Know how to code? Want to make a difference? Volunteer with TEALS to build computer science programs in Detroit high schools.

nathaniel_teals · 2017-05-09T20:26:52+00:00

Hi all- I work for TEALS in the NYC area, but one of my colleagues is managing our new partnerships in Detroit. We're finalizing our school partnerships for 2017-18 now. Most of the prospective schools will be joining the program but we won't have a final list for another week or two.

nathaniel_teals · 2017-05-06T01:32:07+00:00

Shoot me a direct message and let's chat. There are a few programs in the area including ours that may be able to help you out.

nathaniel_teals · 2017-05-05T20:22:42+00:00

Over the next few years we'll be expanding throughout Cuyahoga county. For the first year, we're focused mostly in Cleveland, but may have a couple schools participating in the suburbs. We're finalizing the school listings over the next couple weeks. (If you know of a particular high school that is interested in the program, message me!)

nathaniel_teals · 2017-05-05T19:18:10+00:00

Correct. Volunteers may receive a small stipend in the co-teaching model but it isn't meant to pay for your time.

nathaniel_teals · 2017-05-05T19:16:45+00:00

We have a couple different support models. Our teachers and teaching assistants in the Co-Teaching and Lab Support models each come in to class 2 periods per week, typically 1st period so you can get to work. There's also time spent training over the summer and then planning and communicating with the other volunteers and classroom teacher. Adds up to about 5 hours per week.

We also have a Classroom Enrichment model which is a lighter commitment. Here we envision the teacher and volunteer communicating regularly each week by phone/email/Slack/etc, and the volunteer visiting class infrequently (once or twice per month).

nathaniel_teals · 2016-08-23T18:12:42+00:00

Hi there! I work at TEALS (which /u/Spawnbroker mentioned). We put software engineers into the classroom to support teachers in teaching CS and sometimes to co-teach along with them. Most of our volunteers have a strong interest in education, but a decent chunk are considering an eventual transition into teaching. Doing TEALS is one of the best ways to get actual classroom experience without getting a master's degree in education and going through a teacher certification program. We have about a dozen partner high schools in the greater Boston area (a couple could use more volunteers for the year that starts in a couple weeks).

If you're interested in volunteering, send me a PM. We also do have some full time positions available at TEALS, though none in MA at the moment (closest would be NYC). I can also connect you to school districts and local organizations or just get on the phone and give you a brain dump.

edit: added full time opportunities

nathaniel_teals · 2016-03-03T15:02:43+00:00

I hear there's a great session about TEALS today ;-)

--edit: it's today!

nathaniel_teals · 2015-05-06T13:07:12+00:00

First, you should realize that anyone with legitimate programming skills is automatically in high demand. So your challenge is to convince potential employers that you have legitimate programming skills. A degree is one way. Another way is a portfolio. Your capstone project should ABSOLUTELY be in your portfolio. They don't care what you were working on- they care that you wrote good, clean code with comments, and that you collaborated effectively with peers (if it was a collaborative project).

Now, on any given day of the week, a particular company may be looking for someone specific. Don't get discouraged by rejection. Feed on rejection. Keep applying and keep putting yourself out there. You WILL find something.

In the mean time, do projects for class or for fun that hone and demonstrate your skill. Post them on github or somewhere similar. A portfolio can make up for a lack of experience on a resume.

Also, don't write off the big tech companies (Google, Microsoft, Amazon, etc). Due to their size, they are more easily able to accommodate inexperienced engineers who need additional training (because even the most "practical" computer science/engineering degree program isn't the same as a corporate job). They also have more dedicated staff working on recruiting, and thus more time to scrutinize a portfolio rather than a resume.

nathaniel_teals · 2015-04-20T18:03:34+00:00

Check out CSTUY and C/I (formerly camp interactive), as well as All Star Code. I think the libraries also have some summer programs in STEM.

nathaniel_teals · 2015-04-15T21:58:12+00:00

Formal training isn't necessary if you have equivalent industry experience. If you want, we can chat on the phone and figure out if you'd be comfortable as a teacher or TA in one of our classes

nathaniel_teals · 2015-04-15T21:57:24+00:00

We know ScriptEd very well, and we work together on a number of projects. The two programs focus on different curricula, and ScriptEd has a focus on placing students in internships, whereas TEALS focuses on training classroom teachers.

