Learning together - Sharing knowledge across teams

When we work in companies of many engineers spanning different teams and different projects, how can we stay on the same page? Isn’t the dream for a codebase to look like it’s been written by one person? In the evolving nature of the front-end, what are the best ways for teams to stay up-to-date? There are many possible options, but this talk will go through how we do this at FutureLearn. Utilising our culture of learning to keep up-to-date on topics from updates to ECMAScript, to wilder concepts like generative art.

Transcript

1. Learning Together
   Sharing knowledge across teams
   Tara Ojo
   

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3. @tara_ojo
   Tara Ojo
   Technical Lead
   @tara_ojo
   

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4. @tara_ojo
   

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5. @tara_ojo
   AGENDA
   1. Learning at FutureLearn
   2. Writing
   3. Teaching
   4. Collaboration
   

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6. 5 min
   Learning…
   At FutureLearn
   

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7. @tara_ojo
   pedagogy
   noun
   the method and practice of teaching, learning
   and assessment.
   LEARNING
   

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8. @tara_ojo
   Telling stories
   Provoking conversation
   Celebrating progress
   LEARNING
   

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9. LEARNING
   Assessing Browsing Case-based Collaborative
   Construction Conversation Cross-context Delivered
   Embodied Game-based Inquiry-driven Networked
   Performative Problem-solving Reflective Simulation
   Conversation
   Collaborative
   Problem-solving
   Case-based
   Performative
   

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10. @tara_ojo
    CASE-BASED
    COLLABORATIVE
    CONVERSATION
    PERFORMATIVE
    PROBLEM-SOLVING
    

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11. @tara_ojo
    Learning is crucial to this industry
    

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12. Image © https://medium.com/@team_62166/the-meaning-behind-the-names-of-the-major-javascript-frameworks-bc7a0fcc547
    

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13. @tara_ojo
    Big O Notation
    React Hooks
    JavaScript execution contexts
    Line management
    New JS array methods
    Hypernova
    Recursion
    Storybook
    webpack quirks
    Asset hosting
    Security
    Ruby
    AWS
    Data structures
    Infrastructure basics
    Setting good OKRs
    Searching algorithms
    Advanced webpack quirks
    React Native
    ESNext
    Databases
    Functional programming
    Docker
    Performance
    Testing React Hooks
    Writing good CSS
    GraphQL
    Rails
    

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14. @tara_ojo
    Sharing knowledge is crucial to this industry
    

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15. @tara_ojo
    Sharing
    Learning
    

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16. 5 min
    Learning through…
    Writing
    

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17. @tara_ojo
    CASE-BASED
    

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18. @tara_ojo
    Learn a thing
    Learn more
    about the
    thing
    Share the
    thing
    Everyone
    learns about
    the thing
    Write about
    the thing
    LEARNING THROUGH WRITING
    

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19. @tara_ojo
    

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20. @tara_ojo
    

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21. @tara_ojo
    CASE-BASED
    

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22. @tara_ojo
    LEARNING THROUGH WRITING
    Good things
    Can always be used as a reference
    Easy to share with others
    Great for new starters
    Hard things
    Encouraging people to write
    Aiming at the right skill level
    

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23. 5 min
    Learning through…
    Teaching
    

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24. @tara_ojo
    Learning hour
    an hour scheduled for a group of people to learn
    something.
    LEARNING THROUGH TEACHING
    @tara_ojo PROBLEM-SOLVING
    PERFORMATIVE
    

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25. @tara_ojo
    Learning hour:
    JavaScript
    Learning hour:
    JS: Classes
    Don’t choose a broad topic
    LEARNING THROUGH TEACHING
    @tara_ojo
    

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26. @tara_ojo
    Agenda:
    1pm - talking
    2pm - finish
    Agenda:
    1pm - intro
    1:15pm - exercises
    1:50pm - wrap up
    2pm - finish
    Make them interactive
    LEARNING THROUGH TEACHING
    @tara_ojo
    

