goo.gl/wbC8zC
Building
Strong Girl Leaders
in STEAM
Christy Fennewald
Fennovation.org
Experienced Educator
Technology Integration Coordinator
Google Certified Innovator
Google Certified Trainer
Edmodo Certified Trainer
Flipped Certified Teacher
GEG CENTX Leader
The first computer programer was...
Ada Lovelace, a WOMAN! She was credited with it after reviewing Charles Babbage’s Difference Machine in 1833.
The Moon landing was saved by...
Margaret Hamilton, a WOMAN! She headed up the team who wrote the code for the Apollo Guidance Computer. She coined the term “software engineering.”
The Motivation
Why Girls?
Girls must play an integral role in filling the vacancies in the computer science field.
What’s what
1.
Coding - the Hows
Get those girls coding!
Women represent 14% of all computer science graduates.
In 1984, they represented 36% of all computer science graduates.
“
Made with Code
Made with Code is Google’s answer to helping bring females into coding.
Learn to Code
Beginner | Intermediate | Advanced | All levels |
BIG Thoughts
“Girls know the stereotype of a geeky guy hacker in his basement all too well, and interacting with women who use computer science in their professional lives gives them an idea of something to go after besides an endless string of code.”
STEAM Support Programs
The Rundown
Girls Who Code
About
Girls Who Code is a non-profit aimed at exposing more young girls to CS to close gender gap in CS fields.
Getting Involved
Complete the application to start or join a club or sponsor a club. All middle & high schools and universities welcome. Then, follow the year curriculum and get it going!
Sci Girls
About
Sci Girls is a site dedicated to STEM projects (targeted at girls). Peruse a variety of projects, games, and videos from fashion tech to light pollution.
Black Girls Code
Focused on girls of color aged 7-17, Black Girls Code aims to increase diversity, innovation, and exposure in the computer science and STEM fields. Attend an event and/or join the program (still confined to Bay area). Be sure to join the community, though.
Made with Code
Made with Code is Google’s answer to helping bring females into coding. It’s also a program to join!
Texas Girls Collaborative
A collaborative of many STEM and CS groups, Texas Girls Collaborative is sponsored by UT’s Women in Engineering program. It’s a network of mentors and fellow girls connecting to helping girls pursue careers in STEM.
DoT Divas
Dot Diva’s is an organization aimed at building a positive image of computer science for high school girls. Pick your passion and learn what you can do. Become a dot diva and get access to tutorials and others through social media.
Girl Start
An Austin-based program, Girl Start, has an extensive reach in promoting STEM in girls. Attend a Girls in STEM conference, volunteer, or bring Girls Start to your school. Hands-on activities are available throughout the week. This is a great model for “making” girls and also includes a planetarium.
Girls Inc.
Girls Inc. focuses on more than girls in tech. It is aimed at K-12 girls and at producing smart, bold, and strong girls in whatever their pursuits. There are a variety of programs to join or you can “belong” to the program.
Girls Scouts
The Girl Scouts are undergoing a “tech renaissance.” The cookies have gone digital and the organization has partnered with TechBridge to create tech lessons in a box. Girls also work on teams to develop video games.
Electric Girls
Electric Girls is a community of girls and women who teach each other how to be STEM leaders. With summer camp and workshop offerings, it services the New Orleans area.
TechBRidge
Techbridge is the Oakland version of Austin’s GirlStart, aimed at bringing STEM to schools and girls. Check out an event near you!
Chick Tech Austin
ChickTech works to retain women in the technology workforce and increases the number of women and girls pursuing technology-based careers through hands-on technology-centric events.
Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls
Smart Girls also focuses on more than girls in tech. Their motto is “change the world by being yourself.” They intelligence and imagination over “fitting in.” They offer shows, topics to learn, and the “ABCs.”
She ++
So She Did
Like Girls Inc., So She Did is aimed at college women and promotes development from the inside out. Inspired by “she believed she could, so she did,” it works on building positive self images. Ask questions, create action, and celebrate women.
Girl Develop It
About
Girl Develop It is a non-profit working to provide an affordable space for women to learn to develop. Meetups are available around the country and offer classes.
How to join
Join an existing chapter or apply to start your own. You can also access free materials at any time. Specifically for professionals, but interested women welcome.
Women Tech Makers
In March 2015, Google started Women Techmakers to support the right environments that enable diversity in the workplace. Through this organization, attend global summits, build community, and network with other professionals. For women of all ages. #womentechmakers
EdTech Women
Deemed SXSWedu’s change-maker of 2014-2015, EdTech Women focuses on professionals, but with some outreach. The mission is to build leadership capacity in women in Educational Technology.
Others Organizations of Change
Tech Girls
This project started after a discussion among fellow women about the gender gap and has grown into organization for girls, educators, and parents.
Engineer Your Life
This guide to engineering for high school girls helps girls meet inspiring women, find their dream job, and find projects.
