Girls embrace technology: A summer internship for high school girls

Abstract

High school girls explore their potential for a career in engineering and technology through developing educational interactive multimedia software during a six-week summer internship. "Techno-neutral" girls - those who do not envision themselves pursuing a career in high-tech, yet have the academic preparedness, curiosity and commitment to complete the internship and produce a successful multimedia product - are recruited. The internship experience makes information technology accessible and attractive to the girls via developing creative, hands-on educational software for younger children. The girls develop technical skills in graphic design, user interface development, visual programming, digital image manipulation, multimedia authoring and user testing. The girls were as impacted by the environmental and cultural conditions of the internship - including working in teams - as they were by the opportunity to learn new technological tools. The internship helped the girls become aware that a technology-based career can be creative and fun while serving the needs of society.