Linda Kekelis, Linda Kekelis Consulting, shared an update PostedThursday, March 17, 2016 at 2:52 PM One of my favorite times of year is the fourth week of February, also known as Engineers Week. I have participated in the campaign for years and One of my favorite times of year is the fourth week of February, also known as Engineers Week. I have participated in the campaign for years and have seen remarkable benefits from the experience. Kids get their first taste of engineering from hands-on activities and are inspired by the role models they meet. Educators learn about career opportunities and engineering practices that they can introduce to their students. Engineers rediscover their passion for their work while giving back to their community. Engineers Week is a movement imagined 65 years ago that brings engineering to life for kids, teachers, and families. The campaign celebrates engineering and helps demystify the field by showing how engineers help make the world a better place. This year thousands of students participated in engineering activities in classrooms, after-school programs, and museums across the country and around the world. DiscoverE supports a network of volunteers in the US and abroad from more than 100 professional societies, major corporations, and government agencies. If you are an educator and haven’t yet engaged in Engineers Week, I encourage you to get involved next year. There are lots of engineers eager to work with you and plenty of resources to help you plan and host the event. If you are an engineer, check with your local school or after-school program and offer to be a role model. If you already participate in Engineers Week, I encourage you to build on the momentum and make a long-term commitment. Engineering activities and role models can show kids the relevance of math and science and help them experience the joy of tinkering, taking things apart, and building grit through the engineer design process. Engineers can help kids make the connection between hands-on activities and careers options in engineering. Wondering what to do after Engineers Week? Read my 9 strategies for building upon Engineers Week. Show More
Linda Kekelis, Linda Kekelis Consulting, shared an update PostedWednesday, February 17, 2016 at 2:38 PM Linda Kekelis has added a question: "As an educator with lots of experience what resources would be most helpful to you in working with your students Linda Kekelis has added a question: "As an educator with lots of experience what resources would be most helpful to you in working with your students in elementary school?" Show More
Linda Kekelis, Linda Kekelis Consulting, shared an update PostedFriday, February 12, 2016 at 6:15 PM Linda Kekelis has added a question: "Hi Lisa, do you have resources and strategies to share for bringing engineering to students in rural communities? Linda Kekelis has added a question: "Hi Lisa, do you have resources and strategies to share for bringing engineering to students in rural communities? " Show More
Changing the Game in STEM with Family Engagement PostedApril 18, 2019 UpdatedApril 18, 2019 Posted byLinda Kekelis https://43ot971vwwe7okplr1iw2ql1-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019... A white paper for practitioners and field leaders to empower families in STEM. Leaders of innovative STEM program are showing how to bring parents to the table as key stakeholders, empower parents with resources, bridge research and practice, and implement family engagement at scale. With this white paper we want to raise awareness of innovative efforts and challenge program leaders, funders, corporate partners, and policy-makers to act on family engagement. Read More Average Ratings 1 Reviews1 Q&A0
Introduce a Girl (and Her Family) to Engineering Day PostedFebruary 18, 2019 UpdatedFebruary 19, 2019 Posted byLinda Kekelis https://code.likeagirl.io/introduce-a-girl-and-her-family-to-engineering-day-b3d... Girls want to make the world a better place. Engineers are doing just that. Imagine if girls understood their potential for engineering solutions for clean water, safe streets, or accessible technologies. Imagine if parents understood their potential in making these dreams come to life. This blog offers five ideas to empower parents on Introduce Their Girl to Engineering Day and the days and weeks after. Read More Average Ratings 1 Reviews1 Q&A0
Holiday Gift Ideas to Inspire Every Girl in STEM PostedDecember 13, 2017 UpdatedDecember 13, 2017 Posted byLinda Kekelis https://code.likeagirl.io/holiday-gift-ideas-to-inspire-every-girl-in-stem-e601c... Gifts ideas for toys, books, and enrichment experiences to inspire girls in engineering, science, and technology. For girls who don't have a STEM role model in their famiy these ideas may be a catalyst to a lifelong passion for engineering. Read More Average Ratings 0 Reviews0 Q&A0
Linda Kekelis, Linda Kekelis Consulting asked Malinda Zarske, University of Colorado, Boulder Posted Tuesday, August 8, 2017 at 5:58 PM Malinda, do you have resources or research to share on your project-based work with students in K-12? 0 Answers
Linda Kekelis, Linda Kekelis Consulting asked Almetria Vaba, KQED Posted Tuesday, August 8, 2017 at 5:50 PM Hi Almetria. Welcome to LinkEngineering! I would love to know more about KQED’s Engineering Curriculum, Engineering for Good. 0 Answers
Linda Kekelis , Linda Kekelis Consulting submitted an answer on "What are your thoughts on covering engineers like celebrities?" Posted Wednesday, March 9, 2016 at 12:48 PM I like the video and don’t mind confessing that I also like pop culture TV programs like E! Entertainment. There is something rather addictive about how pop culture uses fast-paced features to draw us in to what’s happening. I think what we need is MORE and DIFFERENT, many more efforts and more diverse approaches through social media to get the word out about what engineering is and who does engineering.... I like the video and don’t mind confessing that I also like pop culture TV programs like E! Entertainment. There is something rather addictive about how pop culture uses fast-paced features to draw us in to what’s happening. I think what we need is MORE and DIFFERENT, many more efforts and more diverse approaches through social media to get the word out about what engineering is and who does engineering. There is no one-size-fits-all approach since so many different kinds of people are needed to do engineering. What I would like to see are opportunities for youth to be involved in the design and testing of different approaches that showcase engineering to find out what works for them. Let’s provide opportunities for kids from different backgrounds to use the design process to make engineering accessible and inviting to them. Show More
