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Open Source Opportunities in May

April 30th, 2012 | Posted by Whitney Williams in Education | Grow IT | Promote IT | Teach IT - (0 Comments)

Open IT LabIf you’re like me, you aren’t very familiar with open source. When I started working for IT-oLogy over a year ago, I had never heard of it. POSSCON came around, and I had to get on board quickly! Once I started learning more, though, I realized open source is behind a lot of the technology we use every day! I use Twitter everyday. I use Firefox all the time. Did you know those are both open source?

What makes open source so different? First, it’s a non-proprietary form of hardware and software. This means that it is not locked down with a license. Second, developers can change and alter it to make it better and fix bugs.

Want to learn more? Check out our FREE opportunities in May and June! Register for any of them by emailing todd@palmettocomputerlabs.com!

-Every Wednesday: Come by between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. for a tour of the Open IT Lab and a chance to try stuff out!
-May 2: Micro-controllers – SparkFun’s Inventor’s Kit workshop (9  a.m. – 5 p.m.) (Space is very limited. Email todd@palmettocomputerlabs.com for availability)
-May 5: Drupal 101 – Hello Drupal! (9:30 a.m. – Noon)
-Digital Design 101: An Introduction to GIMP DATE TO BE ANNOUNCED!
-June 6: Open Source 101 (5 p.m. – 7 p.m.)

Open IT Lab May Schedule

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Make IT Happen Upstate Computer Camp to Kick Off in May

April 30th, 2012 | Posted by Whitney Williams in Education | Promote IT - (0 Comments)

We are excited to have the Make IT Happen Upstate Computer Camp kick off again this Saturday, May 5th at the University of South Carolina – Upstate. This program has been done in partnership with USC – Upstate and Professor Sebastian Van Delden. Twenty 10-11th grade students will be joining IT-oLogy on campus this Saturday to participate in hands-on activities to learn more about careers in IT. The camp will continue through May 19th, with the group “graduating” that Saturday. Students will also have the opportunity to learn more about CoLinx, a transportation logistics company in the Upstate.

What will these students learn? A lot! Check out the video from last year’s camp! This video was created by Sebastian and his students to highlight the camp.

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2012 Enterprise Computing Community Conference Comes to Columbia

April 30th, 2012 | Posted by Whitney Williams in Education | IT-oLogy Defined | Teach IT - (0 Comments)

ECC LogoDuring the summer, over 100 students, professors and professionals interested in enterprise computing come together at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York, for two days to share innovative thoughts and ideas. This year, we are excited to announce the 2012 ECC Satellite Location at IT-oLogy in Columbia, South Carolina! Why is this important? The satellite location will allow those interested in the ECC Conference to attend without making the trip to New York.

So, what is the Enterprise Computing Community? The mission of this group is to improve undergraduate education in large systems and graduate a new generation of talent that will provide industries with the ability to secure, sustain and grow their operations. The ECC also recognizes that filling the skills shortage will stabilize a vulnerable technology environment before the problem reaches crisis proportions. This fits within the mission of IT-oLogy, because the ECC is focused on talent – growing it, advancing it and filling the IT talent pipeline.

We invite you to join us, either at Marist College in New York or at IT-oLogy in South Carolina, on June 11-12, 2012. This conference will bring together great minds and world-class speakers for two informative days. The tentative agenda is as follows:

Tentative Conference Agenda – IT-oLogy Location:

Monday, June 11th
8 a.m. – 9 a.m. – Registration & Light Breakfast
9 a.m. – Noon - Welcome, Opening Remarks, Keynote Speaker, Sessions
Noon – 1 p.m. – Sponsored Lunch
1 p.m. – 5 p.m. – Keynote Speaker, Sessions
5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. – Networking Reception at the University of South Carolina

Tuesday, June 12th
8:30 a.m. – 9 a.m. – Light Breakfast
9 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. - Hands on Workshops, Concurrent Sessions, Tour of IT-oLogy Data Center
11:45 a.m. – 1 p.m. – Sponsored luncheon in conjunction with the Columbia Information Technology Council

For registration information, please visit http://ecc2012.eventbrite.com/.

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Introducing our new gaming module!

April 30th, 2012 | Posted by Whitney Williams in Education | Promote IT - (0 Comments)

Is your middle school student interested in gaming? We hope he/she will join us for a look at the history of gaming, sharing gaming experiences with other people and the COOLEST PART – using software to build your own game! We are going to introduce (and test out) our newest gaming module at Cyber Saturday on May 12th. Be sure to sign up, as space is limited! Register now at http://www.eventbrite.com/event/3380329657.

Cyber Saturday May

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Free Open IT Lab Opportunity for Educators!

April 25th, 2012 | Posted by Whitney Williams in Education | IT-oLogy Defined | Promote IT | Teach IT - (2 Comments)

 Open IT Lab

 Located @ IT-oLogy

 

 Micro-controllers: SparkFun Inventor’s Kit

 

 Please join IT-oLogy for this innovative SparkFun program with the Open IT Lab!

 

 Who?
Teachers, Professors, IT-oLogy Volunteers
This is a “train the trainers” opportunity! The material you learn can be delivered in a classroom setting or to other interested audiences!

 What?
An innovative SparkFun workshop teaching the basics of microcontrollers. What are microcontrollers, you ask?

Microcontrollers are tiny computers and cutting edge technology, but learning how to start using them is easy.

In this class students learn basic microcontroller programming as well as some of the electrical circuits in the SparkFun Inventor’s Kit. Concepts covered include input and output, digital and analog, multimeters and more! We will cover the basic concepts in this class, but the kit that comes with this class can be used to teach over a semester worth of material.

