Girls Get IT! Newsletter |
Volume II Issue IV November 2007 |
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Explore ~ Educate ~ Empower |
Board of Champions Meeting and Kick-Off Conference- An Overwhelming Success!!
On November 8th and 9th,
the Florida Girls Collaborative Project (FGCP) and Girls Get It!
(GGIT!) held our first Board of Champions meeting and Kick-Off
Conference in Tampa, Florida at the Museum of Science and Industry
(MOSI).
The
Board of Champions meeting marked the beginning of many face-to-face
interactions between esteemed board members who
include private industry, k-20 education officials and community
based organizations from across the state of Florida. Items discussed
included a session on how the program directory and mini-grants work
for those involved and how they would be dispersed, a session on
strategic planning and goals for the future of the project, and a
session on our subcommittees for our participants on our Board of
Champions.
Many
respected people and companies were present either in person or via
conference call during our Board of Champions meeting. We are excited
to show the state of Florida what we have planned and what we have
already accomplished with this initiative. We will keep you updated on
our progress!
The
Kick-Off Conference was an entire day filled with speakers, an esteemed
panel, and break-out sessions to go over the program directory, mini
grants, current Florida data, and tips on recruitment and outreach. Many
community based organizations from the Tampa and St. Petersburg area
displayed their goods to showcase their program in order to connect
with others. The panel was filled with respected participants from
organizations such as NASA, Raytheon, Cisco, Florida Community College
of Jacksonville, and the Girl Scouts.
Overall, the entire event was a complete success! We
will also host many other events in cities across Florida in the near
future. Our next one is currently being planned for the spring in
Orlando. Stay tuned for more information!! To find out more about the Florida Girls Collaborative Project, Click Here!!
NOTE: One of the major goals of the Florida Girls Collaborative Project and the Girls Get IT! initiative is
to maintain the interest and participation of girls in STEM fields of
study through the power of collaboration and by building regional
capacity of girl-serving organizations and services. All of which is part of a national effort funded by the National Science Foundation. Elements
of this project will document and promote coordination and
collaboration among girl serving STEM programs in Florida and establish
an on-going communication system linking these organizations. |
FCR-STEM Launches a Female and Minority Initiative!
One of our partners, The Florida Center for Research in Science,
Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (FCR-STEM) at Florida State
University has launched a Female and Minority Initiative created to
develop a long-term, comprehensive plan to increase the participation
and success of Florida's female and minority students in STEM education
and STEM fields.
Since
Spring 2007, FCR-STEM has convened an advisory panel to help guide the
process and identify K-20 education, research, and business
stakeholders to develop the plan. The center also prepared initial
drafts of two reports to inform the planning process: (1) a summary of
trends in female and minority STEM course-taking, achievement and
degree attainment from K-12 through postsecondary education in Florida,
and (2) a summary of research on the achievement, choice, and
persistence of females and minorities in STEM education.
On
November 13-14, 2007, a diverse workgroup of 50 members met in Orlando
to begin examining policies, programs and strategies that hold promise
for increasing Florida's female and minority representation in STEM
courses and STEM fields. Members included representatives of Florida's
school districts, community colleges, universities, businesses,
department of education and similar initiatives outside Florida. Leah Cook, Project Director for Girls Get IT! was among the distinguished group and stated, "We got more done in two days than I imagined and the energy among the workgroup participants was phenomenal, however there is still much to do."
FCR-STEM
is currently preparing a report of the workgroup's discussion and
recommendations, which will be reviewed by the advisory panel at its
second meeting in January 2008. The workgroup will reconvene in late
March to provide more input on the plan and identify potential measures
of its success.
Questions
about the FCR-STEM Female and Minority Initiative should be addressed
to Faye Jones, program manager, at [email protected]. For
additional information, including a list of advisory panel and
workgroup participants, Click Here! |
Girls Get IT! Website Gets Face Lift!
The
Girls Get IT! website is currently getting a face lift. It is being
revamped and refurbished to make it more informative and user-friendly.
New features will be added and old features will be upgraded. The new,
more accessible website is currently under construction and will be
available soon.
The
new website will feature several upgrades, including updated and
current news about Girls Get IT! and the Florida Girls Collaborative
Project. Up-to-date information about upcoming and recent events will
also be easily accessible. News about STEM education, Girls Get IT!,
The Florida Girls Collaborative Project, other grants, or any
collaborating organizations will be available to anyone who is
interested.
