Author: Tasha Penwell
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I Thought My Path Was Keeping Me From My Students
In my notes for a mentoring course I’m taking, there’s a line I wrote almost as a confession. The prompt asked what I do beyond teaching that shapes students into professionals. I wrote that I advise a student program, and then this: my path is so different from theirs that I have trouble relating. What…
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The Custom AI Tool You Couldn’t Justify Last Year? It’s Buildable Now.
A week ago, Nexus was an idea. Today it’s a live, deployed AI agent. The story of building it is really a story about what your organization can now afford — and I want to show you the math. Not long ago, a custom software tool — something built for exactly your workflow, your data,…
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Every Generation Faces a Technology Shift
There’s no denying that the technology world is changing – fast. One analogy I keep coming back to is the show Mad Men, where entire pools of typists and clerks handled administrative work. As computers got smaller and cheaper, organizations adopted them for their speed and efficiency. The core skill of the clerk didn’t change…
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Build a Bit
Things I actually make — free for you to try. Bytes and Bits started small: Grab a Byte kept hungry students fed, and Read a Bit lent out the books that pushed them forward. Build a Bit is the workbench — the tools I build and put online free, so you can Stay, Study, Succeed…
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Unleashing the Power of AWS Scaling: A Marvelous Analogy
AWS vertical scaling and horizontal scaling are both important components of cloud scalability, just like how the Incredible Hulk and the Avengers team are both essential to the Marvel universe. By using both methods together and utilizing AWS tools, you can ensure high availability for your application and handle any challenge that comes your way.…
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Bridging the Gap: From Steve Jobs’ Wisdom to Snapchat’s Lens Studio in Education
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In his iconic 2005 Stanford commencement speech, Steve Jobs eloquently spoke about the importance of “connecting the dots” in life, a philosophy that underscores the belief in the interconnectedness of our experiences and learning. Fast forward to today, and we find an unexpected yet profound application of this philosophy in education through technology, particularly with…
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Unlocking Creative Potential: Exploring Snapchat at FETC
In the ever-evolving landscape of educational technology, my recent Mobile Media Share presentation at the Future of Education Technology Conference (FETC) sparked enthusiasm among educators exploring the integration of innovative technologies, including Snapchat’s augmented reality (AR). This blog explores the presentation’s key elements, highlighting the harmonious blend of Machine Learning (ML), programming, and artistic enhancement…
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A Beginner’s Guide to AWS Cost Management
I recently started teaching a new AWS Cloud Practitioner cohort for NCUS-TEC using resources from AWS Academy. This week we discussed some of the strategies available for cost optimization. During this module, I introduce the DAO Research Whitepaper from 2019 titled Amazon Web Services Cost Surprises Unexpected Costs Experienced by AWS Enterprise Customers. Understanding the…
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The Chatbot Dilemma: Do Users Really Want to Chat?
Chatbots are everywhere online, helping with things like customer service and being virtual assistants on websites and apps. These AI-powered bots have come a long way in terms of performance, but an important question lingers: Do people actually want to interact with chatbots, no matter how well they perform? While preparing for my presentation A…
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ISTE Certification for the Non-Traditional Educator
One of the things I enjoy about being a SME is the opportunity to improve my skills in curriculum development and developing learning objectives from the instructional designers and learning design specialists I work with. I’ve decided to take my own skills to a higher level and, after doing some research and taking some recommendations,…