May Announcements

5/25/18 Announcement

Hey everyone! As we ready ourselves for the long weekend, we wanted to ask....

How is it really going?

We’ve been hearing that many of you are struggling with your Nanodegree and meeting your project deadlines so we want to take step back and figure out what’s going on! To do that, we are devoting all next week to hearing your feedback. At the end of the week, let’s have a Motivational party here in Slack so you can reinvigorate and keep pressing on! (think GiFs, tips, and PLENTY of kudos)

Here’s what we have planned:

1. We Need to Hear From You: First, please help us help you by taking One. More. Survey. Here. (Note: This one was created by us and your responses will help us shape what and how we are offering help).

2. Reverse AMA Session: In addition to the survey above, we will be hosting a reverse AMA on Thursday, May 31st from 9-10 AM PT in the #ama_sessions channel. If you’ve never been to a reverse AMA, this is where we the community managers, get to ask you, the students, ANYTHING. This time we’ll be asking questions about the hurdles you’ve been experiencing in Phase 2.

3. Motivational Party: Let’s put away the lessons for a second and have a little fun! On Friday, we want everyone to share their favorite motivational GIFs, fun memes, motivational tips, and meaningful sayings. The goal is to find that spark and confidence again. Let’s get recharged together! More details coming on Tuesday.

Creating New Slack Channels

Is there a Slack channel that you’d like to see but doesn’t exist? If so, add it to the Google Form. You have until Wednesday, May 30th to submit your request for this month. We will pick our top ten favs and then bring it to #general_discuss for a vote!

Project Coach Help!

If you’re not able to make it to one of the project coach AMA sessions, you can still get their technical help. Use our new Student questions for Project Coaches doc to ask the coaches questions around lessons, projects and concepts. Note: Check our Forms page on our Grow with Google site for all the forms we’ve shared so far.

Interview, New Project or Promotion?

If you’ve had a recruiter call, interview, or anything job related since Phase 1, please let us know! It doesn’t even matter if you didn’t get the job. Our goal is to get one story from each of you. Your stories help us prove the value of this Grow with Google Scholarship program! We only have 25 stories so far and we know there are more out there. Please take a few minutes and share yours here.

The Source of Truth

Seriously folks. This Grow with Google site should be the first resource you turn to when you have a question. You’ll find project deadlines, the meetups calendar, calendars with project coach, past announcements, and every form imaginable. If you only have a minute, check out the home page where we'll post the latest and greatest things you need to know.

Keeping us Honest

You guys are doing great at keeping your DMs to personal issues and we are trying to respond to each and every one as quickly as we can. However, we’re finding out that messages are turning over quite quickly these days so if you have DM’d us and haven’t heard back in 48 hours (weekends, holidays, & vacations being the exception) please DM us again!

Have a wonderful extended holiday weekend! The Udacity offices are closed on Monday so we’ll see you back on Tuesday!

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5/24/18

Hey students! This is a surprise announcement. We are collecting feedback about the career content that was shared with you in your classroom at the end of Phase 1. We'd love to know if it was helpful, what worked and/or what didn't. We are looking to collect this feedback ASAP (there are only 2 questions!), so please fill this out this survey when you get the chance:

Also, we will be announcing even more ways to share feedback with us tomorrow. So, stay tuned!

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5/21/18

Hi everyone! A very happy Monday to you all. First, huge kudos for all the progress you made this weekend! Keep up those consistent study habits, reward yourselves for progress, and most importantly don’t be afraid to ask for help!

Speaking of help -- A quick reminder to join your *track specific live_help* and the newly created *project channels*, if you haven’t already. Iip from the Udacity team is in live_help and the project coaches host their technical AMAs in the project channels. :muscle: Click “Channels” in the left hand nav to browse through all the channels you can join here on Slack.

Caffeinated High:

A huge shout-out to everyone who participated on Saturday’s Coffee Date. What a day! Whether you held or attended a coffee meetup, hosted or participated in an AMA, supported other students in #live_help or another Slack channel, or even just raised your virtual coffee cup up in solidarity, the event was - to quote a fellow student “an awesome show of support and teamwork”.

