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.

It’s never too early or too late to engage girls in engineering. I have supported girls in after-school programs in elementary, middle, and high schools and they all discovered a love for engineering design and many found an interest in a career in engineering. While the experiences were tailored to their ages, what they have in common are the following elements: 1) recruitment strategies that are personalized and welcoming to girls who already have an interest as well as girls who don’t know that they might like to do engineering; 2) a physical and social environment that is welcoming to girls; 3) projects that are open-ended so that they can accommodate a wide range of prior experiences and personal interests; 4) connection to interests that are relevant to girls; 5) the right balance of fun and challenge with encouragement from adults that promotes growth mindset; and 6) opportunities to explore careers connected with projects which involves role models who are trained to be engaging. Jackie and others interested in engaging more girls in engineering, I’ll be working on a series of blogs about ways to recruit and retain girls in engineering programs that I hope you will find of interest. 

The Afterschool Alliance produced a paper, Digital Badges in Afterschool, which describes case studies of five digital badging pilot projects run through the Afterschool Alliance and the statewide afterschool networks in Maryland, Michigan, Ohio, Oregon, and Rhode Island. The project was funded by the MacArthur Foundation and offers lots of lessons learned and practical ideas for your consideration. You can access the paper at http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/documents/DigitalBadgesInAfterschool.pdf