ZR08 Creating the STEM pipeline

Creating the S.T.E.M. Pipeline

Erin B. ReillyCo-Founder of Zoey’s Room

www.zoeysroom.com

SLIDE 1Iʼm Erin Reilly. Iʼm co-founder of Zoeyʼs Room, a safe online community for middle school girls that creatively engages girls in science, technology, engineering and math – otherwise known as STEM. Zoey is the host of her room and sheʼd like to share with you whatʼs inside her room.

http://www.zoeysroom.com


Platform Shoes Forum’s Model ProgramZoey’s Room

Zoey’s Room’s Member Side of Website

♣ Girls chat in a safe girl-friendlyenvironment with Zoey and herpeers.

♣ Meet online “Fab Females” - rolemodels in STEM careers.

♣ Connect with rural and urbangirls to learn about other culturesthrough “Gals Around theGlobe.”

♣ Complete fun STEM-basedchallenges called the Tec-Treks.

♣ Earn prizes and tech gadget.

SLIDE 3This video is more of a promotional video and lists the key elements that make up the program, such as:• Online community tools like our chat room and our message boards.• Fab Female role models• Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM)-based learning challenges that we call the Tec-Treks• And opportunities to earn real prizes like web cams, wireless mice and the SIMS game through a point system.

SLIDE 4What it doesnʼt share with you is the heart of the program-- the women and girls who drive the content of Zoeyʼs Room and help build a participatory learning community.

Platform Shoes Forum’s Model ProgramZoey’s Room

SLIDE 3This video is more of a promotional video and lists the key elements that make up the program, such as:• Online community tools like our chat room and our message boards.• Fab Female role models• Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM)-based learning challenges that we call the Tec-Treks• And opportunities to earn real prizes like web cams, wireless mice and the SIMS game through a point system.

SLIDE 4What it doesnʼt share with you is the heart of the program-- the women and girls who drive the content of Zoeyʼs Room and help build a participatory learning community.

Take Notice...

SLIDE 5Look at these stats: 51 %-age of professional STEM occupations in the 2006 U.S. workforce held by women 26 %-age of professional IT-related occupations in 2006 U.S. workforce held by women 13 %-age of corporate officer positions at Fortune 500 technology companies held by women Studies continue to show that though girls are interested in the subjects, they do not pursue higher education and/or careers in these fields.

Take Notice...

51 %-age of professional STEM occupations in the 2006 U.S. workforce held by women

26 %-age of professional IT-related occupations in the 2006 U.S. workforce held by women

13 %-age of corporate officer positions at Fortune 500 technology companies held by women

SLIDE 5Look at these stats: 51 %-age of professional STEM occupations in the 2006 U.S. workforce held by women 26 %-age of professional IT-related occupations in 2006 U.S. workforce held by women 13 %-age of corporate officer positions at Fortune 500 technology companies held by women Studies continue to show that though girls are interested in the subjects, they do not pursue higher education and/or careers in these fields.

Interests...

Middle SchoolGirls

SLIDE 6Our solution was to uncover where girlsʼ interests were and build that into a growing support system.

SLIDE 7So we had to think like a middle school tween girl and design a program to include:• Social connections• Ways to create, build or tinker• Opportunities to share• Access to a good listener / friend—a peer mentor.• Professional role models

Interests...

Playing sports Homework

Being with Friendsand FamilyPlaying games

Text Messaging

Creating Profilesand sharing stories

Chatting

Shopping

Researching

Civically engaged Creating projects

Middle SchoolGirls



1. Social connections

2. Ways to create, build or tinker

3. Opportunities to share

4. Access to a good listener -- a peer mentor

5. Role models in the field of interest

Interests...



1. Relatively low barriers for engagement

2. Strong support for sharing creations with others

3. Informal mentorships

4. Members believe their contributions matter

5. Care about others’ opinions of self and work

characteristics of a participatory culture

Jenkins, H., Clinton, K., Purushatma, R., Robison, A., and Weigel, M. (2007). “Confronting the Challenges of a Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century.

SLIDE 7These solutions are characteristic traits of a participatory culture (that prominent researchers in the digital learning arena like Henry Jenkins have expounded upon.)

Shifts the focus from individual expression to one of community involvement

learning in aPARTICIPATORY CULTURE

SLIDE 8Learning in a participatory culture shifts the focus from one of individual expression to one of community involvement.

