Return of TeachMeet to CESIcon weekend

[Mags Amond]

Dear CESI colleagues - some midweek messages:

1. We are bringing back our in-person TeachMeet on the eve of the annual CESI Conference in 2026. It's an informal get-together in a social setting, a chance to catch up with each other and exchange ideas in a series of short presentations from the community. It will be hosted at Limerick Educate Together Secondary School on Friday evening February 27th. Between 2009 and 2020 we had many memorable eve-of-conference events, and look forward to resuming this practice. Registration details will be posted along with the conference registration form.

2. The conference itself will be hosted at Gaeilcoláiste Luimnigh on Saturday February 28th. The submission process is ongoing, thanks to those who have completed their forms; those who still have to do so can submit here by Dec 19th

 Our keynote speaker for the Saturday conference is Elaine Burke, aka @CriticalRedPen, a journalist and broadcaster who provides clear, plain-speaking commentary on science and technology developments in print, online, on TV and radio, and in podcasts. Elaine is the resident tech expert for Ireland AM and a weekly TV and streaming analyst on TodayFM’s The Last Word. Winner of the inaugural Women in Business Journalism Award in 2022, she is passionate about science communication and delivering expert-led content in accessible ways. Elaine is the co-host of the successful podcast For Tech’s Sake, and recently appeared on RTE Prime Time: Outsourced thinking? Experts consider AI’s impact on our brains

3. Any vendors / providers interested in hosting a space in the display area of the conference can contact Pat Seaver pse...@cesi.ie

4. We are updating our web space at cesi.ie , esp. our the conference pages, please be patient. We thank our hosts Blackknight for supporting us with this update. Queries to Richard Millwood rmil...@cesi.ie

5. This afternoon our Secretary Helen O'Kelly hit send on our submission to the public consultation on the draft Curriculum Specification Leaving Certificate Computer Science to the NCCA. This was a collective effort and we thank everyone who contributed and collated our response.

Mx