As a developer you will work closely with other team members during projects. Team collaboration and communication are critical parts of the development process. At TEKsystems, you will be emailing, direct messaging, sharing files, and collaborating with your team on ideas. There are a myriad of options to choose from when it comes to online team collaboration, but Slack has been selected as the collaboration tool of choice for this boot camp. Why? Because Slack was designed by developers, for developers. There is a ton of integrations, and opportunities to create custom apps. The UI is easy to use, tons of features, organized messaging threads, and lost more. As a Senior Engineer from the Slack team also notes :
"Slack is a living documentation hub, and everything is searchable." -Malika Rajvanshy @ Slack
How Do I Access Slack?
You can access the TEKcamp Slack Workspace by clicking here
We will be using Slack as our primary collaboration tool throughout the bootcamp. How you engage and interact with Slack will be a factor in determining your candidacy for TEKsystems. With that in mind, please avoid any negative, inappropriate comments as you interact with others on Slack.
There are different channels of communication in slack. The main channels you should have access to are the following:
#tekcamp-5 - main cohort channel. WebEx recordings will be posted here.
#announcements- any major announcements pertaining to TEKcamp will be placed here.
#supplemental-lectures- any valuable resources that you or other students are finding beneficial to learning the material are placed here.
#tekpractices - Throughout TEKcamp, there will be TEKguests coming in to talk to you about how it's like working at TEKsystems.. Additional resources related to TEKsystems can be found in this channel.
#tm channel. This is the channel for your TM team. TM stands for "TEK Mentor". You will have guidance from a seasoned professional at TEKsystems to support you in your quest to learn Web Development. Reach out to your TM if you haven't been added to the channel already.
#help channel. This is the channel where all your questions are addressed. You are not alone in learning code. After trying to figure out the problem on your own, and researching online, don't stay stuck! Post your question in the #help channel, and either another student, a TM, or the Instructor will respond to you. Please do utilize this channel, as it helps not only yourself, but others who are learning the material along side you.
#support_hours - this channel is designed to provide extra walkthroughs and assistance on any topics that require more focus and study. TM's will be posting video sessions in this channel to support those who need the additional attention and focus.
#recognition-karma - @ TEKcamp we value behavioral skills, or as some like to call them "soft skils". Technical ability and coding skills are very important, but equally important is your ability to work well with others both in person, and in a virtual environment. TEKsystems has a set of core values that people @ TEK try to abide by. These values are not mere meaningless slogans, plastered on a wall. They affect the way that we function and behave on a daily basis. What are these values?
Open Communication
Commitment
Serving Others
Relationships
With that said, we have a system in place, known as Karma. This is a point based system where students, and TEKcamp staff can grant each other "karma points" These karma points can be granted for any good thing that a student, or TEKcamp staff has done. Simply type in /k values anywhere in slack to see a list of the latest values. type in /k help to get a list of useful commands for how to give someone a karma point.We want to recognize everyone for their efforts, both technical and non-technical. We also want to see how much team work, collaboration, and community we can build in our time together at TEKcamp. This is why we have karma.
Realize however, that the Karma system is meant to recognize all our talents and strengths. It is not to make anybody feel bad in any way. It is simply a tool to establish a sense of community and positive atmosphere. It is a way to recognize others' strengths that may not be otherwise recognized.
Once we start the bootcamp, you will be assigned a TEK Mentor (TM). After making it into slack, reach out to Michele Giglia about being added to your TM group.
We also have built into Slack, Webex, and Zoom integrations. Simply type in /webex or /zoom and a new video call will be started with whoever you need to meet with. This can be done in all channels, both public and private. We urge you to get on calls with fellow students, and "pair-program" or "mob-program" together.
