Lady Ada, a Fashionista Programmer

In case you don’t recall, Lady Ada Lovelace, born back in 1815, is considered not just the first woman programmer but the first programmer. She worked with Charles Babbage on his analytical engine. Over a century and a half ago, Lovelace grasped the idea of artificial intelligence and that computers were capable of generating graphs and music. So—as a mathematician and innovator, did she wear unfashionable attire, attempting to look less flashy in a world of men? If you check out her image online, you’ll find she was quite the fashionista for her era.  That didn’t stop her from pursuing her interest in math. Math tutor and writer Rebecca Zook, in her blog Triangle Suitcase tells us to look at the latest Barbie—Engineer Barbie with her pink shoes, pink computer, and pink glasses. Remember “Legally Blonde”? Maybe a discussion of Lady Ada would be helpful in encouraging girls today to see that its okay to be fashionable and smart, too. Is Engineer Barbie the wrong image or is it a push forward for girls in careers that continue to be dominated by men? Zook urges us to encourage girls and, in fact, everyone—to be themselves. It’s okay to wear pink if that’s you.

Looking for Peer Relationship-Type Books for Girls?

Head of the Lower School Celeste Bunting at Worcester Preparatory School in Maryland each year recommends books for her students. Here is her 2010 Great Books List for intermediate and middle school girls: The Girls, Amy Goldman Koss; Cliques, Phonies and Other Baloney, Trevor Romain; A Smart Girl’s Guide to Friendship Troubles, American Girl Library; The Care and Keeping of Friends, American Girl Library; The Care and Keeping of Your Emotions, American Girl Library; Oh, The Places You’ll Go, Dr. Seuss; and Chicken Soup for the Preteen Soul. If you have other books you've found excellent for use when students experience peer difficulties, please send them to us at Power to Learn.

Teenage Health: Makeup, Pimples, and Tanning

There are lots of topics teenage girls don’t want to discuss, but two topics that are close to their hearts are tanning and makeup.  They are sure to have an abundance of opinions on these topics. You probably wouldn’t think of the howstuffworks site as the place to go to for teen health topics like these, but it’s a reliable good source for facts teens need to know. The site, for example, has a Fact or Fiction Quiz about Sunburn, and information about the dangers of tanning beds and popping pimples. There are videos on healthy skin with Dr. Oz who explains how to take what he calls a facial fingerprint to determine age. Think about how girls like to share makeup and enjoy experimenting tester items in stores. Your girls will be surprised to learn on howstuffworks.com about diseases such as cold sores and pink eye that are spread by sharing products. Answers to questions such as: “is it bad to sleep with my makeup on?” are available with the click of a mouse. Keep in mind, however, that the site does contain an abundance of advertisements.

Bullying and Cyberbullying: Who Is to Blame?

With the wealth of information that’s been in the media about bullying and cyberbullying, it’s on just about everyone’s minds. We know that growing up isn’t exactly easy. We adults face problems with bullying, but we’ve learned how to handle it or perhaps we ignore it.  I’ve watched students let uncomplimentary remarks slide off like water on a duck, and I’ve seen children who are highly sensitive to any slight.  We know that the middle years are usually the toughest when it comes to kid nastiness, but we also find it from the elementary grades on. There are young people everywhere who are trying to find their place among their peers. Sometimes it goes beyond normal, day-to-day kid behavior and can cause lasting problems for those bullied or ignored. Teachers, parents, coaches, and others who work with children watch for bullying, but as we know, it often happens when adults aren’t around or anonymously online. Who is to blame for the bullying mentality and how might we stop it? A generation ago we confiscated the so-called Slam Books that featured inappropriate information about students in our classes.  Today we continue to watch during lunch sessions for “cool tables” for the in-crowd, try to keep up with school-related social interaction online, work with students on thoughtfulness and respect, and do our best to keep parents informed on the topic. Recently I asked a group of eighth graders who is to blame for bullying, cyber or otherwise. They agreed that the kids who do it were the problem. I asked if schools and teachers were to blame. The answer went something like this, “No, not everyone is nice. That’s the problem and kids should remember that. If a teacher sees bullying and doesn’t do anything, then the teacher is wrong, but usually teachers don’t see it. Who would do something not nice when teachers and parents are around?” When I asked what is the answer to the problem of bullying, one said, “Stay with nice kids. Don’t try to get into a group that does things that aren’t nice.”  Nice seems to be the answer, but how do we get everyone to take on that quality?