Note: I will be updating this post tomorrow with the individual recipients of “coffee on us”. Cohorts still have until EOD on May 28th to submit the Coffee raffle form for more “coffee on us”. Until then, please continue posting your coffee date pics in the #meetups channel and include whom you were with and where you met! :

What’s your track?:

With all 4 tracks in one Slack workspace, it can get a little difficult for us to tell which track you’re in. Please help us out by taking a minute to “Edit your Profile” to include your track in either your Slack display name (e.g. Brenda [FEND]) or the “What I do” section. Doing so will also help your classmates to provide you with the quickest and most appropriate support.

Calling all FEND students:

Udacity Content Developer, Mike Wales is hosting a live webinar on Wednesday, May 23rd from 10 - 11 AM PT. Don’t miss this opportunity to watch Mike answer all your Memory Game project questions!

Register here and watch the live webinar here.

*Note: The time on the registration form is Central European Summer Time

If you missed our live ABND, AND, and MWS webinars from last week, you can still watch the recorded versions. Just go to the home page on our Grow with Google site and look for the Yoda!

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5/18/18

Laurel or Yanny?

Now that we have your attention, we wanted to make sure that you are excited and ready for the webinars today and the Coffee Date study session tomorrow Saturday, May 19th! Find a meet up (virtual or in-person) and get to work on your projects! Again, we want to see you meeting these deadlines coming up. :star: We’ll have student leaders in #live_help throughout Saturday and student leaders hosting AMA sessions 7AM to 7PM PT. If you submit your 2nd project by eod Sunday, May 20th (or for MWS Lesson 10) you’ll be in the raffle for a coffee on us! Additionally, work with your cohort to meet your deadlines and enter the raffle to win coffee for everyone in your group. Check the #meet_ups channel for meet ups in your area. All details - including how to enter the raffle as well as the entire AMA and #live_help schedules - are on our GwG Coffee Date page

Jose Nieto: Android Content Developer

Udacity’s very own Android Content Developer, Jose Nieto, will be joining us today (5/18) for two webinars on Projects 1, 2 & 3 of the Android Basics and Android Dev program. This is a fabulous resource, so please take advantage of it. Jose will be answering pre-submitted questions and live questions during the webinars. It’s not too late to register and ask questions, you can submit them here For webinar times, please see the home page on our GwG site:

Watch now!

If you haven’t seen Google’s latest posting, get yourself over to Google's blog page STAT.

Our own Grow with Google scholar, Sara Blevins, shares how she went from not having a computer in her home in 2010, to pursuing her dream to become a web developer with a Google Developer Scholarship. Sara’s story will touch you to your core.

Sara, your drive and determination are an inspiration to us all! We are so incredibly proud of you and all that you have accomplished. Keep on reaching for the stars!

Follow Sara on Twitter!

We want to hear from YOU

Your Scholarship opinions matters! We at Udacity want to provide you with the best community experience so you feel supported in your learning. Please take a moment to fill out this short survey so we can learn how to do that better. Note that this survey pertains to your Nanodegree *Slack* experience so please hold any feedback about the Nanoedegree program for now.

It’s obviously laurel! :herb: See you all tomorrow at Coffee Date :smile:

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5/15/18 Announcement

Hey, everyone! Hope you all had a productive weekend and managed to fit a bit of relaxation in too. We’ve got lots of stuff to cover in today’s Monday announcement, so let’s dive right in!

Share your Career Story

We are interested in hearing from you about your experience in this program and how it has impacted you and your career. This program takes time and commitment to complete and we want to highlight your accomplishments by sharing your stories internally and on our Google page.

Submit your story using this form

Here are some examples of stories we would love to highlight:

Interviews, Internships, New Jobs, Career Advancement (i.e. promotion), A project you helped out on at work, Using your skills to impact the community, Transitioning to a new field/department

Here are two examples of how we have highlighted student stories in the past!

Fun fact: In Phase 1, we collected over 1,000 of your personal stories. For Phase 2, we want to receive TWICE as many career stories from you. Help us meet that goal!

