Oct 16th
Many girls came to camp only having used email, with less opportunity to compose with the range of digital tools available. In addition to gaining technical skill with these tools, the girls were encouraged to critically craft their own digital identities, producing new material rather than merely consuming existing information.
Discussions of safety and privacy are paramount to all technology users, and one goal of the Digital Mirror Camp was to make girls aware of how their actions are reflected in the media they use. The camp hoped to help adolescent girls feel more confident about their ability to use technology, and rather than see technology as something “boys do better,” realize that it is indeed a girls’ activity as well.
The twenty participants stayed in campus residence halls to enhance the mentoring and training environment. A number of research studies suggest that it is during early adolescence that girls begin receiving cultural messages that technology is not for them. Thus, a goal of the camp was to create a safe haven for girls to experiment with the newest literacy tools and to begin to create a digital presence that they could continue to sustain beyond the camp itself.
Besides time spent in the state of the art computer lab in the School of Art, campers were treated to a Thursday afternoon trip to COSI Toledo, where they took turns riding the human yo-yo, the climbing wall, and a number of other hands-on science activities.
Given the success of the camp and the enthusiasm of the participants and their parents, the English Department is exploring possibilities to sustain the camp as an annual summer event and to expand the curriculum to accommodate repeat participants.
