Tag: Tech Fair

Connecting Students with Tech Resources

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UF Information Technology (UFIT) hosted its annual Tech Fair on Wednesday, Feb. 28. Tech Fair allows students to explore various free campus tech resources and services available, regardless of major. Among the resources for students to discover this year were AI tools for building e-portfolios, AI prompts for effective studying, and the Career Connections Center’s AI resume-reviewing tool, Quinncia.

Camila Diaz-Borges, a classical studies freshman, said she left Tech Fair with a deeper understanding of the AI certificate offered to UF students after speaking with Career Connections Center staff.

“I think I might apply for the AI certificate now that I know more about it,” Diaz-Borges said.

Students explored equipment available to check out from the George A. Smathers Libraries and how to make the most of their free, UFIT-provided LinkedIn Learning subscription. Students also had a chance to learn what IT training is offered by UFIT and Help Desk staff were also providing on-site IT assistance.

Rachael Yacuzzo, a junior history and women’s studies double major, stopped by the ONE.UF booth, where students were encouraged to share what improvements should be made to the mobile app.

“Something that I found really troublesome with the app was that I could never [open] my degree audit on it, so I’m glad they asked for feedback,” Yacuzzo said.

Computer science graduate student Nicholas Sily and general business freshman Jenna Vell said the range of equipment available to rent from Smathers Libraries caught their interest.

“I’m really impressed with the video-filming equipment that students can check out from the libraries,” Sily said.

“We’re learning about 3-D printing in class, so it’s great to know we have 3-D printing services right here in Marston,” Vell said.

This year’s event tracked 523 student interactions. For any questions about the 2024 Tech Fair, email UFIT Communications at it-comm@ufl.edu.

2024 Tech Fair

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The annual Tech Fair is an opportunity for all students–undergrads, graduate, and professional students– regardless of major, to learn about IT services and support available to them during their UF career. The 2024 Tech Fair will be held on:

Wednesday, Feb. 28

10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Marston Breezeway – CSE Plaza

This year’s experiential event focuses on helping students utilize AI and online tools to get to the next level. Get information about a variety of tech as well as tech support (such as account questions or getting fast secure campus Wi-Fi on your phone) during the event. Have you thought about what it might take to get that coveted internship? Check out Tech Fair and see how managing your online portfolio or completing a LinkedIn Learning career path might get your name on the top of that internship list! You can also see some of the technologies available in Marston, get tips on setting up a great GitHub presence, and meet with a Career Connections Center rep who will answer your questions and show you how to use their online resources.

As always, Tech Fair also means prizes and this year UF Information Technology has several available! Stop by the welcome tent and learn how you could win Apple Air Tags, a JALL smart wakeup light, Beats, a JBL Bluetooth speaker, water bottles, and more. See you Feb. 28 on the plaza, Gators!

AI Resources for Students Spotlighted at 2023 Tech Fair

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More than 2,030 student interactions were one outcome of the 2023 Tech Fair. Another outcome is that many students learned about some of the technology resources and services available to them at UFIT’s largest outreach event. Veronica Rams is a student who stopped by the event.

“GitHub Web Flow is so cool and useful when it comes to learning how to make a good website, since learning HTML was a bit hard,” Rams said.

This year’s Tech Fair focused on helping students utilize AI and online tools while completing their undergraduate degrees to help them achieve their academic and professional goals. Students learned how to use LinkedIn Learning’s Learning Paths, tried out new AI drawing software with the help of UFIT’s instructional designers, and got their tech issues solved from the expert staff in the UFIT Help Desk tent. Students also also learned how AI evaluates their resumes, courtesy of the Career Connections Center. Marston Science Library brought out 3D printers and rentable technologies available. Victoria Garcia, an Innovation Academy student, appreciated the display.

“I learned about 3D printing and where they have printers which are helpful for my classes.”

For any questions about Tech Fair, email UFIT Communications at it-comm@ufl.edu!

Focusing on Your Future

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The 2023 Tech Fair is focused on AI and your future, and the university’s, too: https://youtu.be/ncY9tYlpq9s.

Ever wish you had a crystal ball that would display what your future career looked like? There are no fortune tellers at the Tech Fair, but AI art generators will be. UFIT staff will help you use mage.space to create works of art that show the future of UF and your career. Stop by to participate in the AI art contest and you might just win a Roku Streaming Stick!

For all undergrads, regardless of major, one thing you need to understand before applying for jobs or internships is how AI is used to review applications. The Career Connections Center (C3) staff will meet with you to address items related to AI in your career search. Staff will provide resume examples and discuss the importance of keywords for applicant tracking systems or ATS. The C3 will also discuss using the LinkedIn platform to students’ advantage. They’ll also have some really helpful handouts at their tent, so be sure to stop by. Visit the Tech Fair website for more information. See you on Feb. 22, Gators!

Tenth Anniversary of Tech Fair!

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Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, Tech Fair, UFIT’s largest annual outreach event, features experiential activities that focus on helping students utilize AI and online tools.

Students can get advice and support on setting up their e-Portfolios, improve their digital literacy, meet with C3 staff to learn how AI programs evaluate resumes, and see what’s available in the Marston Science Library Makery. Students can also get assistance with campus tech such as help with Wi-Fi (eduroam), setting up GatorMail on their phone, and learning what software is available for free or at seriously discounted prices.