Rather than build Zoeyʼs Room for consumers of STEM information, we intended for girls to be engaged as:


* Creators ...of robotic hands

SLIDE 9• Creators of handmade projects in STEM such as robotic hands


* Creators ...of robotic hands

SLIDE 9• Creators of handmade projects in STEM such as robotic hands

* Circulators ...of cool STEM play online, such as the bionic beak story for the eagle


SLIDE 10• Circulators of cool STEM material found online, such as the bionic beak story for the eagle

* Circulators ...of cool STEM play online, such as the bionic beak story for the eagle


SLIDE 10• Circulators of cool STEM material found online, such as the bionic beak story for the eagle

* Connectors ...with their peers, Friends of Zoey, Fab Females and even Zoey


SLIDE 11• Connectors with their peers, Friends of Zoey, Fab Females and even Zoey herself and,

* Connectors ...with their peers, Friends of Zoey, Fab Females and even Zoey


SLIDE 11• Connectors with their peers, Friends of Zoey, Fab Females and even Zoey herself and,

* Collaborators ...on quests through the web such as the Virtual Valentine’s Day date


SLIDE 12• Collaborators on quests through the web such as the Virtual Valentineʼs Day Date

* Collaborators ...on quests through the web such as the Virtual Valentine’s Day date


SLIDE 12• Collaborators on quests through the web such as the Virtual Valentineʼs Day Date

become a member

SLIDE 13The impact of our approach towards building the STEM pipeline has been evident in our member community. Girls have become members in two ways …

SLIDE 14either participating through an after-school program or

SLIDE 15participating individually at home. Girls even found the website on their own when looking for resources to fill their STEM interest.

become a member

After-School Club -- Zoey’s Room offers materials that can integrate into any after-school club where an adult works side by side with girls to increase their knowledge in math, science and technology!




become a member

Individual Membership -- Girls participate in the program through the interactive website at www.zoeysroom.com

After-School Club -- Zoey’s Room offers materials that can integrate into any after-school club where an adult works side by side with girls to increase their knowledge in math, science and technology!






Zoey’s Room members

SLIDE 16Going on our 5th year, there are many stories that I could share with you to explain the impact of this program… but Iʼll choose one.

SLIDE 17This is a girl whose screename is Lil Island as she lives on a remote island off the coast of Maine. Iʼll tell you a little bit about Lil Islandʼs journey through Zoeyʼs Room.

Lil island became a member of Zoeyʼs Room three years ago at the age of 11 first on her own and then through the after-school Zoeyʼs Room program launched by the Island Institute in Maine.









lil island’s journey

SLIDE 18She lives on Vinalhaven, a remote island off the coast of Maine—with a population of around 1,235. With little to do after school other than sports and occasional activities, island kids often find themselves socially isolated and yearning for interesting challenges.


SLIDE 19Beyond the delight of meeting other girls from other states through the safe, Zoeyʼs Room chatroom — Lil island was excited about Zoeyʼs Room because of her interest in math and science.


MATH

SCIENCE

SLIDE 19Beyond the delight of meeting other girls from other states through the safe, Zoeyʼs Room chatroom — Lil island was excited about Zoeyʼs Room because of her interest in math and science.

lil island’s club leader says...

SLIDE 20Hereʼs a quote from her Club Leader.“Lil island spends every summer at a science camp and I would think when she gets older, she will go into a career of the sciences. Already sheʼs in 8th grade and poised to be taking 10th grade Algebra. Sheʼs building her “robot hand” through the Mavis the Mobot Tec-Trek™ and has done about 11 Tec-Trek™ activities in all categories: science, technology, engineering and math. Sheʼs self-motivated and wouldʼve been happy to just to do [parts of] Zoeyʼs Room herself, but she looks forward to coming to the club every week.”

lil island’s club leader says...“Lil island spends every summer at a science camp and I would think when she gets older, she will go into a career of the sciences.

Already she’s in 8th grade and poised to be taking 10th grade Algebra.

She’s building her “robot hand” through the Mavis the Mobot Tec-Trek™ and has done about 11 Tec-Trek™ activities in all categories: science, technology, engineering and math.

