Sessions
Inspire Girls Project with World Computer Exchange at the iEARN Conference
Pamela Cooney
World Computer Exchange
Pamela Cooney
Pamela Cooney is Director of Operations for World Computer Exchange. She manages volunteers, grants, government reports, and finances. She has helped develop the Inspire Girls project. She held similar roles at a project-based charter school she co-founded. She has an MBA from Boston University. She previously attended the iEARN International Conference in Canada. World Computer Exchange has shipped refurbished computers loaded with educational content to iEARNs in ten developing countries and is working with several iEARNs in Africa on the Inspire Girls project.
Leroy Beldeh
iEARN Liberia
Leroy Beldeh
Leroy Beldeh has been a teacher and country coordinator for iEARN-Liberia. He has earned a masters degree in project management from Colorado Technical University. He is now in a doctoral program in environmental studies at Antioch University. He is also a Field Associate for Liberia with World Computer Exchange and has helped to develop the Inspire Girls project.
Session Description
Many schools and communities around the world are struggling with how to keep girls in school and engage them with STEM subjects. The Inspire Girls Project is an initiative dedicated to developing connections and resources to empower girls to stay in school, inspire them to pursue career roles as leaders and innovators, and help them serve as valuable peers and role models to other girls.
This roundtable session will include an introduction to the Inspire Girls Project and a discussion about how can we improve the existing resources, what are other resources that should be added, what other models might be good to explore, and if any participants know of other organizations that could help on the Inspire Girls project.
What will educators learn and be able to do at the end of the session?
For the group to help to contribute ideas, contacts and approaches to co-develop a project to provide resources for teachers who are interested in inspiring girls to pursue careers in technology. Hopefully some of the discussion participants will wish to help further develop content, games, social media, clubs, and other resources.
Additional Session Information
The Inspire Girls Project is a part of the World Computer Exchange, which is an organization has brought computers to many schools in developing countries. Many of the schools have very limited access to the Internet, so the hard drives of the computers are loaded with valuable educational content.
Possible Discussion Questions Include:
- What approaches have you taken in your classrooms to encourage girls to participate and engage in STEM subjects?
- Are you aware of any programs, materials, games or apps that would helpaddress any of the issues or engage girls?
- Do you have any ideas about how to develop an iEARN project about this that could be easily replicated in other schools?
Session Resources
Inspire Girls Project - website
This is the website of World Computer Exchange, which is developing the Inspire Girls Project with the help of teachers.