2023 Tech Fair
Wednesday, Feb. 22
10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Tech Fair is held in Tech Plaza, the space created by Marston and the CSE Building. (Look for the tents!) In addition to getting help with campus tech that could boost your future plans, students could win a Tribit Stormbox Bluetooth Speaker or a Roku Ultra Streaming Device just for answering the Tech Fair survey. Students with questions about Tech Fair are welcome to email it-comm@ufl.edu. See you on Tech Plaza!

Deeper Interactions at 2022 Tech Fair

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The 2022 Tech Fair focused on helping students get to the next level. Whether that level is a full-time job or a space in their preferred graduate program, campus technology experts spent quality time helping students advance their dreams for the future.

“I was familiar with GitHub before Tech Fair, but Dr. [Matt] Gitzendanner helped me to learn new tools to make my profile stand out,” said junior Mario Molina. “I am excited to add my resume to my profile and keep growing my GitHub skills.”

UFIT partnered with the Career Connections Center to provide professional job hunting expertise in the Tech Fair tents. A goal of this year’s Tech Fair was to have deeper interactions with students. To achieve that, the event was extended to two days. Additionally, UFIT developed a student satisfaction survey and collected feedback on potential additions to ONE.UF. UFIT staff also solicited opinions on designs for future learning spaces. Sophomore Sherrine Fils-Aime really enjoyed this particular component of Tech Fair:

“Future-planning for classroom accessibility was very useful because I was able to produce
a classroom design that would be more functional and accessible to students with all learning capabilities.”

Anyone with questions about the 2022 Tech Fair, or who has suggestions for next year’s event, is welcome to email UFIT Communications.

Build Your Online Profile with Free Expert Help

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Plan on attending the 2022 Tech Fair (Feb. 23-24, 11am-1pm). Whether you need to boost your LinkedIn, e-Portfolio, or GitHub profile (or all three!), UFIT and Career Connections Center (C3) experts will be available to help you. See you on Tech Plaza!

e-Portfolio
At the e-Portfolio tent, connect with UFIT’s technical experts to figure out which platform will be easiest for you to manage. C3 coaches will also be there to support you with:
• Organizing the content shared in your e-Portfolio
• Showcasing your experiences in a meaningful way
• Translating your past experiences to highlight your skills

AI and the Job Search
Career Connections Center staff will also be in the UF Informatics Institute to help you:
• Understand how AI is utilized in the job search process
• Customize your application materials to maximize your job search
• Explore strategies for interviewing through virtual and AI platforms

UFIT scientist and training lead Matt Gitzendanner will also be in the UF Informatics Institute. Leverage his expertise with Git and GitHub to maximize your GitHub profile!

LinkedIn
In the LinkedIn tent, get expert advice on courses to watch that can strengthen your market viability. Additionally, C3 staff can assist with:
• Completing your LinkedIn profile
• Maximizing your connections and build your network
• Exploring potential careers through the UF Alumni search and other LinkedIn tools

Experiential Tech Fair: Feb. 23-24

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Listening to student feedback, 2022 will be the first time Tech Fair is a two-day event. So, if your lunchtime schedule (11am – 1pm) is full on Wednesday, Feb. 23, you can stop by on Thursday, Feb. 24. This year’s experiential Tech Fair has a twist: participants are solely focused on helping students successfully get to the next level.  Whether that means your first full-time job up the career ladder, a coveted internship, or being offered a place in the graduate program of your choice, stop by Tech Fair!  UFIT is partnering with the Career Connections Center (C3) to enhance the expertise offered in the event tents.  Here are two examples of what’s available at the 2022 Tech Fair:

  1. ePortfolios                                                                                                                                 Get expert assistance and recommendations on which app to use to build your professional ePortfolio. In addition to learning how to best showcase your skills and experience technically, our partnership with the C3 means that a content expert will also be on hand to answer your questions and offer suggestions for making your ePortfolio stand out to recruiters.
  2. LinkedIn Learning                                                                                                                      Always a part of Tech Fair, this year the LinkedIn Learning tent will feature an education technology expert to help you build a course list to assist you on your professional journey. In addition, we’ll have a curated list available that focuses on building a LinkedIn profile to get you noticed, using LinkedIn to network, and videos to help you prepare for an interview.  UFIT provides LinkedIn Learning free to students, faculty, and staff.

The 2022 Tech Fair will also have AI-focused experts on hand to answer career planning  questions and discuss apps that could enhance your job market value. More information about Tech Fair will be posted regularly on UFIT’s Twitter and Instagram channels.

Highest Attendance Yet for Tech Fair

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Schedule an event about tech services at UF and they will come: There were 4,566 student interactions recorded at the 2020 Tech Fair! Students asked for advice on topics ranging from two-factor authentication, how to earn badges with
LinkedIn Learning and details on the expanded list of items available for checkout at Marston.

“I learned about a lot of services today, and I am so excited that SolidWorks is in UFApps!” said Sophie Williams, a freshman biological engineering major. “It was also interesting to learn about the part-time IT job opportunities on campus. It’s just so great to be at UF and a part of this!”

2020 marks the sixth year of Tech Fair and included two new focuses: Advertising the campus tech jobs that students could apply for on the spot, and serving as an introduction to IT support and services for Innovation Academy students, who are on campus for the spring and summer terms. Photos from the 2020 Student Tech Fair will be posted on UFIT’s Facebook page and the raffle prize winners will be notified on Monday, Jan 27. Anyone with questions about the event is welcome to contact UFIT Communications.