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Developing Alexa Skills for Amazon Echo

In this course, you'll learn the foundations of developing voice-enabled apps for Amazon Echo, and build your own custom Alexa Skill in C# and ASP.NET Web API.

Amazon Echo and the Alexa Skills Kit (ASK) open new doors of opportunities to build voice-enabled apps without deep knowledge of Natural Language Processing (NLP). This course, Developing Alexa Skills for Amazon Echo, will get you started working with Alexa Skills. First, you'll learn the differences between Echo and Alexa, as well as the differences between Alexa Voice Service and Alexa Skills Kit. Next, you will quickly evaluate the 'Hello World' node.js sample code provided by Amazon. Finally, you will see the certification process and requirements as well as the publication stages and creating new versions of live Skills. By the end of this course, you'll be better prepared to build voice-enabled apps, test them on your own Amazon Echo device, and publish them to the Amazon Skills store for others to enjoy.

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What's inside

Syllabus

Introduction to Amazon Echo and Alexa Skills Kit

Starting Your First Alexa Skill

Sessions, Requests, and Intents

Security, Authentication, and Certification

Good to know

Know what's good

, what to watch for

, and possible dealbreakers

Taught by Walter Quesada, who is recognized for their work in Web Services

Explores voice-enabled apps for Amazon Echo, which is standard in the technology industry

Teaches software development skills in C# and ASP.NET Web API, useful for app design

Develops security and authentication skills, which are core for software development

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Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Developing Alexa Skills for Amazon Echo with these activities:

Review Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software by Gamma et al.

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Review the book 'Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software' to solidify your understanding of design patterns and object-oriented programming concepts.

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Read the book thoroughly, taking notes on key concepts.
Work through the exercises and examples provided in the book.
Implement some of the design patterns in your own code projects.
Discuss the design patterns with other developers or in online forums.

Follow online tutorials on Alexa Skills

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Follow online tutorials on Alexa Skills to learn more about the topic and to practice your skills in a guided environment.

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Find an online tutorial on Alexa Skills that interests you.
Follow the instructions in the tutorial.
Complete the exercises and activities in the tutorial.
Repeat steps 1-3 until you feel comfortable with the concepts.

Build a simple Alexa Skill

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Build a simple Alexa Skill to practice the concepts learned in the course and gain hands-on experience with Alexa Skill development.

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Choose a simple idea for an Alexa Skill.
Create an Amazon Developer account and register your skill.
Develop the code for your skill using the ASK SDK.
Test your skill on your Amazon Echo device.
Publish your skill to the Amazon Skills store.

Five other activities

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Practice writing Alexa Skill code

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Practice writing Alexa Skill code to improve your programming skills and to become more proficient in Alexa Skill development.

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Find a coding challenge or exercise related to Alexa Skills.
Attempt to solve the coding challenge or exercise.
Review the solution to the coding challenge or exercise.
Repeat steps 1-3 until you feel comfortable with the concepts.

Attend a meetup or conference on Alexa Skills

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Attend a meetup or conference on Alexa Skills to connect with other developers and learn about the latest trends in Alexa Skill development.

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Find a meetup or conference on Alexa Skills.
Register for the event.
Attend the event and participate in the activities.
Network with other developers and learn about their work.

Write a blog post about your Alexa Skill

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Write a blog post about your Alexa Skill to share your knowledge and experience with others, and to receive feedback on your work.

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Choose a topic for your blog post.
Write a draft of your blog post.
Edit and revise your blog post.
Publish your blog post on your website or blog.

Contribute to open-source Alexa Skills projects

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Contribute to open-source Alexa Skills projects to gain experience in collaborative development and to contribute to the Alexa Skills community.

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Find an open-source Alexa Skills project that interests you.
Join the project's community and learn about their work.
Identify an area where you can contribute to the project.
Make a contribution to the project.

Create a presentation on Alexa Skills

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Create a presentation on Alexa Skills to share your knowledge with others and to practice your presentation skills.

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Choose a topic for your presentation.
Gather information and resources on your topic.
Create a slide deck for your presentation.
Practice your presentation.
Deliver your presentation to an audience.

Career center

Learners who complete Developing Alexa Skills for Amazon Echo will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Alexa Skill Developer

An Alexa Skill Developer is responsible for designing, developing, and maintaining Alexa Skills. This course provides a foundation in Alexa Skills development, covering topics such as the Alexa Skills Kit, intents, requests, and sessions. By completing this course, you will gain the skills needed to build and publish your own Alexa Skills.

See salaries and explore the career path for Alexa Skill Developer

Voice User Interface Designer

A Voice User Interface Designer is responsible for designing and developing the voice user interface for Alexa Skills. This course provides a foundation in voice user interface design, covering topics such as natural language processing, conversation design, and user experience. By completing this course, you will gain the skills needed to create voice user interfaces that are both engaging and easy to use.

See salaries and explore the career path for Voice User Interface Designer

Software Engineer, Conversational AI

A Software Engineer, Conversational AI is responsible for developing and maintaining conversational AI systems, such as chatbots and voice assistants. This course provides a foundation in conversational AI, covering topics such as natural language processing, machine learning, and dialogue management. By completing this course, you will gain the skills needed to develop conversational AI systems that are both intelligent and engaging.