Let’s get caffeinated

A reminder that our Coffee Date study session is this coming *Saturday, May 19th*! Grab your cohorts or study buddy - or just yourself! - and let’s make significant Nanodegree progress together. :muscle: We’ll have student leaders in #live_help and student leaders hosting technical AMA sessions on Saturday. If you submit your 2nd project by eod of day (or for MWS Lesson 10) you’ll be in the raffle for a coffee on us! More details will be released this week. Until then, Udacity’s own Android Content Developer, Jose Nieto, Udacity Content Developer Mike Wales, and Project Coach, Ryan and are taking your pre-submitted questions which they’ll answer during their live webinars on 5/17, 5/18, and 5/23. See times here:

  • Submit your MWS questions for Ryan's 5/17 webinar here.
  • Submit your ABND and AND question for Jose's webinars on 5/18 here.
  • Submit your FEND Project 3 questions for Mike's 5/23 webinar here.

Deadline Reminder!

If you are confused on the date of your project deadline, please refer to the Deadlines page. This page lists the dates your project should be approved. If you find yourself falling a bit behind, don’t despair. Instead, take advantage of the resources available to you. There is Iip in #live_help (for FEND, ABND, AND), project coaches for all tracks, your personal mentors, and the live technical webinars *this coming Friday* (Have your submitted a question yet?!)

Positive Thoughts

In the wise words of Willie Nelson - “Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you'll start having positive results.”

We realize that your Nanodegree poses new challenges, and with that comes a new set of frustrations. That said, everyone is here to support each other mentally as well as emotionally. We want to cultivate a positive and healthy environment for all! ! That said, please think twice before putting negative feedback about the program in the public workspace. Instead, share it with your us, Community Managers! We want to hear what you have to say and truly are the ones best equipped to use your feedback for change. Thanks all!

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5/11/18 Announcement Part 1

Happy happy Friday! We hope you had a wonderful and productive week. We had a blast meeting students from around the world that came in for Google I/O! Please continue to check the project deadlines page and ensure that they are coming in ON TIME! This announcement is coming at you in two parts today - we’ve just got so many exciting things to share to fit into one! So keep an eye :eyes: out for the part 2 later this afternoon.

COFFEE DATE! (Think pizza party but coffee)

Did you know that students that finish their first and second projects have a much higher likelihood of finishing their nanodegree? With that in mind, join us for a Coffee Date the morning of May 19th to work through your projects! The goal of this event is to connect students to Coffee Dates in their area and provide extra help to get you through the first two projects! We’ve also thrown in a little extra (caffeinated) incentive to get you to that deadline. A full schedule of AMAs, meet ups, and live help to come next week!

Want to host a Coffee Date? Find a coffee shop in your area that you can host a meet up! We will let students know that it’s happening. Please fill out this form and let us know where and when your coffee date is taking place:

Coffee on Us

For ABND, AND and FEND, If you submit your second project by the end of the day on May 19th (11:59 PDT), you will be entered to win a coffee on us! If you are in MWS program, you will need to make it to Lesson 10. There will be 8 winners - 2 winners from each track! We’d love to treat you to coffee - so submit those projects! (Fill out this form when your second project is submitted)

Coffee for Your Cohort

If your cohort has all of their second projects submitted by 11:59 PDT on May 28th (or if in MWS, you have all completed Lesson 10), one cohort from each track will receive a coffee gift card to the location of their choice for their next meet up! That way you can celebrate your success with a treat :smile: (Fill out this form when your cohort has submitted their second projects)

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5/11/18 Announcement Part 2

Alright, here's announcement part 2 coming your way! To kick things off, we will be hosting a few webinars with nanodegree experts to help you get through the course materials. If you are stuck or struggling with a certain quiz, lesson, project or concept, this is a great resource for you!

Jose Nieto for Android Basics + Android Dev

  • Android Basics Webinar: May 18th from 2-3 PM PT | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvGpLbFA8G8
  • Android Dev Webinar: May 18th from 4-5 PM PT| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtayL5Dkn3s

Jose Nieto took the Android Nanodegree as a student. Then, he became an Android Developer. Currently, he now works at Udacity as a Content Developer for Android. Among other things, he updated the Android Nanodegree contents to be fully compliant with the latest Android Oreo, he has contributed to the Kotlin for Android Developers course and he is also the guy behind the Sandwich Club project. To register for the event and/or submit a question for Jose to answer, please fill out this form.

Ryan Waite for MWS

  • MWS Webinar: May 17th from 3-4 PM PT https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bt6dXihyXY

Our very own Ryan Waite will be hosting a webinar to answer project-specific questions. As you know, Ryan is a Nanodegree veteran with six NDs under his belt. Review the lessons and quizzes in project 1 before the webinar to get the most out of the hour. To register for the webinar and submit a question ahead of time, please follow this link.