Review Linda Kekelis, Linda Kekelis Consulting posted a review on "The Engineering Design Process: A Taco Party" Posted Friday, July 21, 2017 at 6:01 PM Bringing the Engineering Design Process to life with a video I love the mashup of the engineering design process with planning a taco party. By going with a topic that is fun and relatable, I think the video is likely to capture and hold kids’ attention. Who’s not going to like tacos and parties? I could see using the video as a jump-start to introducing the ... Read More
Review Linda Kekelis, Linda Kekelis Consulting posted a review on "Engaging the Community with Family Engineering Nights" Posted Monday, June 26, 2017 at 12:04 PM Engaging the Community with Family Engineering Nights- Teaching Channel blog by Lisa Rickey I appreciate the back story to Lisa Rickey’s blog about how she is introducing engineering to families in her community. The blog will be very helpful to anyone considering hosting a Family Engineering experience for the first time or looking to improve their efforts if they are already doing ... Read More
Review Linda Kekelis, Linda Kekelis Consulting posted a review on "Engineering a Mindset: Exploring an Elementary Engineering Classroom" Posted Friday, March 17, 2017 at 1:06 PM Lessons learned and inspiration to introduce engineering in elementary school Zoe—thanks for sharing such a personal account of bringing engineering to your students. Your candor about your own feelings and lessons learned along the way make the introduction of engineering into classrooms and to young learners seem possible. I especially appreciated hearing about what ... Read More
Comment Linda Kekelis , Linda Kekelis Consulting commented on a "Building Bridges Between Art and STEM" Posted Friday, September 7, 2018 at 5:25 PM Comment by Linda Kekelis Shelley--thanks for sharing. I really like the idea of writing about a conference. How often do we attend a conference and get excited while listening to speakers and hearing new ideas, but return to home, jump into work, and forget about the conference? I know that happens to me. After my last conference I made a promise to myself that going forward I will write a blog about my reflections from ... Read More Shelley--thanks for sharing. I really like the idea of writing about a conference. How often do we attend a conference and get excited while listening to speakers and hearing new ideas, but return to home, jump into work, and forget about the conference? I know that happens to me. After my last conference I made a promise to myself that going forward I will write a blog about my reflections from a workshop, interaction with a speaker or another attendee, or hands-on experience at the conference. Read Less
Comment Linda Kekelis , Linda Kekelis Consulting commented on a "Girls in STEM" Posted Thursday, October 12, 2017 at 2:29 PM Comment by Linda Kekelis Jackie, thanks for sharing this personal story about your journey in engineering and your mentoring experiences. It is clear from your blog that you helped change the mindset of the girls you mentored. I loved hearing how the girls became more comfortable with challenges. Imagine if every girl had someone to challenge and support her! We could have so many more young women going into engineering ... Read More Jackie, thanks for sharing this personal story about your journey in engineering and your mentoring experiences. It is clear from your blog that you helped change the mindset of the girls you mentored. I loved hearing how the girls became more comfortable with challenges. Imagine if every girl had someone to challenge and support her! We could have so many more young women going into engineering and technical fields. Read Less
Comment Linda Kekelis , Linda Kekelis Consulting commented on a "Is It Cool, or Uncool, To Be a Nerd?" Posted Friday, September 15, 2017 at 3:49 PM Comment by Linda Kekelis Geek, nerd. What do these terms mean and what are their impact? It’s complicated. It depends on who is using them and how they’re being used. In my research at Techbridge Girls, I heard girls use these terms to describe people they imagined working in engineering and technology. Along with the terms, girls described engineers and tech workers in these ways--super stressed, working alone inside ... Read More Geek, nerd. What do these terms mean and what are their impact? It’s complicated. It depends on who is using them and how they’re being used. In my research at Techbridge Girls, I heard girls use these terms to describe people they imagined working in engineering and technology. Along with the terms, girls described engineers and tech workers in these ways--super stressed, working alone inside an office, and likely to be white and male. The stereotypes didn’t inspire them to want to pursue careers in engineering or computer science. On the flip side, I also heard girls embrace the terms geek and nerd. One year a group of Techbridge Girls created t-shirts for themselves. They brainstormed ideas and landed on “Geek is Chic” for their Techbridge Girls t-shirts. They were proud to wear the shirts and own the identity of being a geek, which for them was positive in their after-school program. There are a number of programs, organizations and books that use these terms. In Geek Girl Rising, authors Heather Cabot and Samantha Walravens celebrate women who are building tech start-ups, investing in each other’s ventures, and creating networks of support. “The book is a call to action for women to think big and act bold, to not allow the obstacles that lie in their path to stop them from achieving their goals, and to create a roadmap to success for others to follow.” Cal NERDS is a program at my alma mater, the University of California, Berkeley. The program is for non-traditional undergraduate and graduate students in STEM fields. The program is all about building community and offering resources like academic counseling and research experience. It's about making a more diverse STEM workforce. So, while I wouldn’t use geek and nerd to recruit kids to STEM programs I do understand that these terms can be taken on to mean more than the stereotypes. Read Less