Goal:
- Include outside voices to offer additional perspectives in the curriculum and engage students.
- Meeting professionals that have a similar background or culture to your students can help inspire them and inform them of future possibilities.
- These connections are particularly important to low-income and first-generation students since they generally don’t live in a community that is already connected to the networks in computer science fields.
- Additional input from outside voices creates more opportunities for students to connect to the material than might occur with only the voice of a teacher.
- Invite individuals from various backgrounds, professions, and cultures into the classroom.
- Get acquainted with communities that specialize in connecting students with diverse professionals.
- It helps to follow these communities on social media so you can keep up with the work they're doing.
- Here are a few places to start:
- Black Girls Code
- Blacks in Technology
- Hispanic Heritage Foundation
- NCWIT
- Clubs on campuses at your local colleges
- This can have a big impact on your classroom because students get motivated as they learn about opportunities and career paths from visiting professionals.