She’s self-motivated and would’ve been happy to just to do [parts of] Zoey’s Room herself, but she looks forward to coming to the club every week.”

SLIDE 20Hereʼs a quote from her Club Leader.“Lil island spends every summer at a science camp and I would think when she gets older, she will go into a career of the sciences. Already sheʼs in 8th grade and poised to be taking 10th grade Algebra. Sheʼs building her “robot hand” through the Mavis the Mobot Tec-Trek™ and has done about 11 Tec-Trek™ activities in all categories: science, technology, engineering and math. Sheʼs self-motivated and wouldʼve been happy to just to do [parts of] Zoeyʼs Room herself, but she looks forward to coming to the club every week.”

1. The chance to chat with the Fab Female Diane Cowen, a lobster scientist (and fellow islander).

two highlights for lil island

SLIDE 21 & 22Two highlights for Lil island this year have been:1. The chance to chat with the Fab Female Diane Cowen, a lobster scientist (and fellow islander). The second highlight for Lil island was:2. The chance to meet their real-life ZR friends from the mainland this past spring.

SLIDE 23 & 24 -- Explain Fab Females. So when Diane chatted with the girls and talked about what it was like to be a lobster scientist, Lil island immediately related to her and asked many questions, because many of her relatives and neighbors on the island were lobstermen. And this gave Lil island a whole new perspective. When she grew up, now there was a job she could do around her interests—not just be a lobsterman—but be a lobster scientist.


2. The chance to meet their real-life ZR friends from the mainland this past spring.




fab females

marine biologist

IT director

installation artistdoctor

computer engineer

volcano seismoligistgeologist

civil engineer

food technologist, NASA

entrepreneur

palentolgist



fab females





2. The chance to meet their real-life ZR friends from the mainland this past spring.

SLIDE 25In regards to the second highlight — the Zoeyʼs Room program is a digital hybrid, seamlessly moving between online and off. This happens not only through activities within each Tec-Trek, but also through ZRʼs partner organizations like after-school YWCA programs …giving girls the chance to meet other clubs in their region and even in different states.

This summer, Lil island turned 15 and approached the program staff at Zoeyʼs Room on her own to ask if she could be an official "Friend of Zoey.”

* high school interns

* continues Zoey’s Room membership past age 14

* provide peer-to-peer guidance on ethical and social issues

* builds Tec-Treks with Fab Females

* mentored by Fab Females

friends of Zoey

SLIDE 26Friends of Zoey are high-school students who work as interns for the Zoeyʼs Room program. This pipeline was created to continue membership past the age of 14, develop peer mentors at the high school level and allow a vehicle for user-generated content and on-going evaluation of the girls. Friends of Zoey are trained for one month and provide peer-to-peer guidance on ethical and socialization issues as well as help with building Tec-Treks and recruiting Fab Females.

SLIDE 27Lil island became a Friend of Zoey and adopted her online avatar persona of JENN to be a role model to the girls in the program. Now islandlvr has transformed to JENN to continue towards her STEM destiny.

Which brings me to another area where Friends of Zoey have been very helpful helping new girls through the Tec-Treks and the features of Zoeyʼs online Room.

lil island




lil island

becomes JENN




Tec-Treks

SLIDE 28 Explain Tec-Treks -- Donʼt forget levels and how we integrate assessment questions to evaluate the impact of the Tec-TrekTM and its effect on the userʼs learning.

SLIDE 29 -- Here is our most recent Tec-Trek on financial literacy sponsored by KeyBank, in which ZRʼs staff worked with KeyBankʼs staff to create a mutually beneficial story and activities around the concept of interest and saving. Itʼs called “Saving Zoey.”

SLIDE 30 & 31Show Saving ZoeyAs for peer mentoring, JENN has been wonderful in welcoming new girls, showing them the ropes, keeping them safe and helping them understand the Room and the Tec-Treks.

Tec-Treks




Tec-Treks




Tec-Treks




Tec-Treks




Tec-Treks




JENN as a mentor

SLIDE 32For example, hereʼs a Board post in which she warned other girls about staying safe online. Nothing we could say would have quite the same impact as it coming from JENN, a fellow community member. It just goes to show she is a role model of an exceptional level.

SLIDE 33 -- Beginning with girls in grade five through professionals, Zoey’s Room creates a cross-generational pipeline of females in STEM fields in a mutually-beneficial support system.

