as experts in SMART solutions. The EDC team work with teachers to provide materials, resources and advice to realise value from their ICT investment to transform the learning experience.

Media Partners:

TV3

TV3 is Ireland’s independent commercial television channel, which launched in 1998.

The early schedules revolved around two nightly news programmes and the country’s first ever early morning live television programme, Ireland AM. 11 years on and these programmes remain the bedrock of our service, along with entertainment, chat, and the best of soaps and documentaries.

In 2006, TV3 changed ownership and moved to a new phase in its development. Over the past two years, a major emphasis has been placed on high quality home-produced programming, with the establishment of an independent production unit – TV3 Productions. Currently, TV3 shows in excess of 30 hours per week of home produced programming.

In 2008 TV3 acquired Channel 6 – an Irish based independent TV channel – and re-branded it 3e – a sister channel to TV3. 2008 was also significant for TV3 as we launched our website www.tv3.ie and in the same year won the coveted Golden Spider Award for the best website in Ireland.

Today FM

Today FM has been Ireland’s national independent commercial radio station since January 5th 1998. Since then, the station has gone from strength to strength. It has grown its audience base, its listener loyalty and its position as a broadcaster of stature.

From the outset, Today FM challenged broadcasting conventions. What if listeners didn’t just want music? Could it be possible that they wanted a mixture of music and talk? If so, wouldn’t it be likely that there are different times of the day that audiences are more receptive to serious chat, versus light-hearted music and chat?

Today FM set out to be and has succeeded in being a new kind of radio station, providing a unique offering to the modern Irish listener, an ideal combination of talk and music that flowed with their day like no other station. The product offering has changed over the years but the essence has remained the same, a station that was relevant to you at the time of day you were listening to it.

Over time, Today FM has succeeded in changing mindsets amongst listeners, commentators, politicians and other influencers, that there is a real, fresh and young provider of national radio. In 2007, Today FM renewed its broadcasting licence for a further 10 years and in March 2008, the staion moved to a new state of the art premises in Digges Lane, Dublin.