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Cloud 8 Academy — content delivery stack

Harnoor's specific approach (his own words, 2026-04-27)

> "I'm thinking something like using Gamma to create the slide presentation, present them to the students — record them or present them — give them instructions, and then they go and do the lab exercises. We can get the pre-built ones and just assign them those lab exercises. Also some YouTube tutorials or other tutorials. I could screen-capture, put the videos in there for them to watch and learn. Creating small exercises for students and then they get a certification. The certification has to be really awesome. It has to be really cool. Later on we can talk about credits — some credit recognized by industry. But this is one small step toward something big."

The delivery stack (translation)

1. Slides — Gamma.app

Use Gamma (gamma.app) to generate slide decks fast from a prompt. Workflow:

- Recorded mode: screen-capture the deck with Harnoor narrating → MP4 upload to TITAN /academy

- Live mode: present to students on Zoom; record the live; upload after

Cost: Gamma free tier covers a lot; Pro is ~$15/mo if needed for branding.

2. Screen-capture videos — by Harnoor

His own walkthroughs, recorded screen + voice. Topics:

Recording stack (recommended):

Recommendation: Loom for speed in week 1. Migrate to OBS if longer-form is needed.

Output: MP4 / Loom links → embed on TITAN /academy tiles.

3. Pre-built lab exercises — assign, don't build

(Detail in the SCOUT framework memo — A080.) Quick list:

Workflow: Harnoor picks the lab, /academy assigns it as a tile, student clicks → external lab opens → student returns to TITAN, marks "completed" + uploads screenshot of completion.

4. YouTube tutorials — curated, embedded

Curate the best 3-5 tutorials per topic. Embed in TITAN /academy as video tiles. Mark complete after watching. Pair each video with a 2-3 question quiz to confirm comprehension.

5. Small exercises — student does + submits

After watching/labbing, student does a small exercise (15-30 min):

Each exercise is gradable (rubric attached); Harnoor or Milana reviews + gives 1-line feedback.

The certification — "really awesome, really cool"

This is the prize. Has to feel earned + look impressive.

Cert design principles

1. Specific, not generic — "Cloud 8 AI Jumpstart — Cohort 1, Class of 2026" with the student's name, completion date, capstone project link

2. Visual — a real PDF cert with sharp design, not a generic template. Use Canva or Figma.

3. Verifiable — each cert has a unique URL on cloud8data.com/cert/<id> that anyone can visit to verify

4. Linkable — students can add to LinkedIn, share on X, email parents

5. Branded as an authority — "Issued by Cloud 8 Data · Founded by Harnoor Singh Minhas, AWS Ambassador" (or whatever the strongest credential is)

Cert tiers

Each cert has its own visual treatment. The Capstone is the "big one" with a real signature + watermark.

Distribution channel — Luma (lu.ma) for cohort sales (future move)

Once the program is kosher (cohort 1 graduates with cert + testimonials + capstone projects shipped), open Luma as the sales channel for cohort 2 onward.

Why Luma works for this:

Workflow once ready:

1. Create cloud8data.luma.events page (or embedded on cloud8data.com/cohort)

2. List cohort 2 with start date, price, syllabus summary, cert info

3. Cohort 1 student testimonials + capstone gallery as social proof

4. Payment via Luma's Stripe integration

5. Auto-add buyers to TITAN /academy roster + send welcome sequence

Trigger to launch: cohort 1 has 3+ student testimonials + 3+ shipped capstones with public links. That's the social proof bar that makes Luma sales convert.

Until then: keep selling via direct outreach (Milana's funnel) + parent referrals.

Beyond Cohort 1 — industry-recognized credits (future)

Path to industry recognition (later, not week 1):

This is the "small step toward something big" Harnoor named. Don't bake it in week 1; aim at it over 6-12 months.

The 4-tile pattern per assignment

Each module/week has a consistent 4-tile structure on /academy:


┌────────────┬────────────┬────────────┬────────────┐
│  📺 WATCH  │  📖 READ   │  🛠️  DO    │  ✅ SHIP   │
│  Video(s)  │  Notes /   │  Lab /     │  Quiz +    │
│  + Gamma   │  resource  │  exercise  │  submit    │
│  deck      │  reading   │            │  artifact  │
│  ~20 min   │  ~10 min   │  ~30-60 min│  ~10 min   │
└────────────┴────────────┴────────────┴────────────┘

Total ~70-100 min per module. Students do at their own pace, within a week.

Storage + hosting

Rough monthly cost: $20-40 in S3 + transfer at 30 students.

Build order (week 1)

1. Spin up /academy page on TITAN with the 4-tile framework (placeholder content)

2. Record first 3 modules (3 Gamma decks + 3 screen-capture videos)

3. Pick first 3 labs (1 Replit, 1 Cloud Quest, 1 HF Spaces)

4. Design the cert in Canva (3 tiers — start with the Foundations cert template)

5. Set up the cert verification URL on cloud8data.com

6. Onboard first 3 students (post-Milana-exams) with this cohort

Milana's role in this

She does NOT build content. She runs the human side:

The single sentence

Use Gamma + Loom + pre-built labs + a sharp cert design. Don't build an LMS — assemble one from best-in-class pieces. The cert is the hook; the labs are the substance; the screen-capture videos are Harnoor's voice carrying through everything.

— TITAN, with mass love · 2026-04-27