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November 12, 2007, 01:36 PM ET
Tech Camp for Girls
Collegiate computer-science and technology programs still face a dearth of female students. But by the time those students reach college, it’s too late to persuade them to enroll. In fact, high school may be too late as well.
The key to getting young women interested in technology is to capture their attention in middle school, said officials from Anne Arundel Community College, in Maryland, during a presentation at the League for Innovation in the Community College conference on Monday. The college runs a weeklong summer camp every year designed to attract girls to technology.
By high school, many students have decided their likely career path, said Brandi Shepard, an instructor for architecture, interior design, and construction management at Anne Arundel. In elementary school, students are too young to understand key concepts. The magic moment is ages 10 through 13, she said, so the college designed the camp program with these girls in mind.
Another consideration is that boys’ and girls’ brains are wired differently, Ms. Shepard said. While boys intuitively like to take things apart and see how they work, she said, girls often need some extra prodding. So the camp program emphasizes exercises that appeal to girls, such as designing Web sites and using digital photography. The camp also teaches girls older types of technology, like how to build and operate a trebuchet (a type of medieval catapult). Students have a blast launching marshmallows across the room, according to Ms. Shepard.
These lessons are meant to open the doorway to understanding technology and, hopefully, to get girls thinking of possible career opportunities. If young women do choose that route, Ms. Shepard said, they will have no problems getting hired by technology companies looking to diversify their staffs.
“We’ve got jobs out there,” she said. “And companies are looking to hire women.” —Dan Carnevale
Categories: Teaching
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