Encouraging Girls To Use Technology

Recently, I purchased my first digital camera and have been on a picture-shooting spree. One of the first pictures that I took with the camera was, easily enough, of my daughter. When this picture was uploaded, it generated a huge reaction from friends and visitors. Why? My daughter, at 5 years old, loves the computer. The picture I took shows her sitting at a laptop, her kitty forgotten by her side, intently drawing works of art.

As a “girl” myself, I have found the world of technology to be one that is largely dominated by men. When clients call for the first time about web design services, it is the male voice that they first talk to. In short, society as a whole has generated a stigma surrounding technology and tech-geeks that virtually excludes females.

Studies show that girls show equal interest in technology, math, and science to boys. However, this interest disappears by the 8th grade, when the interest in these same subjects changes astoundingly to twice as many boys interested as girls. Even though women make up roughly half of today’s workforce, they only make up about 22% of the workforce involved in technology and science.

It is the adults of today that affect the girls of tomorrow. We hold the power to encourage girls to find interest in technology, math, and science. We get to show them that it isn’t just for the men, and that the pursuit of a career in this field can be a grand adventure.

The 3 most important things you can do to help your girl in technology:

1. Let her have a say. If she is interested in art, let her play with something easy like Microsoft Paint, and work her way up to something more substantial as she feels ready. Constantly look for ways that her non-technical interests can be translated into technology; the possibilities are limitless, and by letting her have a say in what she uses, you are also teaching her that she has the power to make good decisions.
2. Work as a team. This really goes hand-in-hand with the first tip, but it is important. Discover things that you can do with her, both supporting and enjoying with her. This could be something as simple as a game, or something more in-depth like a “round-robin” story that you and she take turns writing on. The idea is to help each other, enjoy with each other, and learn together.
3. Give her time to explore. There is very little that a child can do to seriously “hurt” a computer. First, help her learn how to open and close programs, and how to use the “Start” button. Then, let her loose. By no means should a child be left unattended at the computer, especially if it is connected to the Internet, but silence is not a bad thing – it usually means some serious thinking is going on.

Technology, it is often said, is “the way of the future”. There is virtually no part of our lives that is not touched by technology in some way – from the computer to the Internet, our cell phones with dozens of cool toys contained therein, down to the earliest baby toys, we are surrounded by technology. If we continue to allow our girls fall into the “it’s not cool for girls to do” mind-set, we are setting them up for hardship. Already, the “hottest” jobs are held by people with great technology skills, and this trend is only likely to grow. What happens, then, when less than half of all the girls have any interest in using technology?

Discovery, Creativity, Creation, and Mystery-Solving are all things that make up using technology. These are things that girls are really good at – and enjoy doing. By helping to kindle this spark, we can help the next generation of girls find a future thatÃ?¯Ã?¿Ã?½burns bright.