[Edu-sig] Feedback sought on blog post: "Where do all the geek girls go?"

[kirby urner]

On Wed, Jul 22, 2009 at 7:19 PM, Jeff Elkner<jeff at elkner.net> wrote:
> I've just written a blog post reflecting on what a learned in teaching
> Summer enrichment classes about girls and programming:
>
> http://proyectojuanchacon.blogspot.com/2009/07/where-to-all-geek-girls-go.html
>
> Thoughts and/or feedback would be much appreciated!
>
> Thanks!
>
> jeff elkner

Appreciate it jeff, doing a reply-to-all expecting a lot of rejection
notices, as some of these look like lists I'm not signed up for.  But
that's easier than culling.  I read through your posting with
interest, looks like you're on the right track.

I'll end with some URLs to my stash, as this has likewise been a focus
of my writings and teaching career, starting with two years right out
of college in an exclusive Catholic academy for young women, me one of
maybe just five male faculty, the rest of us nuns, lay women.

Put another way:  I've been trained by some of the best in this
business, plus this was Jersey City, so all American and
multi-cultural to boot (add in the fact that I went to high school in
the Philippines following a wild boyhood in Rome, and you see where I
might have some exotic perspectives, want to bring those to the table
for whatever they're worth).

To make a long story short: I think we're solving it in Portland,
Oregon, OS Bridge a case in point (recent conference, at the
convention center).  Once you minus the Californian spin (lots at
OSCON), add in more Canada, then amp up around local FOSS bosses, you
get scheduled talks hammering directly on this topic, and hosted by
well qualified women (as was OS Bridge itself, with all XX top
leadership I'm happy to report).

My new friend Josh from Chicago wasn't used to it, got his back up a
bit, to see Gabrielle in alpha geek mode, clearly 2nd to none, a FOSS
witch talking about her FOSS coven, where men are invited, but have to
sit in the back.  I'm just as bad, talking about this nebulous Coffee
Shops Network (CSN), branch Cult of Athena, where we have this glass
ceiling most men never see, let alone rise through.

So that's Portlandia for ya, bad to the bone (lots of
out-of-the-closet pirates), and XX-centric (she's a she, Portlandia
is).  Multiply that by Christian Science Monitor's saying we're a FOSS
world capital, and you here's your new poster child (think
"Pythonista"):

http://mybizmo.blogspot.com/2008/11/wild-america.html (note CS RR in
the background)

I'm also proud of these two, some of the best pro-XO PR on the block,
consistent with the message of G1G1:

http://worldgame.blogspot.com/2009/01/saving-children.html

Anyway, that's enough off the top.  Here're the promised pointers.
Gabrielle and Selena had some words of advice:  stick to "world
domination" as our shared goal of our geek subculture, and we'll all
get along just fine:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/17157315@N00/3639256600/in/set-72157619963850814/

Kirby Urner
in Portland

Related blog posts:
http://coffeeshopsnet.blogspot.com/2009/06/os-bridge-conference.html
(re a marketing campaign)
http://mathforum.org/kb/message.jspa?messageID=6769590&tstart=0   (re
Portland as hotbed)
http://mybizmo.blogspot.com/2006/09/yar.html (out of the closet)


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ндсжег воss