May 2022 Tech Upload

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NEW Digital News

Thank You Alliance Members

We would like to thank NEW North for their ongoing support as an Executive Level investor, as well as Secura for their support as a Strategic Level investor. To learn more about NEW North or Secura, click on their names. 


Alliance News:

Happy May! The weather is finally turning warmer, the days are growing longer, and the leaves are starting to spring out on the trees.

May is also the start of graduation season. So, we’d like to congratulate all high school seniors and college students who are graduating this month and next. One college senior in particular is our NEW Digital Alliance intern, Madi Hilmershausen. Madi joined the Alliance in October of 2020 as our Digital Communication, PR, and Marketing Intern. In addition to managing social media and PR, she’s done all our graphic design work over the past two years, mentored our high school intern, and so much more. THANK YOU, Madi for all of your help! We wish you the best of luck as you enter the job market following graduation.

In addition to preparing for graduation, many high school students are busy taking their AP exams during the month of May. These exams allow high school students to earn college credit for coursework completed while in high school. The exams are a couple of hours in length, and for certain courses may be broken into two parts taken over the course of a couple of days. Thank you to all the teachers who have helped prepare the students for the exams, and good luck to everyone taking an AP exam.

On May 4, the Alliance held our regional NEW CS Advisory Board meeting. We had a great turn out of schools and local business leaders who joined us to learn about AI (Artificial Intelligence) and what school districts should be thinking about to prepare students to work alongside this technology. Our guest speaker, Fred Barrionuevo, Emerging Technology and AI Lead at Impact Networking shared his thoughts on the topic. While we set aside 30 minutes for the presentation and 30 minutes for discussion, we needed to stop the dialogue after a little over an hour so we could wrap up the meeting! As a result, Fred was unable to complete his presentation so we may need to invite him back. Fred covered the skills he thinks are most critical for working with data – being able to read data, work with data, analyze data, and argue with data. Depending on a person’s role in the organization will determine the level of data skills they will needed, but everyone will need some level of data understanding. He then shared how data feeds into artificial intelligence systems that local organizations are using. AI is being used more and more in companies, including in manufacturing where it is being leveraged to help determine when to take a machine down for maintenance. Teachers and district leaders walked away with a good idea of the skills they need to teach, industries using AI, and some of the jobs that develop and maintain AI, as well as the higher education programs and requirements to get into those roles.

Dates to know

May 7: World Password Day

May 13: Day of AI (https://www.dayofai.org/)

May 24: Northeast Wisconsin Computer Science Celebration

June 16: Cybersecurity Roundtable

We look forward to sharing the positive impact we are making in the year to come.

Join us to help make a difference in Northeast Wisconsin.

Regional News

Be Brave, Not Perfect: Microsoft Girls Who Code Event

All fifth through eighth grade girls are invited to participate in our second annual WIT Wisconsin – Microsoft Girls Workshop! This event is sponsored by Kimberly-Clark, who has generously offered to provide a pizza dinner and Adafruits for all participants. Girls who attend will discover new technology through the use of the Adafruits Playground Express circuit boards, as well as hear from female role models in the tech world who are excited to share their passion for computer science!

If you have an enthusiasm for computer science or are interested in learning more, we encourage you to join us! To register, complete the WIT Girls Who Code Sign-Up

Registration is due May 6th. Due to limited Adafruits, a lottery will be held if more than 50 girls sign up.

Participants will need to bring their Chromebooks with them to the middle school in order to complete the activities.

If you have questions about this event, please contact: 

Aimee Froze (J.R.G.): afroze@kimberly.k12.wi.us  

Emily Berndt (Woodland/Mapleview): eberndt@kimberly.k12.wi.us 

Creating a Future Ready School District: Preparing Students for 2035 and Beyond

Amplify Oshkosh May Ideas Amplified

Join us on Thursday, May 12th from 5:00-7:00PM at The Fox River Brewery and Restaurant in Oshkosh and learn more about the future of technology in schools with Dr. David Gundlach, Deputy Superintendent of the Oshkosh Area School District!

Dr. Gundlach will present on what the future holds and why it is so important to prepare students for their future in this age of acceleration. Dr. Gundlach will provide a historical perspective and the challenges overcome by the Oshkosh Area School District as it engaged the community and changed the education and services offered. Special focus will be given to the community based strategic planning efforts that culminated in multiple successful referenda. These resources have been used to not only modernize instruction but also the facilities of the district.

Complimentary drink and light hors d’oeuvres provided.

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NEW AITP Sherry Anklam Memorial Award

The Northeastern Wisconsin Chapter of AITP (“NEW AITP”) offers the Sherry Anklam Memorial Award(SAMA) twice annually to worthy applicants pursuing IT degrees in Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.  Since 2017 the NEW AITP Chapter has awarded $11,000 to IT Students!  Interested students should apply right away to ensure their application, official transcript and resume can be submitted and received by the Awards Committee by Friday, May 6. https://www.newaitp.org/students/financialaid/

The NEW AITP Chapter renamed this award program to honor the memory of Sherry Anklam, a Chapter Past President who embodied all the best values that this award is based on. Sherry passed away in 1995 at the early age of 44, but not before leaving her mark on AITP, the Northeastern Wisconsin Chapter of AITP, and the IT profession. She provided a role model for those who knew her with her dedication to excellence in all she pursued including educational pursuits, ethical standards, a work ethic second to none, and her dedication to the profession through AITP.

The SAMA is primarily funded by the proceeds of an annual golf outing.  This year’s 45th annual Golf Outing will be hosted at Mid Vallee Golf Course on Wed, July 20.  Check out this link for more information about the event, how to register golfers and how you can get involved as an exclusive sponsor! https://charitygolftoday.com/newaitp

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