Project CS Girls
This project is for 6-8th grade girls. The goal of ProjectCSGIRLS is a competition designed to challenge girls to use computer science and technology to develop a solution to an imminent social problem.
STEM Resources for Girls
TeachThought has composed a list of the 40 essential resources for girls in STEM. Check them out and join a group or two...or more!
The Research
Setting it straight
1984 vs. 2013
Female CS Graduates
1984
2013
36%
14%
Who makes up tech companies?
| Women | Men | Total |
Mozilla | 43 | 457 | 500 |
29 | 146 | 175 | |
Khan Academy | 10 | 29 | 39 |
What happened?
Some suggest that the birth of Nintendos and other gaming systems led to a reduction in girls in CS. Games were advertised to boys, giving them an upper-hand in school., and thereby making girls feel inferior.
34%
Tech companies with more women in management have 34% higher return of investment.
46% AP Calculus
100%
19% AP Comp. Sci.
Test-takers were female in 2011
Correlation between success in math and computer science
Test-takers were female in 2011
Sheryl Sandberg, COO Facebook
“We don’t raise our daughters to be as ambitious as our sons. Last month, there were t-shirts sold [at Gymboree] that said 'Smart like Daddy' for the boys and 'Pretty like Mommy.' Not in 1951. Last month.”
Targeting Minority women
less than 1 in 10
minority women
are employed scientists and engineers
Factors determining getting girls into CS
Female Role Models
Girls who have a female in STEM to follow are more likely to see themselves entering a STEM field. This is, perhaps, the most critical factor.
Room environment
Rooms that are covered in Star Wars posters and other posters typically targeted to boys are not as inviting as neutral rooms or colorful rooms. When in doubt, leave the room empty. Girls feel more successful and welcome.
Exposure to STEM
Girls who have been exposed to STEM early on are much more likely to see themselves entering the STEM field. This can come through video games, role models, or STEM clubs.
The Essential Questions To Get Girls into Stem
Contribution
How can you build the strongest bridge out of these materials instead of program your robot to move five spaces? “What if these programs shifted their focus be more impactful and less technical?”
Change STEM
Change “How can we encourage girls to be more interested in STEM?” to “How can we apply STEM to problems that are interesting to girls?”
Empathy
When designing, think: “How do girls’ beliefs, motivations and aspirations change as they grow and why? What do girls’ daily routines look like, and how might they impact participation in STEM? What social, cultural, economic, and emotional undercurrents are at play?”
The Big Picture
Provide context: Who serves as an ‘influencer’? ‘Barrier’? “How might we address changing their perspectives or behaviors, while we simultaneously design solutions that specifically address girls?”
Be Disruptive
Ask: “How can we encourage more industries to consider the long-term implications of gender messaging? How might we involve more males in gender inequality discussions?”
Fail Early
How can you fail early and often? Use design thinking process of storyboarding to fail with low-fidelity.
Taking Action
One step at a time
Dove: Be Beautiful
Dove has a series of videos aimed at helping women and girls restore beauty and confidence to their identity. These are great to jump start any campaign for girls in technology.
Tina Fey
“The main piece of advice I try to offer is, if you're in a male dominated workplace:
Don't get too comfortable being the only woman in the room. Remember to try to find opportunities to bring other women in - to throw the rope down. It's a dangerous thing to think: 'I'm the woman in this room, so that's my role.' I try to tell young women - don't be tricked into thinking that you're in the field to compete with other women.”
Code Girl
Code Girl is a movie about: high school-aged girls from around the world who try to better their community through technology and collaboration in this thrilling, heartfelt documentary.
“From rural Moldova to urban Brazil to suburban Massachusetts, CODEGIRL follows teams who dream of holding their own in the world’s fastest-growing industry. The winning team gets $10K to complete and release their app, but every girl discovers something valuable along the way.”
Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media
“If she can see it, she can be it,” says the Institute. It is research-based and focuses on showing more diverse roles of women, specifically in computer science. Join See Jane symposiums to help empower women.
How to get started
Join any of the organizations mentioned here. Make yourself available to girls. And, start showcasing some of these projects.
Start
Fun Projects to Try
Women History App
Add and find places that marked important women in history through Field Trip’s latest initiative.
Made with Code
Hold Girls’ Days & try out any of the fun projects available on Made with Code’s Website.
Maker Faire
Start a Maker Faire or Maker’s Day, bringing in creative projects and tools like Makey Makeys to introduce girls to code. See more.
Boolean Girl
Invite your girls to try out any of the activities on Boolean GIrl. All are geared toward girls and have classes available to attend.
Girl Start
Join your town’s Girl Start or start your own. Girl Start will come to you and will provide the tools and instructors necessary for a great Girls’ learning session.
Lily Pad
Invest in Arduino Lily Pad and check out their projects. Many of these are girl friendly and involve making and STEM, a blend of the best worlds.
Thanks!
Any questions?
Credits
Special thanks to all the people who made and released these awesome resources for free:
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