Project information
| Status | Finalist |
| URL | Go to website |
| Category | Education Lifelong and informal learning |
| Country | United States |
| Operational areas | Urban |
| Target groups | Children, Youth, Women, Men |
| Fixed connection | Cable |
| Wireless connection | Satellite |
| Access points | Government office, Business, Home, School, Library |
| Interact | Landline Phone, Desktop Computer, Cellphone, Laptop, PDA |
| Software License Types | Proprietary |
Project location
Random images Challenge 2008
Computer Mania Day
- Brief description
- Computer Mania Day provides a half day of technology-related activities for up to 800 middle school girls and their parents and teachers to provide a broad-based introduction to the ways in which different careers make use of ICTs, the opportunities in the field, and the rigorous educational pathways needed that lead to cutting edge ICT careers.
- Vision, Objectives and Goals
- In a report written by the Center for Women and IT to the Maryland Commission for Women, the following information was conveyed. "The United States economy is among the strongest in the world, thanks in large part to the unprecedented productivity, new businesses, and new jobs that have emerged within the burgeoning field of information technology (IT). To retain this preeminence, however, the U.S. must be vigilant in supporting the educational pipeline that feeds the IT workforce. Of concern is the declining participation of women in IT programs around the country. For instance, women’s enrollment in computer science and engineering classes has decreased substantially in recent years (Epodoi 2003), and currently, women make up less than twenty percent of university graduates with degrees in computer science and engineering (Olsen 2000). In 2001, women made up only six to eight percent of the engineering and technological workforce in the U.S.(Bruning 2001).
On July 19, 2004, Hawaii Senator Daniel Inouye brought Congressional attention to the national importance of increasing women’s participation in technology by recognizing its increasing relevance to homeland security and the future science, technology, engineering and mathematics workforce (Congressional Record No. 100, Session of July 19, 2004, [Page: S8418]). A 2002 report of the National Coalition for Women and Girls in Education, Title IX at 30, gave the federal government a D+ grade for its efforts to provide gender equity with regard to technology opportunities and made several pertinent recommendations, but to date an organized national strategy has yet to be developed.
Information technology is also a key business sector for Maryland. According to the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development, Maryland is home to more than 9,000 high tech business units, with several thousand more in Washington, D.C. and northern Virginia. Some of the leading information technology companies in Maryland include Northrop Grumman, IBM, Legato, Sylvan Learning, Merant, Manugistics, Entremed, Micros, Swales Aerospace, and SAIC. Today, Maryland ranks 6th in the nation in Computer Systems Design employment with more than 49,000 jobs, and high-tech firms employ 80 of every 1,000 private sector workers.
Like the nation as a whole, Maryland must develop the talents of all of its citizens to ensure the availability of a highly trained and educated labor pool to attract high tech business to Maryland. Data on women’s participation in the IT workforce in Maryland is sparse, but anecdotal information from women IT professionals indicates that state data mirror national trends. Data collected by the University of Maryland, Baltimore County’s Center for Women and Information Technology from three Maryland school systems indicate that girls make up less than 20% of elective IT classes. CWIT has also done an initial scan of computer science programs at five colleges and universities in Maryland (one private, four public). Female enrollment in computer science programs ranges from 10% - 20%. Enrollment in computer engineering is even lower at only 8% - 12%.
For Maryland to remain competitive, it must utilize technology to continue making advances in medicine, politics, education, business, manufacturing, agriculture, and national defense. The State of Maryland needs our smartest minds to be focused on technology – including women. Having a limited labor pool hurts the economy and national and state defense and limits the State’s ability to advance the society. The first step in encouraging girls’ and women’s full involvement in IT is to understand the issues that deter them from participating."