When?
Wednesday, May 2nd
9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Where?
IT-oLogy, 1301 Gervais Street, Suite 200, Columbia, SC

Cost?
FREE!

Register now by emailing Todd Lewis at todd@palmettocomputerlabs.com!

What do you need to know & bring?
Prerequisites: The class requires participants to have the physical dexterity to insert wires into a breadboard, the physical equivalent of inserting shoelaces into the holes in sneakers.

You bring nothing! IT-oLogy and SparkFun provide the SparkFun Inventor’s Kit, multimeters and freeware necessary to use the SparkFun Inventor’s Kit. SparkFun provides enough instructors to keep the instructor:student ratio to at least 1:6.

Find out more about SparkFun!

www.sparkfun.com/products/11184

  SparkFun Inventor’s Kit:

 A re-usable kit teaching the basics of micro-controller programming and electrical circuit creation. Great for ages 8 to 101! Kits may be shared by 2 or 3 students.

 www.sparkfun.com/products/10173

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iTEAMS – An innovative summer camp for middle schoolers

April 16th, 2012 | Posted by Whitney Williams in Education | Promote IT - (1 Comments)

Always on the lookout for new opportunities for students to get connected in the STEM field, I was excited when information about iTEAMS appeared in my inbox, courtesy of a friend of IT-oLogy with the Greenville County School District. I just have to share!

iTEAMS

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Open Source Opportunities in April

April 5th, 2012 | Posted by Whitney Williams in Education | Grow IT | IT-oLogy Defined | Teach IT - (0 Comments)

While the Palmetto Open Source Software Conference (POSSCON) may be over for the year, the opportunities surrounding open source are just beginning! The Open IT Lab, located at IT-oLogy @ Innovista, is a great resource for anyone interested in learning more about open source technologies. Todd Lewis, of Palmetto Computer Labs, and his crew are delivering a number of free workshops and learning opportunities during the month of April.

Every Wednesday in April, from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., the Open IT Lab is available for tours. Students, educators and IT professionals are invited to tour the lab and use various open/open source software and hardware technology. There are also a few upcoming workshops for anyone interested in open source.

Ubuntu 101: Installation & Overview
Saturday, April 14
9:30 a.m. – Noon

Command Line 101
Wednesday, April 18
6 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Drupal 101: Hello Drupal!
Saturday, May 5
9:30 a.m. – Noon

Are you interested in any of the workshops listed above? Need more details? Check out the events page on our website! To register, contact Todd Lewis at todd@palmettocomputerlabs.com or 803.240.1213.

Did you miss POSSCON this year? Don’t worry – we have some resources for you anyway! We had the cool opportunity to interview speakers during the two-day event. Check out the interviews on the IT-oLogy YouTube channel!

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Cyber IQ: Train the Trainer!

April 5th, 2012 | Posted by Whitney Williams in Education | Promote IT - (2 Comments)

cyberIQWe LOVE running programs across the state at all levels – K-12, higher ed and professional. These programs are built on the foundation of IT-oLogy and are used to meet our mission and vision of advancing IT talent. We need your help to make these programs happen! IT-oLogy isn’t about the small (note, I said small) staff, or a building in Columbia, South Carolina. IT-oLogy is about bringing together partners across business and academia to reach our goal. We NEED your help!

In the fall, we introduced CyberIQ

Later this month, we will be hosting two “Train the Trainer” CyberIQ sessions. Are you interested in delivering this program to students or parents in your area? Would you be willing to go out on behalf of IT-oLogy? If so, then this session is for you! So, you don’t live in Columbia? No big deal! We are working to set up teleconferencing in areas where volunteers are!

What will this session be like? It will be short, sweet and filled with all the tools you need to present CyberIQ. We will provide volunteers with a presentation, handouts and a DVD. So…are you in? If so, let Alicia Thibaudet know by emailing her at alicia.thibaudet@it-ology.org!

Scheduled Train the Trainer Sessions:

Monday, April 23rd from 12-12:45
Tuesday, April 24th from 5-5:45

Help us spread the word about online safety!

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BDPA Showcase – Awesome students!

April 3rd, 2012 | Posted by Whitney Williams in IT-oLogy Defined | Promote IT - (0 Comments)

For the past year, I have been hearing about a group of dedicated high school students participating in the High School Computer Training Program through the Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA). This group of students (and awesome volunteers) are at IT-oLogy every single Saturday during the school year working on IT-related projects and preparing for the national competition.

Why is this so important? Why has this struck a chord with me?

First, how often do you see (never) or hear of (very rarely) a group of HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS who dedicate every Saturday to prepare for their future? Never. I am just amazed by this awesome group of students.

Second, how cool is what they are doing? SO COOL!

Do you want to join me on Saturday to find out what they’ve been up to? I’m excited to announce that this Saturday (April 7), these students will be showcasing their animation and interactive game design, along with other elementary, middle and high school groups. This is an event you won’t want to miss. The BDPA is inviting the public to come see what they’ve been working on all year from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at IT-oLogy. Let’s come together to support this inspiring group of students, and let them know how proud we are of them!

Other groups include:

  • Keenan High School Robotics Team demonstration
  • Lake Marion High School and Technology Center Robotics Team demonstration
  • Holly Hill – Roberts Science Technology Engineering Mathematics Magnet School technology demonstration
  • St. James-Gaillard Elementary School technology demonstration
  • Forest Lake Elementary NASA technology demonstration

Saturday’s Schedule:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Want to find out more about this AWESOME event? Check out the Greater Columbia’s BDPA website at http://www.bdpa.org/group/GC.

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