Organized by the Internet Society, eight TechChix members from Tanzania have been given training on the Internet Society online course: “Introduction to Network Operations: UNIX/Linux, Networking and DNS”. Covered over a period of three weeks, the course was conducted as a preparatory for the TechChix to better benefit from the TzNOG4, which took place a little later in Dar-es-salaam, from August 21-27 2016.
Giving each trainee a chance to catch up, share and learn, the training allowed working participants enough time to complete the course regardless of being at work. Though it was only three weeks, the TechChix said that it gave them more than adequate information and relevant material for the cluster of people it was prepared to serve.
The online portal allowed the TechChix to:
- Learn in a flexible manner
- Interact with your peers
- Exchange local perspectives and best practices
- Follow progress and keep records
The topics that were covered during the 3 weeks training were mainly:
- Introduction to Unix (Theory)
- Networking Fundamentals (Theory)
- Working with the UNIX Shell (Theory and Hands on)
- Working with VIM (Theory and Hands on)
- Introduction to DNS (Theory and Hands on exercises)
Training Materials
Training materials covering the contents for the program were prepared in such a manner that the person with the least knowledge on UNIX/Networking can learn:
- The presence of reference links within the notes also helped in further reading for the participants who wanted to learn more
- The platform also allowed one to practice what they learned through the slides and quizzes
- The training had two major assignments that helped in practice and apply in real sense what was learnt in each module.
- Adequate information was available on the “hows” within the platform and through the course instructor Kevin Chege, Internet Society, Africa Regional Bureau
What did they achieved?
- TechChix members were able to have necessary basic UNIX/LINUX command knowledge required for the workshop
- Members were able to understand and apply networking terminologies
- Practice helped in building confidence as well as comprehending learned materials
- Sharing and interaction among members during training grew by a great percentage
Following the three weeks course, with the support of the Internet Society, the TechChix attended the fourth TZNOG training were they were able to network with the local Engineers and other experts around the globe, acquire network management best practices as well as learn more about better network resources including mail and web servers.