Who is Sheena O'Connell
I'm an educator, software engineer, writer and creator of systems. I have a lot of niche knowledge at the intersection of tech and education. I offer technical training through Prelude, and I founded The Guild of Educators, a community that aims to empower software dev educators
I never explicitly set out to become a teacher, it's just something I've always done. When I was a kid I taught my little brother basic arithmetic; at school I tutored and taught Microsoft Excel skills to adults; I taught climbing and BJJ; I wrote educational content... it has always been a thing for me.
Programming is also something that has been a part of my life for a long time. I started coding in my early teens. I got a horrible job and saved my meagre earnings until I could afford a computer to learn on. I studied electrical engineering at University but coded on the side for money and fun.
In 2018 I started formally working in tech education. I joined a little known non-profit training provider in South Africa and got to work. The organisation was only beginning to dabble in software training when I arrived. I had the opportunity to build an education system from the ground up
I have created syllabuses, written educational software, developed people processes, trained learners, trained trainers and a whole lot more. The way I think about it is: I took the science of learning and turned it into something more like engineered learning.
I learned a lot
Now my goal is to spread what I learned to other places and other people. And to try to push the tech education ecosystem into a healthier direction.
To get this right, I have created 2 organisations:
The Guild of Educators is a community that aims to empower educators through sharing skills, opportunities and other forms of support.
Prelude offers technical training. I'm taking everything I know about what makes good education and building something special from the ground up.
Check them out! There are some interesting things going on!
Want to learn from me?
I'm running some technical workshops over at Prelude. These are damn fine learning experiences.
The workshops cover skills such as: Python, Django, HTMX, AlpineJS, Git, Tailwind, Playwright and more
If you or your team are likely to benefit from learning how to use these tools the fast way, join a workshop, or reach out if you want training for your team!