Abstract: 

"Alexa is Amazon’s voice service and the brain behind millions of devices including Amazon Echo. Alexa provides capabilities, or skills, that enable customers to create a more personalized experience. There are now more than 10,000 skills from companies like Starbucks, Uber, and Capital One as well as innovative designers and developers. You, too, can build engaging skills and reach millions of customers with the Alexa Skills Kit (ASK). ASK is a collection of self-service APIs, tools, documentation, and code samples that makes it fast and easy for you to add skills to Alexa. With ASK, you can leverage Amazon’s knowledge and pioneering work in the field of voice design. Attend this workshop to learn how to create compelling voice experiences for Alexa.

In this workshop, you’ll learn:
• Introduction to Alexa Skills Kit
• Introduction to basic concepts like intents, utterances, and slots
• How to build your first skill
• How to leverage AWS Lambda
• How to set your skill up for successful certification

What should I do prior to arrival?
1. Sign up for an Amazon developer account (free)
2. Sign up for an Amazon Web Services (AWS) account (free but credit card required for signup)
3. Download and install Node.js (optional, but recommended)
4. Browse the Alexa GitHub repository

What should I bring?
Your laptop and charger. Tablets do not provide the multi-tab capabilities you will want.

Bio: 

Brendan originally came to the Dojo as a student looking to feed a lifelong passion for technology, but he stayed for its amazing community! Besides leading classes and refining curriculum, Brendan is a huge proponent of the importance of algorithms and is a self-described JavaScript apologist. On the rare occasion he's away from technology and code, Brendan enjoys cooking for people who love food.