tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18677687.post7563494374338342480..comments2024-03-27T15:13:24.764-04:00Comments on Computer Science Teacher: Computing Projects for GirlsAlfred Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05575057876858763822noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18677687.post-6842560962393691332013-09-08T08:22:41.882-04:002013-09-08T08:22:41.882-04:00I suspect girls and women might be drawn to projec...I suspect girls and women might be drawn to projects with a cooperative aspect, like a robotics project where a group PhD individuals have to work together to achieve a goal. Men would also probably enjoy it, and for younger boys you could add a team-sports twist to keep it engaging.Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14933034916500244308noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18677687.post-84572826360875450792012-10-25T10:02:21.568-04:002012-10-25T10:02:21.568-04:00This is an odd year for us, of the 20 kids in Prog...This is an odd year for us, of the 20 kids in Programming I and II there is only one girl. Last year in my Programming I class of 10 there were 4 girls. None of them took PII due to scheduling and interest. I have had girls in PII and PIII. The girl I had in PIII last year was smarter and a better programmer (at my level which is not too high) that I was by a long shot. Since my programming assignments are very generic (write a program that uses these features or looks sort of like this) the different personalities have the flexibility to do their own thing. The girls have a tendency to make things that are a bit more aesthetic while the boys make things that blow up. If the assignment direction is broad enough then neither personality type gets too bored.Garthnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18677687.post-72109195755104544702012-10-25T07:41:15.870-04:002012-10-25T07:41:15.870-04:00Alfred, thanks for caring about this and posting! ...Alfred, thanks for caring about this and posting! I have been collecting tech creations by girls @ <a href="http://www.dayofthetechgirl.org/create.html" rel="nofollow">dayofthetechgirl.org</a>, so that could be one resource for showing the type of projects that girls might be interested in. I also hope it provides inspiration to educators and girls that tech is not boring!TechKimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05064002021972201908noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18677687.post-90252696619791634552012-10-25T06:32:42.683-04:002012-10-25T06:32:42.683-04:00Excellent post, Alfred! When we first tried robots...Excellent post, Alfred! When we first tried robots in the introductory classes at Bryn Mawr College, we weren't sure how this would go over with our students. But it did work well. The robots, software, and materials were carefully crafted to be accessible and free of embedded biases. Of course, not all boys are the same, and not all girls are the same, but if one aims to make educational materials attractive to the spectrum of interests, that is half the battle.<br /><br />Also, the problem of making robots and games more interesting to women (and other underrepresented groups) will solve itself---once we have more a more diverse group of people making robots and games.<br /><br />-Doug, more at http://calico-project.orgDoug Blankhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17756588602580974678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18677687.post-67345217325176565452012-10-25T06:26:21.887-04:002012-10-25T06:26:21.887-04:00Alfred, this is indeed a challenge. I'm going...Alfred, this is indeed a challenge. I'm going to blog about this in more detail later today, but my virtual pet project is a huge success.with the girls. I tend to let girls choose their projects, making several suggestions. I gave them the option of doing several things, including some "boring" things like creating a students registration program. I'm sometimes surprised, though. They don't always like what I think they're going to.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10766222493968363248noreply@blogger.com