Students

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iL-pn3hfFqw[/youtube]Microsoft’s bringing us home to Seattle!!!!! For the 12th year running, the Imagine Cup will be bringing the best of student innovators across the world together in the world’s most prestigious technology competition. Students are invited not only to dream big, but also to strive towards creating tangible and valuable solutions that could possibly change the world. (Remember vSoft Studio? Our 2013 champions earned a trip to Russia and USD $25,000) This year, the competition is getting bigger than ever. Not only is Microsoft bringing the Cup home to Seattle, they have also revamped the model adding several new challenges that will take place throughout the year. These challenges do not require programming so any student can participate as long as they are willing to learn about the Software Development Life Cycle. Bringing the ‘WOW’ factor up a notch – they will be giving out more than $750,000 in prizes and potentially even more in the coming months. ...

The Windows UCrew Ambassador Programme is designed to help students embark on a journey to nurture their portfolio, as well as their leadership and communication skills. Being a UCrew Ambassador is more than just a programme for students, it is a journey that allows you to expand your social circle with other like-minded individuals in other Institutes of Higher Learning - as well as expanding your social connections towards the people in Microsoft. It is a journey filled with fun, friends and not to mention Technology in itself. [caption id=“attachment_15678” align=“alignnone” width=“610”] Windows UCrew[/caption] Being a UCrew Ambassador, I had several responsibilities with regards to promoting Windows 8 and Office 2013 in my school, as well as during events. We were required to demo to the students a simple introduction to the features of Windows 8 and Office 2013, excite the student community on how they can use their touch-capable Windows 8 devices and collect feedback about how the student community feels about Windows 8 and Office 2013. We were trained to describe the new features in Windows 8 and how to present it to the students. All of us sat through a whole day of training understanding the concepts of marketing the latest interations of Windows and Office itself. Not to mention, after going through the training we had to socialise and get to know each other right? Almost everyone attended the UCrew Welcome Party which was organised by Microsoft and I’m pretty sure everyone had so much fun even though I did not get the chance to. [caption id=“attachment_15677” align=“alignnone” width=“610”] Windows UCrew Training Kit[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_15675” align=“alignnone” width=“610”] Windows UCrew Training[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_15675” align=“alignnone” width=“372”] Windows UCrew Welcome Party[/caption] My Journey as a UCrew Ambassador is slightly different from a normal UCrew Ambassador, as I felt that I had more opportunities to hone and improve myself due to my overlapping role as the Singapore Polytechnic Microsoft Student Partners Campus Lead. I was the point of contact for organising the roadshow that was to be held in my school, which required me to work together with different individuals from all the various divisions in the school. The planning took almost 4 months in advance with a lot of discussion about logistical issues and what not. Next time perhaps when you see a moderate-sized event, think about all the people in the background that helped contribute to the realisation of the event. [caption id=“attachment_15681” align=“alignnone” width=“610”] Techfest @ Singapore Polytechnic[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_15683” align=“alignnone” width=“610”] A Metal Hat for Me[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_15684” align=“alignnone” width=“610”] Windows 8 Photobooth[/caption] Other responsibilities instead of just organising a UCrew event, I am glad to say that I have attended a lot of the other UCrew related events along the way. Some events consist of the Surface Launch in Singapore that was held at Funan The IT Mall at Challenger, Japanese Pop Rock Band Scandal Live in Singapore at *SCAPE, and NBS Week. The photos below speak for themselves! [caption id=“attachment_15686” align=“alignnone” width=“610”] Fellow UCrew Ambassadors[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_15682” align=“alignnone” width=“406”] Jovan & Me[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_15685” align=“alignnone” width=“610”] Scandal Tour with Windows 8[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_15694” align=“alignnone” width=“610”] NBS Week 2013[/caption] All in all, good things must come to an end, right? We had another UCrew Gathering Party to just keep each other upgraded on our progress and for us to sit around bond and hopefully getting to know more people around all the other IHL’s. Personally I really enjoyed my time and I definitely feel that this experience has contributed a significant amount of experience in the marketing of products as I was never a promoter to begin with. At the same time, making a lot of fun and wonderful friends along the way. We ended our journey at Seoul Garden with our UCrew Graduation Party and I used ‘We’ because this journey would not have mattered were it not for my fellow ambassadors. I look forward to the Second Iteration of the UCrew Ambassador Journey where much more exciting journeys will be sure to begin. [caption id=“attachment_15696” align=“alignnone” width=“610”] UCrew Gathering Party[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_15680” align=“alignnone” width=“610”] UCrew Graduation Party[/caption] ...

