So many of the attendees at #WITSCO remarked, on and off-line, about things they learned, connections they made or comments they were inspired by. We collected the social media posts that were tagged with #WITSCO on Storify.  
WITSCO crowd
Carlin O’Connell from Radial Development Group shared 3 things she learned at WITS.
And one attendee (and volunteer!) Janie Montoya-Ledet was kind enough to share her notes from the sessions she attended. If you have notes you would like to share with us, please email us at gloriabell@techgirlz.org
Livestreaming Workshop

  • All you need to do livestreaming is a tripod, a smart phone, and a couple of apps. There are many options, but Twitter & Periscope were used for this session.
  • A good broadcast has:
    • A catchy handle (not your name)
    • Some emojis
    • A few hashtags
    • An interesting topic that you know about
    • Block/ignore trolls
    • 30-60min maximum run time
    • A call to action
  • Use a good description so that people will want to watch the replay. To find videos that interest you, go to twitter.com and do a search. Example: search for #Womenintech or webEV@periscope or perigirls

 
Connecting the world of APIs with JavaScriptfind/gropus?text=

  • Seventy-five percent of people who view your web page will be doing so on a mobile device. Design with mobile app users in mind!
  • Web Page ↔ XML Http Request ↔ Server
  • Sample API call (where %20 is a space and YOURKEY is the unique ID used for the calls as a security measure) https://api.meetup.com/find/groups? text=women%20in%20tech & page=3& sign=true & key=YOURKEY
  • Google’s Postman is a very popular web development tool because it is so easy to access/use.
  • Open the index.html file to see the web page.
  • There are many examples to play with on gitHub.com.

 
Innovate yourself – Leadership for Non-Managers

  • We usually think about managers as leaders who do people management e.g. direct reports. This discussion explored domain leadership which deals with having influence over a specific area.
  • Ten things Leaders do:
  1. Say thank you both individually and in public.
  2. Encourage, engage, and amplify others.
  3. Manage up. Focus your work on whatever is “keeping your manager up at night”.
  4. Embrace learning
  5. Stay positive
  6. Speak up. Share what you know! Be a presenter, join an online community e.g. a slack channel, blog, be open to feedback and give stretch goals a try.
  7. Think “big picture”. Read Lateral Leadership book. Clarify what the goals are.
  8. Embrace feedback. Effective coaches offer thoughtful feedback. Instead of asking for feedback, you’re more likely to get a response if you ask for “advice” instead.
  9. Grow thick skins. Don’t be a whiner!
  10. Share and teach.

 
Innovate yourself – Creatives in Technology: How Right Brain Thinkers can make a big impact in tech teams

  • Technical is the ability to perform a task vs Creative which is the ability to turn new and imaginative ideas into reality
  • As a leader looking to become more technical:
  1. Solve a problem for your company.
  2. Find an advocate within your company who is going to be your representative who acts as an advocate for your career (especially when you aren’t present).
  3. Ask questions of your technical team members and ask them how your skills can help them.
  4. Capture your accurate job title. Add enough detail about the skills that you actually use, not just the official title.
  5. Ask someone to introduce you. Write your own intro and ask them to use it.

Workshop – Applied Design thinking – Job-To-Be-Done and Journey mapping

  • “We spend a lot of time designing the bridge, but not enough time thinking about the people who are crossing it.” -Dr. Praphjot Singh
  • Exercise: Use Applied Design Thinking to define a solution to the “Women’s Careers in Technology Problem”.
  • Ask “What can we do to create a work environment that does all the things we want and avoids all of the things we don’t. Use sticky notes. Start by asking yourself, “What would your ideal day at work look like?”
  • Journey mapping – For each step, write:
    • A description of the step
    • Emotional high you get when it happens
    • Pain points
  • My group’s ideal job would have
    • Flexible time
    • Personal Growth
    • Autonomy to make choices and take ownership

Networking -Build Your Dream Network (fireside chat with Kelly Hoey and Danielle Shoots)

  • I want to buy the book! Fantastic tips and tricks!
  • I also learned about a couple other organizations with which I would like to be involved.
    • Www.techgirlz.org – Teaches middle-school aged girls a variety of technology topics.
    • Pathforward.org – Helps people transition from being a caregiver back into the workforce.