DHxGWC: Digital Humanities & Girls Who Code
DIGITAL HUMANITIES is the integration of technology and humanities-based subjects. This multidisciplinary perspective greatly broadens the possibilities in all fields of education. It results in using technology to study and investigate human culture, history, and language. Taking advantage of the constantly evolving technology allows for more efficient and more in depth analysis, visualization, discussion, and collaboration of data and resources. However, the field of digital humanities extends beyond just the applications of using technology. In order for technology to be integrated into these fields, there needs to be people who have the skills to use it. Among many of the reasons that coding is and will be a skill of rapidly growing demand is the role coding plays in even humanities-based subjects. Coding's rapidly growing set of applications only reiterates the importance of broadening the diversity of those who can code. In every field where computer science is used, different backgrounds, points of views, creative inspirations, passions, and experiences are an asset. This variety increases the quality of the solutions and products that are made. Therefore, a major interest of digital humanities is determining how coding can be more effectively taught to a wider population.
Three aspects of computer science introduction are when it is introduced, the curriculum it is introduced in, and the environment it is introduced in. Encouraging students to try coding begins in middle and high school. GIRLS WHO CODE is one of many organization who addresses this by reaching out to students before they have even began college. Throughout this summer, I have found many comparisons between the Girls Who Code methods and methods studied in digital humanities research. This has shown me several key factors of successful introductory courses. I believe these are specifically important to get right when teaching any class of students who have some type of reservation about computer science or never been explicitly encouraged to pursue computer science. This can be referring to a college student who wants to supplement a major they feel is completely unrelated with coding, or a high school student who isn't completely sure what computer science is and has never tried coding before. Starting to code is intimidating because coding has a relatively steep learning curve notoriously defined by creating code that doesn't compile. The pace of many current introductory programming courses is set for students who are confident they want to want to pursue it and are already energized to face this initial challenge. However, I believe that with the right guidance, motivation, and encouragement to patiently learn from their mistakes, anyone can overcome this hurdle. It is the people who can learn in this environment that future jobs are being created for in this new, interdisciplinary job market.
I have learned that the goal of introductory classes is not to create experts, but to create students who have gained the critical-thinking and problem-solving skills that they can apply to novel situations. The goal for students to be not only comfortable with what they know, but also know where they can go to keep learning and find help. While our summer program only has one week to spend on every unit, we emphasize skills that they can continue to strengthen throughout the summer and work to leave our students with a level of confidence in each language they use.
Secondly, I have seen several successful teaching strategies being implemented in our classroom. Especially during the week where we introduced our students to their first text-based language, Python, we found that explicit instructions and adequate time to absorb and become comfortable material (including the time to practice, contemplate, and revisit concepts) were crucial. Pair programming, step-by-step demonstrations, interactive practice, and project galleries are effective teaching strategies that have particularly worked for our students.
Additionally, it is very helpful to give students with as many real world examples as possible. In college, introductory courses are increasingly being offered by non-computer science departments, such as geography or psychology. These courses are most successful when they include practical examples related to their particular field, such as geography students analyzing data from weather patterns. In our class, we integrate real world applications as often as possible, both in using analogies to explain abstract concepts and in constantly showing students how relevant and practical uses of technology in their lives. For example, in our robotics unit, we began by researching ways robots have the potential to interact with humans and impact our lives, both currently and in the near future. Additionally, even I had a ton of fun learning to edit photos for the final Python project!
Finally, we have tried to build a supportive classroom environment. This includes both students encouraging students, and students being inspired by older females who use computer science in their jobs. Like some college courses are implementing seminars about females in computing, Girls Who Code has built a "Women in Tech" spotlight into the curriculum every day. Additionally, this week we got to have many guest speakers in our class. We heard from a Girls Who Code alumni and well as many women working at Warner Bros. Hearing from many women in a wide variety of jobs broadens the girls' views of who a computer scientists is and what they can do with their coding skills and knowledge. The women who have been the most impactful and memorable to me have been those who have gone beyond just sharing about their job, and have also shared their advice and encouragement. Being a minority in the computer science field is not easy, but having people to tell their stories and sacrifice their time to provide mentorship builds up the next generation. It prepares the next generation to be stronger and better equipped to take on the challenge and make an impact.
