I am filled with nothing but rage after this new team update. Things are only getting more unclear!
I’m glad to see they have updated the AWS mentor onboarding.
Sorry, this might be virtue signaling*.
*I’m actually an AWS Educate Cloud Ambassador** and that means if you need something then let me know and I’ll do my best to help. Yes, really, this part is true.
**Yes, this grants me diplomatic immunity as an offical ambassador of Cloud City***.
***Yes, Lando Calrissian is my boss.
Not highlighted in the team update, but the Chairman’s Award was also updated and they will not be accepting documentation this year.
Sad because we spent all summer and preseason pulling that together, but ah well, next year.
Mr. Ambassador,
What types of things could the typical FRC team do with AWS Educate?** Saw something about machine learning.
David
** I’m asking 'cause I’m too lazy to look for myself.
Great question! Before I answer, I think I want to clarify that if the goal is to figure out how to utilize AWS Educate within a specific FRC context then it might be seeking out something that there aren’t a ton of examples of. I think a better goal is to give students (or mentors) an opportunity to explore something new and build new skills while trying to create or find ways to make it applicable to a specific context of FRC. That’s where the value lies with what AWS is providing.
It’s actually possible to do a lot of stuff, even without AWS Educate in the mix and just using the AWS free tier and I think that’s important to note. There are also a TON of free resources for AWS - particularly the AWS Re:Invent talks (some of which are quite cool).
For one example idea, if you’ve got a passionate student who wants to get the full Linux administrator experience and install/run/manage a website then it’s a great way to do it. I’m not going to claim that’s easy or that every student is going to find that fun but it’s a good way to explore that pathway. If you just want to have a team website then I actually think github pages is more practical but you don’t get full control the way you would running a dedicated host somewhere.
Ok… back to AWS Educate. There are a lot of pathways and badges that the program makes available to participants and I think any of those are great things for students and mentors to explore.
I’m passionate about cloud computing in general and AWS is the 50000lbs gorilla when it comes to the public cloud. The skills that can be learned via the AWS Educate pathways are applicable to modern IT work and are useful. It’s also possible to pursue AWS certifications by starting off down these pathways.
There are also a lot of new services from AWS to explore and the machine learning pathways are just getting started. I’m not sure that the typical FRC team is going to be using those for FRC just yet but it is definitely possible.
There is also AWS:RoboMaker and I’m a huge fan. It’s not something that will work directly for FRC (yet) but it is something that I think students (and mentors) can explore and learn from.
All of which is to say. If you’ve got a student who you think has a future in programming, IT, or some similar field (or maybe they are just interested in exploring) then help them get started and explore what’s available.
My one pro-tip for AWS Educate is make sure to get students to shut down their unused resources when they are done playing around for a bit. It’s free credits but when they are gone, they are gone. Save them and save resources if you aren’t immediately using it.
High school students playing around? Unheard of!
Tu veux sûrement dire: Je ne suis rempli que de rage après cette nouvelle mise à jour de l’équipe. Les choses deviennent de plus en plus floues!
Uhh yes, that. Yes.
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