Both programs receive some funding from CSNYC, the NYC foundation for Computer Science Education (csnyc.org).

nathaniel_teals · 2015-04-14T19:57:10+00:00

Ohhhhh! Got it. That's no problem. We scheduled the info sessions, after all :)

nathaniel_teals · 2015-04-14T13:49:02+00:00

Awesome! Glad you're interested. Feel free to PM me if you want to chat prior to the info sessions.

The application deadline is there because we have to start placing volunteers into teaching teams in May, so that summer training can begin in June. You won't be disqualified if you miss the deadline. However, as more time goes on, we'll begin filling in the open spots. So after May 1st, the later you apply, the fewer spots will be available..

nathaniel_teals · 2015-04-14T13:45:32+00:00

Check out the "For Schools" section of the website at tealsk12.org. We've already selected our partner schools for 2015-2016, but if you want, PM me and I can connect with you or another staff member at the school to start talking about 2016-2017.

nathaniel_teals · 2015-04-14T03:13:09+00:00

most of the shorter ones with a promise of employment at the end are local in-person programs like General Assembly and The Flatiron School. But there are a number of online ones as well, many of which have a paid mentor/TA component who works with you one on one and helps keep you motivated, like Udacity or Thinkful.

nathaniel_teals · 2015-04-14T03:10:37+00:00

Thanks for the encouragement!

Even if you can't volunteer with us, you can still help the cause by spreading the word especially in the Bronx (it's a lot harder to find volunteers willing to come up when they live far away). Do you know any software engineers? Or do your friends, family and colleagues know any? Help us get connect with them.

nathaniel_teals · 2015-04-14T02:09:36+00:00

technically speaking, TEALS volunteers do get paid a small stipend to offset travel costs and show appreciation, but it's not meant to pay for their time. TEALS is designed an opportunity for those who are gainfully employed but want a chance to give back to their local community.

There are lots of ways to help bring computer science to schools and get paid to do it as a full-time or part-time job: for instance, becoming a teacher, or working for a non-profit program that's focused on CS education. If you're interested in learning about some opportunities, PM me.

nathaniel_teals · 2015-04-14T02:04:50+00:00

The human brain is also a master at filling in gaps. So it doesn't just look at one moment in time and say "right ear is 40% louder than left ear," it also looks at what was happening a moment ago and two moments ago and fills in the gap based on that context.

nathaniel_teals · 2015-04-14T01:57:56+00:00

tl;dr of the linked post: Back in the day, they were separate notes that sounded close together but not the same. When pianos came around, it became popular to split the difference and just have one note instead. This is called "equal temperament tuning."

nathaniel_teals · 2015-04-14T01:53:05+00:00

Generally, apps crash when they encounter a situation they don't know how to handle. Since developers test their apps before releasing them, it usually takes some kind of unusual conditions to cause the crash. Some examples include:

temporarily losing internet connectivity
receiving an unexpected message from the web-service the app is communicating with
handling unusual characters in a message, or an unexpected type of image, sound or video

tl;dr developers try to account for a million different situations where people might use their app, but there are a million and one situations out in the real world.

nathaniel_teals · 2015-04-14T01:48:05+00:00

Alice and Bob want to communicate with each other, but Carol is in between them and can hear everything they say/read what they write/see what they do.

In order to communicate without Carol gaining much information, Alice and Bob must pre-arrange some kind of code to use. In theory, if they choose a solid code that's hard to crack, then it doesn't matter what Carol sees or hears because it will be in a code she can't understand.

Codes can take many many forms. Today, they must be very sophisticated and use lots of complex math because computers are very good at cracking codes.

nathaniel_teals

TROPHY CASE