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Makerere University Launches The Google Developers Group

One of the presenters at the event giving a demonstration

Google Developer Groups (GDGs) are  meant for developers who are interested in Google’s developer technology; everything from the Android, App Engine, and Google Chrome platforms, to product APIs like the Maps API,YouTube AP and Google Calendar API.

A GDG can take many forms — from just a few people getting together to watch the latest video, to large gatherings with demos and tech talks, to events like code sprints and hackathons. However, at the core, GDGs are focused on developers and technical content, and the core audience should be developers who are studying or professionals in the field.

According to the GDG Makerere developers group page on G+, The Group is meant for individuals that are passionate about programming and are interested in learning more about Google technologies and Developer tools from Android and App Engine platforms to Google APIs like Google carlender API, YouTube API and many others in Makerere University.

The GDG Makerere was launched on 13th of October 2012 at The makerere College of computing and information Science and College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology. I interviewed Migisha Boyd, one of the students at the launch and below is an excerpt of our conversation.

What was GDG-Makerere all about?

The event was a launch for the Google Developers Group, Makerere chapter. The GDG’s are conglomerations of students and developers alike, that come together to get better acquainted  and subsequently equipped with mad programming skills bestowed upon their medullas by the oh-so-awesome daddy himself, Google Inc.

What transpired at the Event?

GDG-MUK was underway by 10am, and started off with a brief introduction to Google, and the various technologies that are available from it for developers  from the different platform-independent diaspora.A few mentioned  were Google places, Google maps, Google docs, and the Google API engine, all of which are available for free to anyone with a Google account.

There were a couple of case studies presented, mainly from the devs (Developers) present. Lots of google goodies were dispensed to the audience members who answered some of the trivia questions that had been asked, some walking away with Google ‘signed’ TShirts, Backpacks, Stickers, and smartphones! Okay, i lied about the smartphones  part,but if your heart skipped a beat, then you’re probably one of the attendees who should have been there.Part of the event entailed brain-storming for the next Google places code jam that the GDG was prepping for. This is among numerous other fun dev activities that Google plans on bringing closer to us such as Hackathons, Map-ins, conferences with guest speakers, Tutorials and Forums, among others. That’s a whole lot of awesome coming our way, if you ask me!

Was the Event worth it?

The event start was a bit delayed because of minor issues with the school’s authorities, but none-the-less, when it was underway, it was worth the wait.The attendees cut across various spheres of Makerere, including Tech faculty, SCIT, and Google ambassadors to mention but a few.It was a success, that culminated in the devs and curious cats indulging their other programming skills over plates of lunch and soft drinks

Where can one find more information about this group?

All the Apps, ideas, plans, and cookie crumbs can be found on the official GDG pages;the Facebook group is “makerere gtug”
twitter handle is @gdgmakerere. One can also get more information from the G+ page  “GDG Makerere”

 

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