Women, Engineering, Tech Jobs

As we work toward encouraging girls to take the highest levels of science, technology, and mathematics courses available in middle and high school, we need to be aware of the obstacles women continue to face in the workplace. When it comes to heading tech companies and leading technology initiatives, women often find themselves not competing on a level field with their male counterparts. Claire Cain Miller’s NY Times piece, “Out of the Loop in Silicon Valley” gives examples of difficulties women often experience when breaking into management, getting start-ups going, becoming entrepreneurs, etc. In addition to the problem women have with juggling careers with family, they have to learn how to operate in a field dominated by men. Times are gradually changing as organizations such as Girls in Tech, Forum of Women Entrepreneurs and Executives, and Women 2.0 lead the way. What we need is a new model to break the stereotype. What is the image you see, when you think of a computer scientist, a tech start-up leader, a computer or engineering company executive?  Maybe that’s part of the problem?

Are Your Students in the Here & Now Only?

At the Annual Conference for the Association of Independent Maryland Schools, several of the sessions focused on students and their use of technologies.  Discussion during the sessions addressed problems students face and/or students cause when using the Internet, computers, and digital devices. The consensus was that students are so focused upon “the here and now” that they don’t take time to consider how their actions online may cause problems in the future. For example, why do many post inappropriate photos online, when they’ve certainly been told that these photos can damage their reputation, attract those they don’t want to attract, and stand in the way of their college admissions or job opportunities? Why do some students continue to bully others when they have to know that this behavior is unacceptable? Is it about looking good in front of peers? Is it about social acceptance and wanting to make oneself look better than others? Is it about students asserting their independence from the adults in their lives—students trying to grow up and be noticed and accepted? As educational professionals we know that kids’ problems, which sound silly to us often seem like “life and death” dilemmas to them. How do we find ways to give kids what they need so that they will feel safe enough with their “here and now” to do what’s right for their future?

Get Your Students Interested in Engineering, Math and Science

Engineering: Go For It is a place where students learn about engineering, preparing for a career in engineering, and those working in engineering. With research findings telling us that American students are falling behind in mathematics and science knowledge, discussion designed to create interest in engineering is sure to stimulate interest in math and science.  The American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) provides information for your students through its Website, blog, bi-weekly newsletter, and magazine. On the site there’s an emphasis upon motivating girls to consider careers in math, science, and engineering, which makes it a great place to get your girls thinking about the possibility of an engineering career.  But EGFI is not just for girls; the guys will appreciate the site as well. They’ll enjoy investigating a car that can travel up to 1050 MPH in 40 seconds. EGFI says that the car is faster than a speeding bullet. Don’t miss Good Advice, On the Job, and the engineering videos. Although the site is promoted for K-12, it seems to be more suited for middle and high school students.

GirlsKnowHow: Dreaming of the Future

Ellen Langas Campbell of GIrlsKnowHow has taken on careers in journalism, construction and teaching—so far in a book series just for girls, ages 8-12. The books, Will Stephanie Get the Story, Raising the Roof, and Smart Alex are available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and links from the GirlsKnowHow site. You can find out more about the books on the site, which will, when complete include an abundance of resources about successful women and girls, activities for girls, a question and answer area, and much more. The list price for the books is $4.95 each.

Digital Youth Network—Empowering Youth Through Media

We've heard of project-based learning; Chicago Digital Youth Network helps students "learn to create and create to learn through design-based projects." The program targets urban, minority youth and helps them learn and gain self-confidence through use of technologies to create music, movies, Web sites, and games. Researchers are following the project to learn about such things as: what 21^st Century learning will result through use of the new media projects, how might we assess 21^st Century learning, and how might these projects benefit others students. Although parts of the Web site are still under construction, you can view photos of students involved in the project and find information on the project's in-school and after-school design projects. Some of these include digital music, DNY TV, digital storytelling, gaming, robotics, media entrepreneurship, and Spoken Word and Hip-Hop. Common Sense Media recently interviewed the Network's Nichole Pinkard and Akili Lee about the importance of learning not only to create media but also to be critical media consumers.

Rating & Commenting & Criticizing—Yuk!

As you flip through the abundance of television channels, sometimes it seems like you see nothing but people evaluating each other, people calling in ratings, and people criticizing in not-so-nice terms. If you want to put a student video or podcast online, unless you have a private place to put it, anyone can comment on it, anyone can rate it. Do you worry that your students have worked on a project and that someone might make them feel awful by posting a nasty comment? There are places where children's art and writing can be uploaded, and sometimes this work can be commented upon and/or rated by others. It's fine for people to evaluate books and toasters, but is it wise for children's work to be publicly evaluated? Have we gone too far with open commentary? We try to teach manners, thoughtfulness, and acts of kindness in the midst of a world that seems to value thoughtless remarks and crude comments. Are our students getting the wrong impression about what's important in human relationships? Students need to learn how to work together and support each other. They need to learn about empathy, but ... There seem to be two worlds out there for our children. One says, "Be thoughtful, sincere, and respect others"; the other says, "Put down, complain, rate, and criticize and do it all in the most annoying way possible and it will help you get your own way."