Pre-Conference Workshops

New to 2014 is the addition of EIGHT optional, certifications and pre-conference workshops — half-day for a study group and Apple Certification Exams in the morning (additional charge), half-day Microsoft Office for Mac Accreditation (afternoon, no additional charge), and six full-day Pre-Conference Workshops (additional charge). The Office accreditation is limited in size, but we confirm your spot at registration time. The exams must be reserved in advance. And, the workshops are small group, interactive and hands-on. Student to teacher ratios are approximately 20:1 or better.

Where appropriate, instructors may require you to bring a computer with specific, and freely available tools or software installed (such as Xcode).




You can register for the pre-conference workshops when you register for MacTech Conference 2014 (it’s an option on the registration form). Or, if you are already registered for MacTech Conference, simply contact MacTech customer service to assist you.

Note: Workshops may require minimum participation levels.

All times are approximate. All sessions, speakers and descriptions are subject to change at any time without notice.





Apple Certification Exams

Study Group and Exams by MacTech Conference Testing Partner, v.2

Prior to MacTech Conference but at the same venue, Apple Certification Exams will be available during the “Pre-Conference” activities on Tuesday. On Tuesday morning, our testing partner and local Apple Authorized Training Center will offer a study hour and exam session on-site. Testing will conclude by 1pm (if not earlier), so that you can also attend the Microsoft Office for Mac Accreditation.

All registered attendees to MacTech’s 2014 Events are welcome to register for the study group and an exam. The price is normally $349, but you can register early at $249. Space is limited.

What attendees need to bring: A laptop (not an iPad) with a web browser.

See additional information on the Apple Certification Exams page.



Ready to register for MacTech Conference?
Do so now as space is limited for ALL pre-conference activities.






Microsoft Office for Mac Accreditation

Workshop taught by Brian Govatos, Microsoft Trainer

Microsoft has created a new pilot program specifically designed to train and accredit Apple techs and consultants on Microsoft Office for Mac and Office 365 suites. The “Microsoft Office for Mac Accredited Support Professional” accreditation is a half day long pilot program, and will take place the day prior to each MacTech event in 2014. This new Microsoft accreditation program is training and evaluation focused on the issues every consultant and tech should know when advising on or supporting Microsoft Office for Mac, Office for iPad and Microsoft Office 365, with a focus on Apple users.

All registered attendees to MacTech’s 2014 Events, are welcome to attend the course, and become accredited, at no charge. Space is limited. If you haven’t already registered for MacTech Conference 2014, you can do so now.

What attendees need to bring: Nothing required, but it’s helpful to bring a Mac with Office for Mac installed.

See additional information on the Microsoft Accreditation page.



Ready to register for MacTech Conference?
Do so now as space is limited for ALL pre-conference activities.






Rapid Start: Swift, Objective-C & Cocoa for iOS & Mac

HOT NEWS! This workshop updated to focus on Swift.

Workshop taught by Simon Allardice, simonallardice.com and lynda.com Senior Author

A hands-on, fast-paced day learning Apple’s new programming language, Swift, together with the tools for creating applications on iOS and Mac. Quickly get up to speed with the up-to-the-minute best practices for modern app development on Apple platforms without prior knowledge of Swift or Cocoa.

The day includes:


  • Ramping up in Swift: what you absolutely need to know
  • Creating iPhone projects and Mac applications in Xcode
  • User Interface Design for iOS
  • Quickly laying out a UI using Storyboards, Scenes and Segues
  • Application architecture – “how to think” when creating best-of-breed apps
  • The latest technologies to streamline app development (including working with Auto Layout, Text Kit, Dynamics and Sprite Kit)
  • The best ways to include artwork in your application
  • Including hardware features in your app (iBeacons, Accelerometer, Camera)
  • Tips and tricks for using Xcode to speed up your development time

This will be an intense, fun day – we’ll switch back-and-forth between lectures and practical, hands-on labs every 15-20 minutes. We’ll favor iOS development, but you’ll learn how to create Mac desktop apps too.

So if iOS and Cocoa development is something you’ve always wanted to do, but never quite gotten around to – or if you’ve been doing it for a while but want to review the fundamentals and current best practices – this is your day.

What attendees need to bring: a laptop with the latest version of Xcode installed (free from the App Store).