Mike Wales for FEND

  • FEND Webinar: May 23rd from 10 - 11 AM PT (PLEASE NOTE - THE FORM HAS A DIFFERENT TIME LISTED, IT IS IN CEST)

Did you know that Project 2: Memory Game is one of the most challenging projects in your curriculum? If you’re working on it, you’re probably well aware. But don’t be discouraged! Here is your chance to ask a content expert about Project 2. Register to submit your question and Mike Wales, one of Udacity’s original content developers will be hosting a webinar where he walks through Memory Game and responds to your questions. Register here.

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5/7/18 Announcement:

Hi everyone! We hope you had a great weekend and found time to make some notable progress in your Nanodegree. Keep the focus and use the resources that are here for you - your personal mentor, Iip in #live_help and the Project Coaches during their technical AMAs. Just a reminder that ABND has their first project due *today* and FEND’s first project is due on *Wednesday*! Make sure you are keeping up with your project deadlines.

Today’s announcement is short but significant. We are now accepting applications for Phase 2 Student Leader role

Today’s announcement is short but significant. We are now accepting applications for Phase 2 Student Leader roles! If you would like to help your student community in a more formal capacity, be recognized by your peers, and participate in some really cool events, then this is your chance. We are accepting applications from now until this coming Thursday, May 10th. We will select and announce Student Leaders on Friday, May 11th. You do not need prior experience to apply - just a big heart and a strong desire to support your student body.

Get your Student Leader application in before eod on May 10th! We encourage anyone to apply!

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5/4/18 Announcement:

Deadlines:

Remember to reference the deadlines on here on the Grow with Google website, not the ones in your classroom!

We want to emphasize that the deadlines are *highly, highly encouraged!* If you cannot stick to the deadlines, be sure to plan your own schedule that will allow you to catch up, as it can be extremely challenging to catch up if you fall behind in your Nanodegree.

Time Management:

Speaking of deadlines, May is *Time Management Month!* We’ve heard from your peers in the EU, Middle East, and Africa that they have found it harder to make time for their Nanodegree in Phase 2, and we want to help you get ahead of that so you don’t fall behind in your coursework. Here are some tips that you can implement right away:

  1. Set aside time *every day* to study. Even if it’s only 15 minutes, that is progress!
  2. If you find yourself getting distracted by your phone, try the Forest App!
  3. Set small, realistic goals for yourself. Small goals are easy and rewarding to achieve.
  4. Set larger goals when you know you have a block of time to really focus.
  5. Take breaks! Many studies show you are more likely to retain information better and reduce burnout if you take short study breaks every 45-60 min.

Forums:

A few people have pointed out how quickly information disappears from Slack, so we encourage you to continue taking advantage of the forums in Phase 2! You can also benefit from students who are enrolled in the Google Scholarship from the EU, Middle East, and Africa- they’re about 2 months ahead of you in the course, and can be another great support system!

  • ABND only: When you navigate to forums from your classroom, it will take you to a pretty inactive page. To get to the active forum, click the drop-down in the upper-left corner where it says “Android Basics Broadcast”, type in “ABND”, and you should see a list of more active forum pages. “ABND Cafe” is your launching point.
  • MWS only: You can access the forums via this link: https://discussions.udacity.com/c/mws-google-scholars Please bookmark this, as the link in your classroom will not take you to the forums! They were created specifically for scholarship students, so they definitely need your love and attention to keep them going!

Slack Channel Requests:

We want to keep Slack streamlined and organized while accommodating your Slack channel requests so here’s the process we’ll follow every month: Students will submit their requests by the last day of the month using the Slack Channel Request form. All requests for that month will be reviewed by Community Manager who will post the top 5 will for student voting. The channel request with the most votes will be turned into a real channel. This will happen every month.

Shift in the CM team:

As of today, Kathleen will be transitioning her attention to supporting the Bertelsmann Udacity Data Science Scholarship. She will not be actively supporting this workspace for the next couple months, and will be very slow to respond to DMs. We want to ensure that all your questions are answered, so please avoid messaging or tagging her! Brenda and Kelsey will continue to be your main points of contact for Grow with Google, and please keep adding your questions to the Student Questions doc