Retrospective: Barcamp 2014

The IT network connect.IT kicked off on March 29 and 30 with the first Barcamp 2014 in Heilbronn on the premises of Heilbronn University. Representatives from companies, students, alumni of the university, multipliers and interested parties from the fields of internet, IT and social media came together in a relaxed atmosphere and beautiful weather to exchange experiences. Around 150 participants, mainly from the region, took the opportunity over the two days to discuss and develop interesting IT topics with like-minded people.

The Barcamp event format, also known as an unconference, thrives on the motivation of those present, their diversity and their willingness to share knowledge with each other free of charge. One of the hallmarks of the Barcamp is that everyone can contribute what currently moves them in their everyday (working) life. Last weekend, managing directors, students, plant managers, divisional directors, employees, professors, alumni of the Business Informatics course and other interested parties discussed a wide range of topics and questions "at eye level".

Some sessions dealt with hardware topics, IT service management strategies, PHP operating philosophies, brain-computer interfaces, open data, remote work, frameworks, data storage in the cloud, GPG and email, Google Drive and gamification. Other sessions addressed general and specific questions such as the working world of the future, change management and social media, how to design a website with WordPress in five minutes, how to win customers and radiate what you are, which approaches are successful in knowledge management, whether and how blogs can be monetized, which app is used to inform Heilbronn Falcon fans about news or whether journalists will be replaced by bloggers in the future? Here are some excerpts from the more than 40 sessions - summarized by students from Heilbronn University:

Google Glass

There has been a lot of talk about Google's new data glasses in recent days. Only time will tell whether such a concept will be successful or not, but there were a few things you could see in advance during this session. How do the new glasses work? What possibilities do they offer? And what risks does such a concept pose for data protection and ethics? @DanielWierbicki

Open Data

Open data means the free availability and usability of data. An important start to this topic was the Open Data Day in Heilbronn on February 22, where three exciting projects in particular were launched: What's in our tap water? Where is burglary most common? When will waste disposal be introduced? Felix Ebert and Adrian Stabiszewski provided information about the goals and activities of the Heilbronn Open Data Initiative, but also briefly introduced the Computer Club 86. @femeb @codeforhn

"Dispute" culture

Ask questions and recognize the "hidden agenda", try to leave the emotional level and discuss objectively. When dealing with people, it is not always easy and there are also cultural aspects to consider. These aspects were discussed and enriched with a spontaneous role play. @DanielWierbicki

Human 2.0

What is the future of humans? For some it is science fiction and for others it is the inevitable consequence of our striving for perfection. Brain implants and technical devices are changing our society and ourselves. Are economic values everything or will we as a society set ourselves a limit? An interesting session on a topic that will affect all of us sooner or later. @DanielWierbicki

Lego Mindstorms

Lego Mind storms is a fun way to get to grips with robotics and programming. The various sensors and motors can be assembled at will. Thanks to the supplied software, which has a clear user interface, the robot is easy to program. A session for young and old gaming kids. @gravima @bicyclist

Android vs. iOS

Android from Google and iOS from Apple are currently the most widely used operating systems for smartphones and tablets. In 2013, Android had a market share of just under 50%, while iOS still had a market share of just under 20%. When it comes to programming, both operating systems have their advantages and disadvantages - a controversial and exciting discussion.

Android Wear

Android Wear is the new operating system from Google, which is used in smartwatches, for example.

The aim is to connect your smartphone to a watch so that you can read messages on it, for example. Reading emails and making calls with your watch? Among other things, this session dealt with the scope of use of smartwatches and discussed the sense and nonsense of such technology. @econsor

Develop a website in 5 minutes

In this session, participants were shown how easy it is to create a website these days. Creating a website is possible within 5 minutes with the help of a content management system like WordPress. During the session, the steps for designing the website, such as adding plugins, using the text editor and integrating links were explained in a simple and understandable way. @gravima

SEO - search engine optimization

Doesn't everyone want their website to be in the top 5 on Google and other search engines? The better a website is ranked, the more frequently it is visited by users. With the help of keywords (search terms), the website is rated better by Google and Co. and thus ranked higher. During the session, it was explained how the ranking can be improved with the selection of keywords and tools such as Sistrix. @econsor

IT companies of the future

What expectations do today's students have of their future employer? This question was at the beginning of this session on IT companies of the future and was to be answered in writing by the participants. These expectations were then presented to the participants of the session and discussed between the business representatives and the students. An interesting discussion and a great example of how networking can take place between companies and future employees.

Quadrocopter - "drone" or cool hobby?

Drones often have a negative image in Germany. But what does a quadrocopter have in common with a drone? In addition to the technology and the possibilities, the legal limits were also explained in the session. The obligatory flight demonstration in the parking lot convinced the participants of the session that a quadrocopter is a cool, if not entirely inexpensive, hobby.

connect.IT - The future

connect.IT itself was also part of a relaxed session and the future of the young IT network was discussed with the barcamp participants. Participants of all age groups, whether students, freelancers or lecturers, were able to contribute their wishes, expectations, ideas and suggestions in order to better network IT professionals in the Heilbronn-Franken region in the future. @gravima @ph1lk

Sharing experiences, talking to people who have similar problems to solve, making new contacts, networking, getting to know interesting employees for your own company, discussing strategies for the future with like-minded and interested people - all this is made possible by a barcamp as a new form of coming together. The response to this first event in Heilbronn was consistently positive. Our thanks go not least to the various sponsors who contributed to its success with catering, drinks, know-how, rooms, signs, money, contacts and much more. Further events of the connect.IT network in summer 2014 are already being planned and will be announced on this website.