Prerequisite knowledge: You don’t need to be a working programmer, but some knowledge of programming concepts is helpful – the more, the better. Knowledge of Swift is not assumed.



Ready to register for MacTech Conference?
Do so now as space is limited for ALL pre-conference activities.






The Automation Mindset: Scripting, Command Line, and More

Workshop taught by Scott M. Neal, Mindset Garden/AcmeFoo

You see all the cool stuff in MacTech magazine (and elsewhere) about scripting, automation, etc., but you haven’t been able to apply those articles to your own uses as well as you would like…

You certainly do NOT have time to get a 4-year Computer Science degree to learn to become a programmer…

Why not let a programmer who works closely with non-programmers on a regular basis give you a crash course in Automation–the basics that you need to be able to walk away with your own Automation at the end of a single day?

In this one-day compressed course, learn the basics of Automation using Automator, AppleScript, and Xcode. It won’t make you a full-blown programmer, but you’ll have the basics you need to not only work with other scripts and modify them in useful ways, but also write your very own scripts from scratch!

Scott M. Neal will happily plant the Automation Mindset into your brain, allowing you to see the big picture about Automation, from scripting to basic programming (and much in between).

What attendees need to bring: (Being determined. More info to come.)



Ready to register for MacTech Conference?
Do so now as space is limited for ALL pre-conference activities.






OS X Server for Server Experts

Workshop taught by Sean Colins, CoreQuick and lynda.com author

You’re busy. Have you ever wanted to be surrounded by a bunch of people who, like you, know all of the essentials and foundation stuff about OS X Server but are yearning for a deeper dive? But you never have the time for it, right? Join us for a full day collaborative workshop guided by lynda.com author Sean Colins in which you and several dozen people who are probably already your close friends take a whole day to dig deep into OS X Server.

Together we will explore and seek to provide:


  • better documentation of the serveradmin command line tool.
  • share tips and tricks that can be useful for OS X Server enthusiasts
  • how to administer the OS X Server’s many services.
  • Services we plan to give time include:
    • mail service
    • profile manager
    • calendar server
    • Xcode service
    • and of course all of the file services.

More will probably be added before the show, so let us know if you have an OS X Server service that you think needs attention.

Come with an open mind, and plan on asking questions. You’re welcome to share your knowledge too, or answer questions posed by the group. You should expect to get guidance and answers from both the instructor, as well as the other server administrators. Here’s your chance to really dig and ask questions you have always wondered about.

What attendees need to bring: Attendees need to bring an Apple laptop with the latest version of OS. If desired, it’s a good idea to have a preinstalled partition on your laptop that contains OS X server so they can play and work from Server while in class.



Ready to register for MacTech Conference?
Do so now as space is limited for ALL pre-conference activities.






Security

Workshop taught by Christian Woodward, intuitive.io

With the significant increase in cyber threats – particularly in the Enterprise, SMB and mid-market size companies, an understanding of systems security as well as the relevant threat is becoming increasingly essential in the marketplace. With the belief that “OS X is inherently secure,” it is our responsibility to ensure that our network and operations are as secure as anticipated. With a selection of core technologies, we can radically decrease the asymmetric threat.

Secure encryption of data influences how we all use technology, and the assumptions we make about the privacy of our data both on our devices and when our data leaves our devices in email, in the cloud, when shopping, and in countless other ways that extend further into our private lives with every new technology we adopt. Learn about the technologies that underlie our false sense of security, how it works and what you can do to manage that security for yourself, your organization and your users/clients.

This workshop will not only help you to understand the underlying technologies, but give you insight on how to protect your data, let the right users in, and keep the right users out.

This workshop is a high intensity crash course where you’ll learn a lot, code a lot, and (if you’re lucky) leave with some epic loot at the end! :]

By the end of the workshop, you’ll have reviewed the underlying security technologies, understood some of the more common threats, and leave with a firm foundation of skills that you can use to make the most of the rest of the conference.

What attendees need to bring: Attendees need to bring an Apple laptop with the latest version of OS.



Ready to register for MacTech Conference?
Do so now as space is limited for ALL pre-conference activities.






Ready to register for MacTech Conference?
Do so now as space is limited for ALL pre-conference activities.