The vision of the project then is to prime the educational pipeline to increase the participation of girls in ICTs. The program aspired and has achieved its goal of serving between 700 and 800 students annually of whom 80% will be girls and their parents and teachers Objectives: Computer Mania Day is a unique program in that it: (1) explicitly addresses the under-participation of girls and women in ICT, (2) serves students and adults (including parents, teachers, counselors, business professionals, and community members) affected by the under-participation of girls and women in ICT in separate learning environments, (3) is outside of the students’ traditional academic environment, (4) is not presented in the form of an extensive or expensive after-school or summer program, (5) specifically addresses applications of ICT in a hands-on environment, (6) presents role models to young girls in the form of female high school and college students, faculty members, and business professionals, and (7) has already demonstrated success in research. Milestones: This year, Computer Mania Day was at capacity with seven hundred sixty-eight (768) students (624 girls and 144 boys). The Computer Mania Day Committee is finalizing work on a Computer Mania Day replication book, which will allow international dissemination of useful planning information so that others can host similar events in their own communities. Stephen Russell, a UMBC graduate student and business owner, developed a custom registration system for the event. This system allows for a fully electronic check-in. After an initial gathering, students divide into “flocks” of 25 and attend separate sessions. Students also attended a panel session organized by young associates from Lockheed Martin (the Lockheed Martin Technology Troupe), which this year included a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of our digital puppet keynote, Jennifer Webb, as well as a question/answer period with industry women about technology in their respective fields. Several students were randomly selected to demonstrate the way that Jennifer works. In addition, three hundred forty-six (346) parents, community members, and business leaders attended a separate program and were allowed to self-select two of the following sessions:- Cyber Safety: Keeping Your Kids Safe Online
- Preparing Your Child for College: It’s Not Too Soon!
- There ARE Cool Careers in Technology!
- Gaming and Simulation as Tools for Learning
- UMBC Campus Tour
- Home Technologies for Your Family: An Interactive Discussion
- The Power of Partners: Helping Females Find Their Way to High Tech Careers.
- How does ICT contribute to the organisational objectives
- The Center for Women and Information Technology (CWIT), established at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) in July 1998, and the Maryland Women in Information Technology (MDWIT) groups are dedicated to providing global leadership in achieving women's full participation in all aspects of information technology (IT). Women's participation in IT will strengthen the workforce, raise the standard of living for many women, and help to assure that information technology addresses women's needs and expands the possibilities for their lives. CWIT has hosted Computer Mania Day since 2003, but it originally began in Howard County, Maryland in 1995, where it ran for four years. A team of women representing many organizations volunteer their time and resources to run the event. The women are interested in expanding the event to other sites around the US and the world.
- Transferability
- Our mantra is captured in the words of Margaret Mead - "Never doubt a small group of thoughtful committed individuals can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has. " We are a group of women that decided to host this event. In fact, in the first year we made commitments for a speaker without actually having the funding to pay her. The group simply went around talking to women in education, business, and the university and was able to secure support. Then, the volunteers worked the many hours needed to have a truly successful event. The volunteers have become very good friends, and the positive spirit of these friends has kept the event alive and growing. That friendship is now spreading out nationally, and we hope to embrace many more friends internationally.
- Project summary
Computer Mania Day provides an opportunity to provide targeted career exploration and hands-on learning to up to 800 girls and their parents and teachers with an extended morning of technology-related activities. For many of the participants, this focused career exploration is the first step in raising their awareness about the career possibilities available in the fields of ICT and engineering. The children and parents learn that technology is not only a career option, but also a part of every aspect of their lives. The children are encouraged to think about how they might design and develop technology, not just use it.
Computer Mania Day is also an opportunity for women role models to educate children and their parents about cutting edge technologies from the registration process, to the hands-on technology activities, to the keynote speaker herself! To address the need for a keynote speaker that appealed to middle school girls and could effectively deliver the message that “technology is cool for girls to develop and design,” CWIT partnered with UMBC’s Imaging Research Center to create a high tech, three dimensional, digital puppet based on one of the characters from the Computer Mania Day logo. Her personality was developed by a diverse team, including middle school participants. At the event, Jennifer orchestrated a panel discussion via web cast appearing as if she was in her bedroom working on a homework assignment and interacted with the audience in real time.
In 2008, we hope to expand the program to Florida and are looking for opportunities to expand the program internationally as well.
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