The Singapore Computer Society IT Youth Council organized a Yes! Youth Engagement Series on the 7th September 2013, where young IT Professionals like myself had the rare opportunity to get up close and personal with Ms. Jessica Tan, Managing Director of Microsoft Singapore. Youths who attended the dialogue included students from tertiary education, start-up entrepreneurs and young IT professionals. [caption id=“dialogue” align=“alignnone” width=“610”] Ms. Jesicca Tan sharing her experiences during the dialogue[/caption] The session kick started with a brief introduction of Ms. Tan and her portfolio. The audience was in awe of her impressive and extensive portfolio and could not wait for her to start the session off. Unsurprisingly, the question of commitment surfaced when the floor was opened. She generously shared how she juggled her responsibilities on top of being a successful wife and mother of three. Ms. Tan’s candid and whimsical approach kept us engaged, especially with her personal anecdotes. She also took the opportunity to attribute her success to those she had worked with, as well as those who scaled her ideas. She highlighted her family, particularly her husband, for being her pillar of support. Ms. Tan also elaborated on what motivates her, particularly when her ideas had come to fruition. Career wise, she reminded us of the importance of recognizing and acknowledging our partners and benefactors. Ms. Tan brought up some interesting points when a student inquired as to how to stay relevant and successful in the industry. Firstly, drawing on a solid 24 years of experience in the industry, she predicts that the industry in the coming years will be different and more exciting. Despite the fact that success and relevance can be influenced by many external factors, she suggested that flexibility, relevant skills and building a track record would definitely give a clear advantage. In addition, we should be prepared to run with opportunities, learn & innovate, know the interest in the industry, and to be involved with the community. At the same time, she dissuaded us from choosing our career simply based on our perception of what makes the most money, and also from changing jobs too often. [caption id=“participants” align=“alignnone” width=“610”] The engaged audience during the dialogue[/caption] When another student asked about how she overcame inevitable challenges in her career, she candidly shared about how she took them in her stride. For instance, she mentioned that one of the challenges being a leader is to help people understand the goal and why they need contribute. This could be a challenge as team members may not agree with the leader’s way of thinking. She also emphasized that although achieving the objective is important, working together as a team is an integral part as well. Ms. Tan rounded off the 2-hour dialogue by leaving some valuable advice for the youths in audience. She emphasized the need to build professional networks and stressed the need to be genuine. She also stressed on the importance to have the right attitude, to be sincere about learning as well as sharing our knowledge and experiences, and also to be clear of what we want to do and remember our values. Without a doubt, Ms. Tan has illustrated an intriguing industry for us young IT professionals to look forward to, and her tips and advice will serve us useful. We were all treated to a feast of pizzas during a post-dialogue networking session. Participants also took the opportunity to speak with Ms. Tan, as well as feedback to the organizers. They remarked that the dialogue was very engaging and informative and looked forward to attending future similar events.

Whether you’re an absolute coding noob or an experienced developer, everyone benefits from free online resources. We’ve compiled what seems to be the most popular courses hosted on Microsoft Virtual Academy (MVA) in Singapore. #5. Windows Phone 8 development for absolute beginners Mobile app developers make their presence felt, as a Windows Phone 8 course comes in at number 5. What you’ll learn: Basics of installing and working with Visual Studio Express 2012 for Windows Phone and the Emulator XAML layout and events How to utilize many of the Phone’s built in features and additional open-source libraries Complete app walk-thoughs: The first app you’ll build is the SoundBoard app that allows you play pre-recorded sounds and record your own custom sounds. The second app you’ll build is the AroundMe app which integrates the Phone’s Map, GPS and Lock Screen capabilities with Flickr’s API. #4. Windows Server 2012 Training: Technical Overview What you’ll learn: ...

