The Right APP.ti.tude

In May of this year, the Ministry of Education in collaboration with the Department of Information and Technology of the Office of the Prime Minister, and the Central Information Technology Office (CITO) launched the inaugural BlackBerry Developers Competition sponsored by Research In Motion (RIM) and Digicel. The competition challenged entrants to create applications for either the Blackberry Smartphone or Playbook.

The objectives of the competition were as follows:

• Utilization of technology to uplift youth, stimulate enterprise and broaden the overall learning/education environment.
• Provide entrants in learning institutions across Jamaica with the opportunity to enter the world of application development for mobiles devices and further, to  showcase  their  talents  to  both  local  and  international  industry professionals.
• Foster team spirit and facilitate work in a competitive but friendly environment.
• Establish the kernel of a new industry in Jamaica and one that will hopefully result in an ever increasing number of persons entering this sphere of work in the future.

Entering from the Department of Computer and Information Sciences was Team Methods. The team,comprising Rhodrey Shaw, Terrence Sterling, Carlene Stewart, and Ricardo Thompson, and supervised by Henry Osborne, envisioned and created the MathBerry app.

MathBerry is a stunning BlackBerry PlayBook app for helping 4th and 5th form high school students prepare for their CSEC Mathematics examination. The current version offers tutelage in Trigonometry, Matrices, and Quadratic Equations. 

Team Methods and mentor with 1st Place plaque

The team worked tirelessly to develop their app for the competition and, after submission, waited anxiously to hear the results from the judges. Not only were they overjoyed to know they had been selected as one of the finalists but, they had outclassed their peers, the University of the West Indies (UWI), The University of Technology (UTech), and the Caribbean Institute of Technology (CIT), to claim 1st Place in their category.

This win follows the Department’s very recent success in the EduVision 2011 Technology competition and demonstrates the drive and work ethic that is fostered within its walls.

Team Methods with the Hon. Andrew Holness

The Department of Computer and Information Sciences is continuing to make significant marks in the technology landscape of Jamaica and is positioning itself as the premier source of training in computing and information technology.

by Henry Osborne
Technology Specialist