[Yr7-10it] How to interest girls in ICT electives at middle-secondary level?

[Claire Adams]

Hi,
I make a real effort to talk about women in IT to the junior IT
classes (compulsory in years 8 & 9 at my school).
I've played wii games with the students (then studied them of course).
I think it also helps that I'm a chick too.

Our main problem is the other subjects that get offered on the same
line as IT.  The girls would rather do Art, or Home-Ec, or PE, or Ag
than IT.  They see IT as a 'theory' subject, not as a 'doing' or
'practical' subject so they think it's hard.

We keep working on it though.  We've started offering a Digital
Imaging (read: photoshop) course to our year 10s (it has been only
offered at year 9 for a number of years) which is very popular.  But
doesn't really lead to IT in  years 11 and 12.

Have a great weekend!

Claire Adams
Cummins Area School
South Australia.

On Sat, Aug 1, 2009 at 5:03 PM, ken price<kenjprice at gmail.com> wrote:
> http://hannahmontana.sourceforge.net/Site/Home.html
>
> Hannah Montana Linux is a linux Operating system based on Kubuntu with
> Hannah Montana Themes
> You may laugh but install it on one computer and watch the student response.
> Seriously.
>
> Then tell them you can give them a copy to take home, for free. Might want
> to warn them not to reformat the parents' computer in the process though.
>
> ken
> TASITE
> On Sat, Aug 1, 2009 at 2:07 PM, Clive Oldland <clive_oldland at yahoo.com.au>
> wrote:
>>
>> Hi All,
>>
>> Has any one got any strategies that have worked to turn around the gender
>> imbalance in selecting ICT electives in middle years?
>>
>> I would be particularly interested in knowing how you pitched your
>> elective to make it attractive to girls.
>>
>> Also, is ICT compulsory in years 7 & 8 at your school?  Do you believe
>> that contributed to better participation from girls in higher years?
>>
>> (I have been a subscriber since May, but his is my first post.  Many
>> thanks for the interesting conversations I have observed this year.)
>>
>> Regards,
>> Clive Oldland
>> Montmorency SC
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>
> --
> Dr Ken Price MACS ACCE Professional Associate.
> President, TASITE
> _______________________________________________
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> Year 7 - 10 IT Mailing List kindly supported by
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> and
> http://www.vitta.org.au - VITTA Victorian Information Technology Teachers
> Association Inc