So maybe you’re a student deciding between taking a business or a computing degree (or both!), or you’re thinking about pursuing a career in IT but are unsure of future local prospects. Here’s a quick overview of the current job market for IT professionals starting out in Singapore. ! these reports? References: http://www.salary.sg/2013/graduate-employment-survey-2012-published-2013/ http://www.iras.gov.sg/irasHome/page.aspx?id=15206 http://www.adecco-asia.com/singapore/2012SalaryGuideSingapore/files/inc/1285559243.pdf

For the 11th year running, some of the world’s most talented young minds have gathered to compete in the Imagine Cup with the one unchanging goal of using Microsoft’s technologies to address real #firstworldproblems and create a positive impact in the world. Students from Singapore were no different. Having found victory at the national stage after pulling countless all-nighters performing rounds of intense product testing and development, two student teams made it to the worldwide finals in St. Petersburg, Russia, representing Singapore in the Innovation and Windows Phone Categories. Four days of project showcase, pitching and a great deal of fun (judging from their photos) interacting with likeminded inventive and gifted individuals from all around the world later, our teams prepared themselves for the grand finale – the Awards Ceremony where they would find out if their projects had won a spot in the coveted top three positions. And guess what? Our Windows Phone Challenge team vSoft Studio consisting of three students from Nanyang Technological University emerged as WORLDWIDE CHAMPIONS! Read about their amazing team and app which captured the hearts of the judging panel here! Alas…our Innovation Challenge team EyeCanSee from NYP fell just short of the top glory but reserve every right to feel very honoured of the valiant effort they’ve put up and of what they have managed to achieve. Last month, in fact, they had a project showcase here in our Microsoft Auditorium which won over a crowd of over 200 techies many of whom left encouraged and inspired by their invention. Find out more about Team EyeCanSee and their Kinect Infantry Training System here! My Personal Thoughts I am extremely privileged to be amidst the tech scene where I witness first-hand the empowerment that has been achieved through technology. The advancement and understanding of digital technology has brought about many conveniences and helped countless underprivileged people move forward. And though it is true that there still exists many communities who have yet to benefit from the revolution; the good news is that technology is becoming increasingly accessible. Through initiatives such as Microsoft Citizenship, many more lives can and have been ameliorated. To me, the greatest success of the Microsoft Imagine Cup is not just in providing budding developers with an important and supportive platform for exploring their interests, or in providing them with the most professional mentorship and recommendations. Rather, what I find most noble about this competition is that it encourages them to do good, to think like a social entrepreneur, to pay-it-forward. With their strong inquisitiveness and aptitude coupled with the best technologies, one can only imagine what these youths will achieve with a few more years of experience and refining. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvhYZKnEk5Y[/youtube] The Microsoft Imagine Cup is the world’s premier student technology competition. Over the past ten years, more than 1.65 million students from more than 190 countries have participated in the Imagine Cup where they are connected with other whip-smart creative from all over the world to share ideas, have fun, and be there when the next big thing is unveiled.

