We return to our ‘new normal’ next week with all of Prep to Year 12 back experiencing face to face learning. It will be interesting to look at how the online experiences of these last weeks has impacted upon the Information Technology (IT) skills of our girls. It is often assumed that because someone is young, they are an expert in IT. I guess this notion comes from the ubiquitous use of mobile devices and associated social media platforms. However, just as for adults, there is a spectrum of both interest and achievement in IT skills in children which moves significantly beyond the aforementioned mobile devices. It is commonly known that there is a significant under-representation of females in the IT industry. The National Centre for Women in Information Technology reported in 2012 that girls showed a lack of interest in IT and they are less likely to pursue a career in IT than boys. http://www.ncwit.org/sites/default/files/resources/girlsinit_thefacts_fullreport2012.pdf
One reason for this was found to be the way girls are taught with and about technology. At Girls Grammar, your daughters explicitly learn IT skills from Prep to Year 12. These include technical hardware skills, software suites and online safety. But importantly, they are taught in a girls only environment in which they feel more comfortable to experiment and excel. This has resulted in graduating students moving with confidence into IT careers. A great example of that is 1999 alumni, Trish Khoo who currently lives and works in Brisbane as an independent software engineering consultant. Trish has worked in a variety of roles including consultant for Microsoft as well as the Engineering Manager for Google Maps in California. Perhaps the last few weeks has sparked a future career that was not previously considered. We will be here to support her.
Dr John Fry
Deputy Principal - Studies