See salaries and explore the career path for Software Engineer, Conversational AI

Data Scientist, Conversational AI

A Data Scientist, Conversational AI is responsible for collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data to improve the performance of conversational AI systems. This course provides a foundation in data science, covering topics such as data mining, machine learning, and statistical analysis. By completing this course, you will gain the skills needed to analyze data and identify trends that can help improve the performance of conversational AI systems.

See salaries and explore the career path for Data Scientist, Conversational AI

Product Manager, Conversational AI

A Product Manager, Conversational AI is responsible for managing the development and launch of conversational AI products. This course provides a foundation in product management, covering topics such as market research, product planning, and user experience. By completing this course, you will gain the skills needed to manage the development and launch of successful conversational AI products.

See salaries and explore the career path for Product Manager, Conversational AI

Artificial Intelligence Engineer

An Artificial Intelligence Engineer is responsible for designing, developing, and maintaining artificial intelligence systems. This course provides a foundation in artificial intelligence, covering topics such as machine learning, deep learning, and natural language processing. By completing this course, you will gain the skills needed to develop artificial intelligence systems that are both intelligent and efficient.

See salaries and explore the career path for Artificial Intelligence Engineer

Machine Learning Engineer

A Machine Learning Engineer is responsible for designing, developing, and maintaining machine learning systems. This course provides a foundation in machine learning, covering topics such as supervised learning, unsupervised learning, and reinforcement learning. By completing this course, you will gain the skills needed to develop machine learning systems that can learn from data and make predictions.

See salaries and explore the career path for Machine Learning Engineer

Software Engineer - Natural Language Processing

A Software Engineer, Natural Language Processing is responsible for developing and maintaining natural language processing systems. This course provides a foundation in natural language processing, covering topics such as text mining, machine translation, and speech recognition. By completing this course, you will gain the skills needed to develop natural language processing systems that can understand and generate human language.

See salaries and explore the career path for Software Engineer - Natural Language Processing

Data Engineer

A Data Engineer is responsible for designing, developing, and maintaining data pipelines and infrastructure. This course provides a foundation in data engineering, covering topics such as data integration, data warehousing, and big data processing. By completing this course, you will gain the skills needed to design and develop data pipelines and infrastructure that can handle large volumes of data.

See salaries and explore the career path for Data Engineer

Business Analyst

A Business Analyst is responsible for analyzing business processes and identifying opportunities for improvement. This course provides a foundation in business analysis, covering topics such as process mapping, data analysis, and requirements gathering. By completing this course, you will gain the skills needed to analyze business processes and identify opportunities for improvement that can be implemented using conversational AI.

See salaries and explore the career path for Business Analyst

Project Manager

A Project Manager is responsible for planning, executing, and closing projects. This course provides a foundation in project management, covering topics such as project planning, risk management, and stakeholder management. By completing this course, you will gain the skills needed to manage projects that involve the development and implementation of conversational AI systems.

See salaries and explore the career path for Project Manager

Technical Writer

A Technical Writer is responsible for creating documentation for software and hardware products. This course provides a foundation in technical writing, covering topics such as documentation planning, style guides, and user experience. By completing this course, you will gain the skills needed to create documentation for conversational AI systems that is both clear and concise.

See salaries and explore the career path for Technical Writer

User Experience Designer

A User Experience Designer is responsible for designing and evaluating the user experience of software and hardware products. This course provides a foundation in user experience design, covering topics such as user research, prototyping, and usability testing. By completing this course, you will gain the skills needed to design and evaluate the user experience of conversational AI systems.

See salaries and explore the career path for User Experience Designer

Quality Assurance Engineer

A Quality Assurance Engineer is responsible for testing software and hardware products to ensure that they meet quality standards. This course provides a foundation in quality assurance, covering topics such as test planning, test execution, and defect tracking. By completing this course, you will gain the skills needed to test conversational AI systems and ensure that they meet quality standards.

See salaries and explore the career path for Quality Assurance Engineer

Salesforce Developer

A Salesforce Developer is responsible for developing and maintaining Salesforce applications. This course provides a foundation in Salesforce development, covering topics such as object-oriented programming, data modeling, and user interface design. By completing this course, you will gain the skills needed to develop Salesforce applications that can integrate with conversational AI systems.

See salaries and explore the career path for Salesforce Developer

Reading list

We've selected 13 books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Developing Alexa Skills for Amazon Echo.

Cyberformalism

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Classic textbook on speech and language processing. It covers a wide range of topics, from the basics of speech and language to advanced techniques. While the book does not focus specifically on Alexa Skills, the knowledge gained from reading it can be applied to Alexa Skill development.

Cyberformalism: Histories of Linguistic Forms in...

Hardcover

Cyberformalism: Histories of Linguistic Forms in...

Kindle Edition

eMarketing

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Guide to building Alexa Skills for business. It covers a wide range of topics, from the basics of Alexa Skills development to specific use cases for businesses. The book valuable resource for anyone who wants to learn how to build Alexa Skills for business.

Developing Alexa Skills for Amazon Echo

Here's a deal for you

What's inside

Syllabus

Good to know

Save this course

Activities

Career center

Reading list

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