Good day all! Amakuru! (Local language in Rwanda which stands for: How are you!) Just about one year ago, Dream.Build.Launch - Hackathon [ video | photos | article ] was first launched, followed by lots of enjoyable hack weekends [ hack weekend 1 | hack weekend 2 ] and also the NDP Special finale [ article ]. Many participants and even myself personally, certainly had lots of fun, stuffed ourselves with lots of delicious food, and met lots of awesome, like-minded people. As we developers in Singapore are fortunate to be given such wonderful opportunities, I always thought it would be exciting to share these amazing experiences with developers in developing countries too. This year, I finally had the opportunity of bringing a similar idea to Rwanda - a programming competition for the students here in Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village (which stands for “where tears are dried” and “peace”). As I have shared in my earlier post, I am volunteering in the village, which aims to help the kids here who are orphans and those affected by the Genocide, and help bring out the best in them to restore their rhythm of life. [caption id=“hackathon_briefing” align=“alignnone” width=“610”] Hackathon Launch and Briefing[/caption] Through this hackathon, we wanted to provide an opportunity for these vulnerable kids to share their aspirations and vision for their future, hence the theme “Our dreams, our aspirations”. Participants worked in groups of 2 - 3 where they program using Alice for the competition. Alice is an educational software that teaches the logic of programming, and is easy to learn. It is a software by Carnegie Mellon University and financially supported by Microsoft, Oracle, Sun Microsystems etc. [caption id=“consultation_2” align=“alignnone” width=“610”] Providing consultation for teams on Alice programming[/caption] [caption id=“consultation_1” align=“alignnone” width=“610”] Explaining to participants the logic of Object-oriented programming[/caption] While we developers in Singapore may have the best equipment to work on our codes (and perhaps take it for granted), the students here do not have such a privilege. For one, they do not have sufficient computers to work with, and on top of that, most of the computers available are old and slow. Nevertheless, they shared whatever resources they could find and learnt to deal with the problems, and they eventually came up with very interesting projects. Despite only being given a tight schedule of 4 days, participants managed to explore & learn the software on their own, plan their story boards, and eventually program a 3D video to tell their stories. On the last day, participants presented their ideas and stories to a panel of judges, where they were judged on creativity & uniqueness, theme adherence, technical aspects and their final presentation. [caption id=“presentation_1” align=“alignnone” width=“610”] Team member presenting their completed project[/caption] [caption id=“presentation_2” align=“alignnone” width=“610”] Teams presenting their demos[/caption] Participants were given no restrictions in their methods of presentations - they could perform a skit, sing songs or even narrate alongside their 3D videos. They shared their aspirations that include healing the world, making children happy, being a pilot and even an astronaut that goes to the moon! Finally, the winners were presented a medal during village time, a weekly evening get-together for all the staff and students, which includes performances and sharing by the students. [caption id=“medals” align=“alignnone” width=“610”] Medals in the spotlight, before they were presented to the winners[/caption] [caption id=“winners” align=“alignnone” width=“610”] All participants during prize presentation[/caption] Through a post-event feedback, many of the participants have indicated interest in similar competitions. In fact, many have shown enthusiasm in organizing the competition themselves. Most of them are also keen to share their knowledge with their peers on how to program using Alice, so as to get more people interested in joining subsequent competitions. Indeed, programming competitions are becoming increasingly popular all over the world, and they come in different styles. If you’re currently in Singapore and interested to take part in one, do give the Race to 100 hackathon a shot; you may be the one walking away with a brand new Windows 8 tablet! :) Also, if you’re interested in my journey here in Rwanda, be sure to check out my tumblr posts!

iCreate Mobility Challenge 2013 Come join the iCreate Mobility Challenge and bring your great idea and dreams to life! This year, we challenge you to unleash your skills and creativity to design a totally new cutting edge app experience that can enhance students’ experience at NUS to the next level. Winning entries will receive prominent recognition and great prizes. All participants who submit their apps will receive a certificate of participation and a token of appreciation. Certificates and tokens will be distributed during registration at the Awards Ceremony. The prizes for each of the categories are as follows*: ...

Yesterday marked the end of our overnight We Live to Code hackathon hackathon in Microsoft office! This year, the hackathon was held in collaboration with Samsung Singapore and we hosted about eighty participants and 20 teams pitched their ideas on the final pitching session on Sunday, 7th April. The series of events in We Live to Code started on 5th April night, where participants came to pitch their ideas, network and find potential team mates to work with. Various interesting ideas were pitched and we were delighted to witness the creative juices of our participants. As the night wrapped up, the participants headed home to prepare for an early morning the next day. 6th April morning marked the start of the overnight hackathon! This year, we had exciting activities in store for the participants as well! There were sharings by Windows 8 developers on their app development journey. ...

A big thank you to all the incredible students who took part in the local semi-finals of Imagine Cup 2013! From solving issues of dementia, sign language and many more important problems by the world, we were deeply impressed by the creativity and passion displayed by all of you. We are in the midst of shortlisting the finalists for the local finals and will reveal them shortly - stay tuned! ...