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27. @tara_ojo
    Learning hour:
    JS: How to make
    a variable
    Learning hour:
    JS: async / await
    Consider your audience
    LEARNING THROUGH TEACHING
    @tara_ojo
    

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28. @tara_ojo
    LEARNING THROUGH TEACHING
    Learning hours
    JS: async/await
    Generative art
    Hyperbolic crochet
    ES2015
    Recursion
    

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29. @tara_ojo
    LEARNING THROUGH TEACHING - LEARNING HOURS
    Hard things
    Not always good for remote people
    Can take a lot of work to put together
    Aiming at the right skill level
    Good things
    Can be really fun
    Easier to learn through doing
    Get engineers working across teams
    @tara_ojo
    

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30. @tara_ojo
    Tech lightning talks
    an informal hour of 5-10 minute presentations on
    something learned.
    LEARNING THROUGH TEACHING
    @tara_ojo PERFORMATIVE
    

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31. @tara_ojo
    LEARNING THROUGH TEACHING - TECH LIGHTNING TALKS
    Hard things
    Topics aren’t always relevant
    Most people don’t like public speaking
    Good things
    Small preparation time
    You can get really creative
    @tara_ojo
    

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32. @tara_ojo
    Show and tell
    informal event every 2 weeks to share technical work
    or thoughts.
    LEARNING THROUGH TEACHING
    @tara_ojo
    CASE-BASED
    PERFORMATIVE
    

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33. @tara_ojo
    LEARNING THROUGH TEACHING - SHOW AND TELL
    Hard things
    Live demos…
    Good things
    See what other people are working on
    Understand other areas of our platform
    @tara_ojo
    

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34. 6 min
    Learning through…
    Collaboration
    

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35. LEARNING THROUGH COLLABORATION
    Pairing
    Image © UK Black Tech
    COLLABORATIVE
    CONVERSATION
    

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36. LEARNING THROUGH COLLABORATION
    Great for sharing knowledge
    Develops your interpersonal skills
    Develops teaching skills
    Fewer coding mistakes
    Image © UK Black Tech
    COLLABORATIVE
    CONVERSATION
    

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37. @tara_ojo
    LEARNING THROUGH COLLABORATION
    @tara_ojo COLLABORATIVE
    Team courses
    find a relevant online course and work through it
    as a team.
    

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38. Talks we love
    show a recording of a great talk you’ve seen
    at a conference/meet up.
    Image © Twitter @FrontEndLondon
    LEARNING THROUGH COLLABORATION
    COLLABORATIVE
    CONVERSATION
    

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39. @tara_ojo
    LEARNING THROUGH COLLABORATION
    @tara_ojo
    

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40. @tara_ojo
    Catch-ups
    LEARNING THROUGH COLLABORATION
    @tara_ojo
    COLLABORATIVE
    CONVERSATION
    

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41. @tara_ojo
    LEARNING THROUGH COLLABORATION
    Hard things
    Smaller number of people learning
    Can be difficult to come to a consensus
    Good things
    Team can up-skill at the same time
    People can discuss specific problems
    @tara_ojo
    

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42. 5 min
    The end
    Almost…
    

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43. @tara_ojo
    LEARNING TOGETHER
    https://about.futurelearn.com/blog/learning-at-work-2018
    

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44. @tara_ojo
    LEARNING TOGETHER
    Writing Teaching Collaboration
    Documentation Learning hours Pairing
    Blog posts (internal &
    external)
    Tech lightning talks Team courses
    Show and tell Talks we love
    Catch-ups
    

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45. @tara_ojo
    LEARNING TOGETHER
    Everyone has a different way of
    learning
    

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46. @tara_ojo
    Write
    Collaborate
    Teach
    Image © UKBlackTech, iStock
    

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47. Image © iStock
    “If you want to go fast, go alone.. If you
    want to go far, go together.”
    African Proverb
    

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48. @tara_ojo
    

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