"When asked what they enjoyed most during the two-week camp experience, more than half of the girls selected information technologies as a favored activity."
 

In addition to the community investigations, girls learn how to build their own web pages and send e-mail to each other and their counselors. E-Mail reflections at the end of each day provide an ideal source of evaluation data to the counselors. When asked what they enjoyed most during the two-week camp experience, more than half of the girls selected information technologies as a favored activity. 
 

S: My favorite part of GOT was learning about computers. Before coming here I wasn't very good at computers and the web. I am now very excited about technology as well as Algebra. 

T: The best thing I liked about GOT was the web page. I've always wanted to know how to do it, but I never got the time to learn and this was a really good opportunity. 

U: The websites rocked!!!

V: My favorite part of GOT was using the computer to do E-Mail and our websites. It was really cool how GOT put together math real events and computers to make presentations [PowerPoint]. I wish school was like this!!!

D: GOT has changed the way I think about my education by making me think about how good it is to take math classes. I'm going to be taking a lot of math classes now! GOT has changed the way I think about future jobs too. I didn't know what I wanted to be before, but now I want to be in a computer related job. 

E: Girls on Track has helped me become more interested in mathematics and computer sciences. This camp has changed my mind about what I want to learn and what job I want to try to get. GOT has made me think about getting a job as a web site manager, a computer engineer, or something that has to do with computers and involves math.

"Building girls' confidence is one of the more important objectives of Girls on Track."

Building girls' confidence is one of the more important objectives of Girls on Track. Two activities are noted as confidence builders for girls participating in the summer camp. It appears that the activities involving Excel, PowerPoint, Web design, and E-Mail give girls confidence with information technologies. 

M: GOT has changed my thinking by making me more confident that I can pass the computer test. By me being in the band I did not have the chance to take keyboarding of any type. Now I have had to use the computer more then I would have been able to at home.

It is an established fact that women earn 70% of the average male salary. Part of the problem is that women are underrepresented in science, math, engineering, and technology careers [SMET] that traditionally command higher salaries (American Association of University Women, 1998). While enrollments in high school mathematics have increased dramatically for females, their enrollments in college mathematics are considerably less than males (Secada, Fennema, & Adajian, 1995). Significant changes are needed in education, in particular mathematics education, to better motivate and retain girls and women in SMET curriculum and careers. From one perspective, many girls' discomfort with traditional mathematics may result from its presentation as an utterly abstracted exercise, devoid of connectedness to real people, real contexts, and ways to help improve others' lives. Girls on Track creates learning environments centered on community problems where information technologies support the girls' problem-solving efforts. 
 

American Association of University Women. (1998). Gender gaps: Where schools still fail our children. Washington, DC: AAUW Educational Foundation.

Rogers, P., & Kaiser, G. (1995). Equity in mathematics education: Influences of feminism and culture. Washington, Dc: Falmer.

Secada, W.G., Fennema, E., & Adajian, L.B. (1995). New Directions for equity in mathematics education. New York: Cambridge University.
 
 

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