Technology Education Collaborative (TEC)
We help people better understand the tech that surrounds them on a daily basis. TEC does this through practical application by hosting in-person, hands-on events ranging from Right to Repair workshops, Privacy meetups and tech field trips and demos.
Our agreement with the Advanced Cyber Systems Lab at GateWay Community College helps us give the general public hands-on access to advanced technologies from 3D printers to a podcasting studio people can use to learn, discover and play.
UPCOMING OCTOBER 2025 TEC EVENTS
THIS MONTH: | Hardware Happy Hour | NEW! Rayhunter Workshop | Ham Operator Study Group | Beyond the Prompts AI Workshop 2 (for IT Professionals by David Koontz | Kotlin Users Group
Rayhunter Workshop
We're excited to (virtually) welcome Cooper Quinton, senior staff technologist for the EFF, to lead our free Rayhunter workshop!
Rayhunter is a new open source tool created by the EFF that runs off an affordable mobile hotspot that we hope empowers everyone, regardless of technical skill, to help search out cell-site simulators (CSS) around the world.
A CSS is an example of Street Level Surveillance technology —the devices used by police and other authorities to spy on you while you are going about your everyday life—such as automated license plate readers, facial recognition, and surveillance camera networks.
Cooper helped to develop this technology and will remotely lead our in-person workshop.
TEC will supply a free hotspot for the first 10 registrants. You are welcome to attend and bring your own device.
🗓️ Wednesday, October 15
🕖 6 p.m.
📍 Advanced Cyber Systems Lab
GateWay Community College - Washington Campus
108 N. 40th St.
Phoenix, AZ 85034
The ACSL is located in Room 2108 of the MA building
Directions and parking map: https://techedcollab.org/directions/
TEC is a proud member organization of the Electronic Frontier Alliance, the grassroots network made up of independent community organizations that align with EFF principles of digital freedoms and privacy. Allies across the United States work to support digital rights and empower their local communities. The EFA brings these like-minded organizations together to build mutual support and to help each other improve. If you're a member of a Phoenix metro valley EFA chapter, please reach out to us and connect!
OCTOBER HARDWARE HAPPY HOUR (3H) PHOENIX
We're welcoming back our favorite group of hardware enthusiasts (who talk a lot about programming, too) and the lab has new oscilloscopes and a new soldering iron to play with!
📅 Thursday, October 9
🕖7 p.m.
📍 Advanced Cyber Systems Lab
GateWay Community College - Washington Campus
108 N. 40th St.
Phoenix, AZ 85034
The ACSL is located in Room 2108 of the MA building
Directions and parking map: https://techedcollab.org/directions/
All skill levels welcome. This is a low-key social event, so no speakers, just socializing, snacking and tinkering.
If you have a hardware project you're working on, bring it!
If you have a project you're stuck on, bring it.
Or just stop in - There'll be chill, experienced folks who can answer your questions.
We'll supply (almost any) specialty tools and workspace you may need.
There's plenty of software talk, and programmers are welcome too!
And yes, there will be food for participants. :) This month we're doing gyros from Z's Greek and the usual snax and such.
Registration is NOT required but helps ensure we order enough food (and is generally appreciated).
Phoenix Kotlin Users Group -- Unpacking the Kotlin Setup
Thanks to Kodeco, two lucky participants will receive a code for any of their ebooks. (Must attend to participate in this raffle. Winners will star in a social media post.)
This month, we will discuss Kotlin Notebooks, a Jupyter Notebook-compatible solution. We will have a presentation about some of the use cases and how they can be applied into a work setting.
All skill levels welcome. While there is a presentation, there will be time to socialize.
If you have a Kotlin project (or any other JVM programming language) you want to present, bring it!
If you have a project you're stuck on, bring it.
Or just stop in.
There's plenty of software talk, and programmers are welcome too!
There will be food for participants. :)
📅 Tuesday, October 21
🕖 6:30 p.m.
📍 Advanced Cyber Systems Lab
GateWay Community College - Washington Campus
108 N. 40th St.
Phoenix, AZ 85034
The ACSL is located in Room 2108 of the MA building
Directions and parking map: https://techedcollab.org/directions/
All skill levels welcome. While there is a presentation, there will be time to socialize.
If you have a Kotlin project (or any other JVM programming language) you're working on, bring it!
If you have a project you're stuck on, bring it!
Or just stop in!
There will be food for participants. :)
Beyond the Prompts AI Workshop Series (Workshop 2)
During this second workshop designed specifically for IT professionals, attendees will deep dive into the computational mechanics behind AI and explore how different systems and setups operate.
This workshop will be taught by David Koontz, a full stack software engineer, technology educator, maker, and active member of the Arizona tech community with over 20 years of experience.
Workshop 2 (Designed for IT professionals)
🗓️ Wednesday, October 8
🕖 6-8 p.m.
📍 ACSL
BOTH WORKSHOPS ARE AT THE ADVANCED CYBER SYSTEMS LAB.
Advanced Cyber Systems Lab
GateWay Community College - Washington Campus
108 N. 40th St.
Phoenix, AZ 85034
The ACSL is located in Room 2108 of the MA building
Directions and parking map: https://techedcollab.org/directions/
Our regular dedicated study sessions will be held at the Advanced Cyber Systems Lab, located at Gateway Community College on:
Wednesday, October 1 at 6 p.m.
Wednesday, October 22 at 6 p.m.
We have a special guest for our October 1 session! Andrew Cornwall will be at our next session to help answer questions! Andrew is ARES Emergency Coordinator, a manager of the Arizona Emergency Net-Maricopa training net, and is accredited as an ICS Incident Communication Center Manager (INCM) and Auxiliary Communications (AUXCOMM) resource. He is a trainer and volunteer examiner - we couldn't have asked for a better guest!
Directions and parking for the ACSL can be found here.
This cohort is studying and preparing for the FCC's Amateur Radio Service Technician Class license exam.
You must register to receive the email that will have convenient links to all the study materials or notifications of schedule changes.
Missed the first sessions? No worries - just email Contact@techedcollab.org for the study materials in advance of the class you'll be attending.
CHECK OUT THE TEC TALKS PODCAST
NEW TEC TALKS EPISODE
Laura Ellington on Building Systems to Tomorrow’s Women Engineers
Laura Ellington has been a systems engineer since the 1970s. In this episode of TEC Talks, Laura discussed the challenges she faced when she started her career and what young women who aspire to be engineers today need to consider and focus on (spoiler alert: don't give up). This episodes builds upon the popular TEC blog featuring Laura that was published in August 2024. She currently teaches at Gateway Community College, is a coach for the Civil Air Patrol Sky Harbor Squadron and a TEC board member.
The TEC Article Club
The Therapist in the Machine: Chatbots take on the talking cure
An in-depth look at therapy chatbots, many that are now powered by AI. The author combines personal experience as a therapy user with excellent reporting and engaging writing, adding a far more intimate and personal look at this issue than many articles that have explored this now "old" AI topic. - CSE
Author: Jess McAllen
Date Published: November 2024
Publication: The Baffler
Long and Ugly Link:
https://thebaffler.com/salvos/the-therapist-in-the-machine-mcallen?src=longreads
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TEC is an Arizona 501(c)3 and all contributions are tax deductible.
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