The
renovated website will also feature an archive of all past issues of
the Girls Get IT! Newsletter. It will also provide an easy way, for
those who are interested, to sign up to become a member or receive
the newsletter.
Fun
and helpful links will be available on the refurbished website. These
links will include all kinds of way for teachers, parents, and girls to
promote and enjoy STEM education. Lesson plans, fun games, and
activities, all revolving around STEM education will be available at
the click of a button.
Girls
Get IT! has also created an Activities CD that will be available on the
new website. It is full of fun and educational activities, perfect for
teachers looking for help with lesson plans, parents looking for ways
to keep their kids busy, and girls looking to expand their horizons.
All of the activities are STEM related and meet specified educational
standards and benchmarks. Look for us after the new year!
Though our website is currently under construction, our Myspace page is up and running. Check it out and add us as a friend! Click Here!! |
To visit GGIT! please click here | |
If you would like to forward this newsletter to a friend, Click Here!
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Cool Career: Web Designer
What did you do today? Did you play
games? Read the news? Go shopping? Chat with your friends? Send mail?
And let me guess - you didn't even have to leave your computer to do
any of those activities. Almost everything we do on a day-to-day basis
can be done via the internet. But how did those activities even get
on your computer screen in the first place you ask? Well there are
people who create those websites we visit all of the time called web
designers.
Web
designers use their imaginations along with computer programs to help
construct new website ideas and bring them to life. They use their
creativity to pick out the best images and colors to help make every
website you visit interesting and fun. They also write the messages
that go into the websites, as well as all the technical stuff (such as
"links" that direct you to other web pages) so you can click around
each site to find what you are looking for.
Web
design is an awesome job - and one of the best parts about it is that
since the internet is so new and ever-evolving, lots of web designers
teach themselves how to design sites and just keep learning! Many web
designers are young people with little experience, but have big
imaginations and a creative drive that helps them excel at what they
do. They are like artists of the future who show off their creations
using the internet.
So, how can you get
started? Like most people, web designers start by using computers at
home and at school - bylooking things up, playing games, and e-mail.
You can even experiment by making your own homepage (the first thing
you come across in a Web site). Get started! Click Here!
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Want a Job When You Graduate? |
Jobs for Florida's Graduates (JFG) is rooted in the
three R's - Rigor, Relevance & Relationships. JFG is the Florida
affiliate of Jobs for America's Graduates, Inc (JAG), a national
non-profit corporation established for the purpose of assisting States
in creating a stay-in-school and school-to-career transition system for
students of promise based on the JAG Model. The foundation of all JAG
programs is the 86 competency curriculum which covers Career
Development, Job Attainment Skills, Basic Work Skills, Leadership and
Self Development Skills, Personal Growth, Life Survival Skills, and
Workplace Survival Skills (all of which are infused with core academic
assignments). Furthermore, students create and lead a student
association in which they plan projects that center on community
service, leadership and team work. In 2003, the US
Department of Labor (USDOL) named Jobs for America's Graduates
(JAG) a Stay-in-School best practice. The results for the last
year are consistent with the previous 26 year track record and they are
compelling:
- A
94% graduation rate across the 30 States currently offering the JAG
program and, from 1998-2003, JFG enjoyed a 95% graduation rate.
- Nearly
40% rate of enrollment in post secondary education after high school
and, in Florida, 66% of the classes of 2003 & 2004 are in college.
- 82%
of the 7,000 employers that have hired a JAG alumnus would hire another
JAG student over any other young person that they interviewed according
to a US Chamber of Commerce study.
Finally,
independent third-party research, also funded by the USDOL, shows that
JAG affiliates have one of the highest impacts ever recorded in helping
the poorest minority youth from single-parent homes in getting and
keeping a job. The increased value ranges from 40% - 102% academic,
work and life skills improvement for economically disadvantaged African
American and Hispanic youth.
JFG
operates programs in middle schools, high schools, alternative schools,
community colleges, juvenile justice facilities and one-stops
throughout Florida. To find out more information, Click Here!
