Are You Exposing Your Kids/Students To Varied Learning Opportunities?

It was another Sunday morning and I was gathering my thoughts on what had to get accomplished for the upcoming week -family activities, work, travel, speaking engagements etc. In the middle of my cognitive process the "middle daughter" asked out of nowhere(in my best 13 year old daughter voice ) "Dad how did you get interested in technology, and computer stuff ....and what do you like about it ?" Suffice it to say at 5:45 am sitting in a dark home office she did manage to scare me almost out of my chair. Instead of providing a few words answer what ensued was a much longer discussion and thought process,

Why did I and for that matter students in general get involved in STEM programs? Are parents thinking of esoteric ideals like job opportunities, earnings potential, parental steering, or just for the joy of learning. I for one understand and have witnessed natural inclination of some children towards certain activities and interests-our youngest will with out fail be an engineer building something-from my earliest memories he was always taking things apart, putting them back together-and will only read non-fiction books-we had nothing to do with his appetite for this but have encouraged and supported his interests. This still didn't answer the questions regarding how my interest in Technology-started.

As a child I had an interest in learning about technology, much of this was driven by my fascination of video games (I did and continue to play many sports on a daily basis so it wasn't all screen time). But I can distinctly remember skipping lunch period in middle school to play whatever games in the computer lab (which consisted of 5 computers in small school in upstate NY) where we would take our shots on very simple games on a single color monochrome screen instead of eating, I can remember being so fascinated with them that I begged my parents that I wanted to learn how to make computer video games. At that time there weren't any computer camps so in the summer of 8th grade I signed myself up at the local community college for a computer programming class (I think it was Fortran) and I found myself in class several times a week with adults that were learning about computers for professional development. Suffice to say in the 3 credit course I didn't learn enough to make any video games but I was exposed to some very important building blocks in logic, process and critical thinking. Those skills continued throughout the following years during my college and working years and turned into a career. So back to my daughter's question...

Getting children involved in STEM programs is more about exposure to learning opportunities than any other single objective as a parent. We have always supported our kids in most activities and interests. These have varied from acapella to skiing and everything in between. In response to my daughter's question "Dad how did you get interested in technology, and computer stuff .....and what do you like about it ?" I think that it has more to do with early immersion in technology -and using that as a tool to attain other goals that fostered my imagination, thought process and as I grew into adulthood career aspirations. This was never really clear until we had this discussion and as to why I like it. Every day I am learning something new and I get the chance to help Students, Educators and Leadership of Educational institutions foster that same sense of learning, exploration. The process is fun, exciting and sharing knowledge with others is a great experience that provides immediate feedback. Every day has its share of work that is way more mundane but we embrace those moments that can be challenging.

Here are some great exploration opportunities for your daughter:

Please visit https://girlswhocode.com/summer-immersion-programs/ to learn more, and feel free to share with your customers, partners, families and friends!

Microsoft will once again be sponsoring the Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program this summer in 11 Times Square, and registration is open today through March 17, 2017.

In the Summer Immersion Program, students will learn about:

? Tech Companies -- They’ll meet female engineers and get an inside look at technical roles in the world’s top companies.

? Project-based learning -- They’ll learn computer science through real-world projects in art and storytelling, robotics, video games, websites, apps and more!

? Sisterhood -- They’ll work in teams and make lifelong friendships with a supportive and diverse community of girls.

No experience required!

In 2017, Summer Immersion Programs are being held across the U.S. in the following cities:

Atlanta, GA, Austin, TX, Boston, MA, Chicago, IL, Los Angeles, CA?

Miami, FL, Newark, NJ, New York City, NY, San Francisco Bay Area, CA, Seattle, WA, Stamford, CT, Washington DC