Tech-Girl Monthly:  July/August 2020

Learning Lessons This Summer

While I preach and usually practice stepping outside my comfort zone and being a lifelong learner, for some reason, I was hesitant to put it into practice this summer. Instead, I wondered if this was going to be the summer of my discontent. Luckily, Summer SPARK and Bio-Med Tech-Girls were on the books and going to happen and in ways like they had never happened before. Amidst all this, I was also in for the great unlearning about the history of race in America.

The most obvious difference this summer, is that almost everything happened online. I love tech and I think it is so cool that it allows us to connect across the world, but even I was suffering from "zoom" fatigue. That didn't seem to bode well for this summer, but looking back, I see I was part of some truly amazing and inspiring experiences. Here are a few lessons I learned that will continue to inform our work at Tech-Girls:

Students crave the opportunity to do meaningful work. I already knew this, but I cannot stress enough how the success of the programming this summer was because of the students and their commitment to the work. They stepped up as volunteers to lead programming, create content and mentor students. They came as participants to learn something new, connect with others and create projects. As one participant wrote, "Before school ended, I thought that this summer would be one of the worst and most boring due to COVID-19. I was definitely proved wrong. This program provided me the opportunity to both have an amazing time AND be productive." 

Online experiences can be fun and engaging. I was definitely worried about this as was my colleague Zach Minster. We knew that whatever we offered this summer, it couldn't just be another version of distance learning. Zach had a vision for the program and he and his students "collectively put hundreds of hours into creating production-quality lesson content and developing a custom software platform that realized 100% of our vision for organizing an online summer program around true engagement rather than just video calls.” 

Going online can open the door for greater diversity. I didn't really expect this, but we had more participation from those in groups that have traditionally been underrepresented in our in person programs than ever before. Not only that, but students came from all over the U.S. and even beyond, so that created opportunities for some unique insights and interactions. As one Bio-Med Tech-Girl participant wrote, "my favorite part about this experience was being able to meet so many amazing young women from all around the country, while also learning new things and listening to the guest speakers!”

Acknowledging our history of race and embracing equitable teaching strategies is key. I didn't realize how challenging it would be to begin relearning the history of race in America, but also how freeing. As a country and a discipline, it feels like we are finally beginning to reckon with the impact that systemic racism has had on all facets of our society. Strategies that we embraced to increase equity included reducing imposter syndrome, stereotype threat and pigeonholing while providing a variety of entry points into the content.

It was incredibly gratifying to be part of online experiences this summer where student volunteers and participants felt like they were part of something meaningful and important in their lives right now! We want to make more of these opportunities available through Tech-Girls and we need your feedback. Please complete this survey by September 15 and help us build the Tech-Girls programming of the future!

Virtual & Global

• September 1 (applications open) - NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing applications will open soon for young women in grades 9 through 12. If you have an interest in computing, this is an awesome way to get recognized, get a scholarship and get connected with other women who have a passion for tech.
• October 19 (deadline) - Congressional App Challenge is open to middle and high school students as individuals or up to a team of four. More info.
• November 11 (deadline) - eCYBERMISSION - create a team, identify a problem, work together to explore the problem, share you findings and win prizes. Open to 6th-9th grade students. More info.
• Girls Make Games is offering a variety of virtual workshops will cover game development topics including design, programming, art and sound. Ages: 8–12 and 13–18. Cost: TBD
• ProjectCSGirls is offering a variety of free, virtual workshops for middle school aged girls.
• Girls Who Code at Home Activities - free CS activities released weekly on Mondays.
• The Connectory, find an opportunity near you to connect your child to STEM learning.