JENN as a mentor

SLIDE 32For example, hereʼs a Board post in which she warned other girls about staying safe online. Nothing we could say would have quite the same impact as it coming from JENN, a fellow community member. It just goes to show she is a role model of an exceptional level.

SLIDE 33 -- Beginning with girls in grade five through professionals, Zoey’s Room creates a cross-generational pipeline of females in STEM fields in a mutually-beneficial support system.

benefits of the S.T.E.M. pipeline

* Grades 5 through high school, college women and female professionals

SLIDE 34 & 35 -- Through informal mentorship, the STEM Pipeline addresses the expert/novice functionality of participatory learning, where the heart of Zoeyʼs Room, the women and girls that drive the community, play the role of expert or novice at different points in the interaction. 35: EX: the Fab Female = subject expert but the girl = expert in developing learning that will engage her and her peers. Together, they pool their knowledge toward a common goal of learning more about STEM.

SLIDE 36 -- The growth of interest in science and technology is especially significant in socially isolated communities where girls lack access to role models in these professions and have unequal access to the opportunities, experiences, skills, and knowledge that will prepare them to be the STEM leaders of tomorrow.



* Addresses the expert / novice functionality of participatory learning








* Provide access to opportunities, role models, experiences, skills and knowledge that will prepare them






what’s next for Zoey’s Room?

SLIDE 37So whatʼs next for Zoeyʼs Room? ….Role-modeling has been incredibly effective as evidenced by our Fab Female chat sessions.

SLIDE 38Fab Females from companies like Microsoft and National Semiconductor have often asked how they can stay involved as mentors.

SLIDE 39We have partnered with the National Girls Collaborative Project (NGCP), an initiative that supports research and its dissemination of STEM education to girls and women nationally.






An initiative that supports research and dissemination of STEMeducation to girls and women nationally.




distributed STEM learning communities

SLIDE 40Zoeyʼs Room serves girls seeking STEM and NGCP serves women and educators who deliver STEM programs. Like the women and girls in Zoeyʼs Room, our two organizations will share resources to create a distributed learning community that can work in different regions.

This relationship will extend the STEM Pipeline in order to more broadly study the potential of mentoring, content/resource-sharing, and role-modeling in relation to participatory learning.

distributed STEM learning communities

SLIDE 40Zoeyʼs Room serves girls seeking STEM and NGCP serves women and educators who deliver STEM programs. Like the women and girls in Zoeyʼs Room, our two organizations will share resources to create a distributed learning community that can work in different regions.

This relationship will extend the STEM Pipeline in order to more broadly study the potential of mentoring, content/resource-sharing, and role-modeling in relation to participatory learning.

Pew Internet & American Life Project

SLIDE 41 -- With 93% of teens and tweens now using the Internet and clamoring to social networking sites like MySpace, Facebook, and YouTube, educators are looking to reach kids in the environments they are already engaging in. (Pew Internet & American Life Project, 2007)

SLIDE 42 -- Pew Internet & American Life Project also found that among web users between the ages of 12 to 17, (our Friends of Zoey age) significantly more girls than boys

SLIDE 43 -- Blog, Create or work on their own web pages and Build or work on websites for other people and create profiles on social networking sites


With 93% of teens and tweens now using the Internet and clamoring to social networking sites like MySpace, Facebook, and YouTube, educators are looking to reach kids in the environments they are already engaging in.





Between the ages of 12 to 17 (Friends of Zoey age), significantly more girls than boys...





* Blog -- 35 percent of girls compared to 20 percent of boys

Between the ages of 12 to 17 (Friends of Zoey age), significantly more girls than boys...

* Work on their own web pages (32% of girls compared with 22% of boys)

* Build websites for other people and * create profiles on social networking sites (70 percent of girls 15 to 17 have one, versus 57 percent of boys 15 to 17)




“power users” of social media




Questions?

For More Information

Erin B. ReillyCo-Founder of Zoey’s Room

www.zoeysroom.comP: 207-594-1842

SLIDE 44 -- Girls are now deemed the “power users” of social media. This trend poses what we, through Zoey’s Room, have known for years—that girls tend to thrive in collaborative environments.

SLIDE 45Thank you and I’m happy to take any questions.