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Florida STEM Mini-Grants and Program Directory
Do you have a collaborative idea within STEM
education and need some additional funds to assist you? If so,
join our team and receive up to $1,000 for your support. All
you have to do is sign up to become part of our statewide Program
Directory, and collaborate with another organization that is also
in the Program Directory. It's that easy! To sign up, follow the
short instructions below and be on your way to making connections you
never thought you would!
For a more in depth overview of our mini-grants, Click Here!
SIGN UP FOR THE FLORIDA STEM PROGRAM DIRECTORY NOW!
The online Florida STEM Program Directory lists
organizations and programs that focus on motivating girls to pursue
education and careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
The purpose of the directory is to help organizations and individuals
network, share resources and collaborate on STEM-related projects for
girls.
Organizations
that serve young women and are interested in bringing more STEM
resources to them are also encouraged to sign up!
The
Directory contains program descriptions, resources available within
each organization, program and/or organization needs, and contact
information. What better way to promote your program, resources and find other organizations in your area to collaborate with?
Having Your Program Listed in the Directory Has Several Advantages:
- Anyone with internet access can find out about your program.
- You can view other programs in your area and across the state.
- Your organization can do a search and compare needs and resources in your area and across the state.
- Your organization is eligible for a mini-grant for innovative projects.
Don't wait - Sign up today!
Here's How:
Use the following instructions to create a new user account and then enter a program's information into the NGCP program directory.
- Click Here!!
- Click "Register New User" which is located on the far left.
- Fill out the form and click "Submit"
- On the next page, click "New Program"
- Fill out the form and click "Submit"
That's It! Your program will be listed and can be searched by anyone with access to the internet. It's that easy!
Once a new program's information has been submitted and approved, it will appear in the public Directory for anyone to search.
What better way to highlight the great work in STEM that you are doing in your community!
Note: In order to be eligible for mini grant funding, your program MUST be listed in the Program Directory. Once listed, you are encouraged to submit a proposal for consideration of funding. For mini grant submission guidelines, Click Here! |
The National Assessment of Education Process Results Are In!
The 2006 results from the
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) were very
promising for future high school students. The report stated that
reading scores for 4th graders and math scores for 4th and 8th
graders were higher than ever before. There is also a narrowing of the
persistent achievement gap between minority and white students.
Although
there is major progress happening in our education system, there was
something rather disconcerting. Only 30% of students scored above
average in 8th grade reading and math. This brings about
many questions of whether or not the students are getting proper
education in their earlier education years. More states are raising
their high school standards and graduation requirements to ensure they
are prepared for postsecondary and career success. The NAEP results are
a reminder that many students aren't receiving the knowledge of the
challenger they will face in the future.
In
addition to the NAEP, the National Assessment Governing Board and the
National Center for Education Statistics are working to further analyze
and enhance the requirements and qualifications students must have in
order to advance to either or both postsecondary education and career
success. To read the report in its entirety, Click Here! |
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What is Girls Get IT?
Florida
Girls Get IT is a partnership between Florida Distance Learning
Consortium, Cisco Systems, Inc., Florida's Community College and
University system to create gender equity in the areas of Science,
Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) & Information
Technology (IT).
Why Does Florida Need This Initiative?
To remain competitive,
Florida must offer a highly trained workforce. Nearly 75% of future
jobs in the United States will require the use of technology, yet fewer
than 33% of students in computer courses are female and women comprise
only 20% of IT professionals and 13% of engineers.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Contact: Leah Cook, Project Director
Phone: 850.922.3359 Fax: 850.922.3109
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Useful Links for Teachers, Students, & Parents
Teachers:
PBS
Find
exciting new teaching plan ideas and activities through PBS. Find new
ways to excite your students and stay informed about what programs they
will be running. Click Here!
Rainforest Maths
Discover fun and new math activities for your students. This site includes activities that meet standards for grades K-6. Click Here!
Students:
Josie True
A free, NSF-sponsored adventure game that features math and science activties. Click Here!
Brain Cake
This website contains a "we
hear that" and a "girl to girl" section where girls tell their stories
and write down their thoughts on topics twice a month. It also includes a "she's living it" section where women act as mentors to younger girls. Click Here!
Parents:
The Foundation for a Better Life
Be
inspired and pass it on. This website hopes to inspire people to make
values a part of their own lives, and then to communicate the benefits
to others. Click Here!
Get fun activities and skill-building ideas for your kids in a variety of subjects. Click Here!
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