"Girls save the world through computer science"
This article aims to influence high school girls to engage in computer science fields, due to the lack of women in technologically-based careers. Christine Murakami took twelve high school girls (sophomores and juniors) to the Caribbean and handed out laptops to several classrooms. The girls were told to teach the students how to use the devices, effectively and efficiently. A meaningful experience was gained, in that the girls developed technological confidence and learned something new about themselves. The objective was t expand the girls' horizon and offer possible career pathways. Murakami's genius program involved her students teaching kids, which resulted in new-found computer skills and meaningful life lessons. She encourages people to emulate this project and show the many facets of technology, besides "gaming and programming". This was an independent study course, without grading, and still attracted over thirty teenage girls (later reduced to fifteen). The girls had to learn (before the trip) about the hardware, software, maintenance, troubleshooting, networking and the many activities that can be performed with the laptops. They then would transfer their learned knowledge to the minds of the young students in the Caribbean.
The moral of the story is that we need to understand that girls learn and benefit from relationships. We see technology as a tool to build upon, use to enhance things, and reach goals. In contrast, boys usually see technology as a game or something to "tinker with". This article highlighted the importance of technology as a teaching tool in the classroom. We need tools to use a reference or to communicate concepts more clearly to our students. I see relevance in this article because most girls refrain from using technology during their years of schooling (k-12), but in college, technology is implemented heavily by men and women equally. We struggle to learn all of the technological advancements that now exist, instead of having already been familiar with the concepts from grade school. This is slowly beginning to change with the rise in the use of the ISTE NETS.
This article clearly demonstrates "Communication and Collaboration" by allowing girls to work with peers to teach computer technology. They are required to communicate the computer concepts effectively, in ways that can be easily understood by elementary students in a different country. By doing so, the girls are teaching themselves and taking away greater knowledge of the technological advancements and other culture's technological stances.
Murakami, C. (2011). Girls save the world through computer science. Learning and Leading with Technology. (38)7. 24-28. Retrieved from http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/201105#pg26
Hi Haley!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea to have students teach other students in another country! I agree students should learn how to use technology in grade school because it's so true we hardly ever used it until college. It's also great that these girls are building relationships through technology. Sometimes I think technology can distance us from real life and real people, but this is a perfect example of how we can use technology to build relationships. Also, the girls probably learned more about the laptops because it's true if you teach it to someone else you learn more as well. Great article!