with technology
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Are there any current figures on ratio of girls to boys and men to
women involved with the internet currently?
One thing that has always been nagging at me in these discussions is the
idea
that we need to find products or other solutions to get girls involved with
technology. It was a sad when Purple Moon closed its doors and that Barbie
is
the most popular computer game for girls. But, why are we hung up about
these
things as they relate to the involvement of girls with computers. Perhaps
a
model we should focus on is having girls create things with computers as
opposed to consume software.
In a project I ran for AAUW and at my current all-girls school that's the
basis
of our computer program. Girls learn to code. They start with things like
webpages to learn the fundamentals of html. Even the barbiest/girliest of
girls
loves to see something she made up on a website. I think the act of
creation,
of commanding the language and the code is one of the most powerful
experiences
people can have.
My girls are avid about e-mail, online pets (sorry can't remember the
name).
They are eager to get online to research things, though they are often
frustrated by finding information. They are not scared of computers in the
least. In fact, I spend more time pulling them away from a monitor then I
do
worrying about getting them to engage.
Kat Gullo
The Girls' Middle School
www.girlsms.org
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