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Mood: Happy ]
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Currently: Listening to CBC Radio ]
My upbringing was not typical. My dad ended up with four girls, so we were not raised as "girlies" by him. By the age of 12, I had learned how to solder, mix and pour concrete, drive a tractor and a Caterpillar, hang drywall, mow a lawn, move a wheelbarrow and hook up a computer. Let’s be blunt, my dad raised us to be interested in the things he was. I’m pretty sure I was the only five year old girl with a Hot Wheels collection and slot car set.
This continued on into High School, where I joined the tech crew, ran sound boards, set up lights, stage managed and learned how to wire up an electrical cord. I am a mean gaffer tape expert.
So I have always been interested in technology. I even have taught computers at school. (I was supposed to teach Flash animation this spring, but the sick leave thing got in the way.) So this interview with Dean Kamen, best known for inventing the Segway, caught my eye. Especially what he has to say about girls and technology.
| Quote: |
| There are little pockets of geek culture, as you mention—in Silicon Valley, for example—but unfortunately the general trend is very troubling. Women and minorities, in particular, are even further removed from the exciting opportunities in technology. Our culture convinces them at ever younger ages that science and engineering are not in fact for them. For many kids in this media age, literally all of their role models come from the worlds of entertainment and sports. |
And that’s true. It’s why when I run the Flash Animation option, I insist on 50% girls. Girls tend to hang back at the age I work with and the boys are not shy about pushing their way to the front. I also try and find the "tech girls" each year and place the thought in their heads that this could be their career.
Another problem is that in our culture of push button technology, there are whole generations of kids who think that technology is the pushing of a button. They have never taken apart an appliance to see how it works. It’s gotten so bad that some universities have started running courses for first year engineers that have them stripping down appliances and the like so they can see "how things work".
So how do we fix this problem?
Well number one – the education system needs to put more of an emphasis on technology. Up here in Ontario, a lot of the tech courses have gone the way of the do-do until High School.
Number two – we need more female and minority role models for kids. These need to be visible. Sure everyone knows who Bill Gates is, but female and minority computer programmers and engineers need to get out there. Here in Ottawa (a high tech centre) we have WISE who actively encourage girls to go into science and engineering. More of these kind of groups need to be formed.
Number three – kind of fits with Number 2. We need more female teachers for these subjects. Let me tell you, the year I taught the entire Grade 7 & 8 panel computers, was not only a riot for me, but it was also a good thing for the girls who saw a woman out do the little boy hackers. And believe me, I did.
If we did these three things, it would be interesting to see what the results would be.