Things You Should Know Before You Get Started

To create better computing technology, computing development teams need to have different perspectives, different points of view, and different approaches to problem solving. Men and women represent these different perspectives : While men usually focus on the computer and its technology, women most often focus on what the computer can do for society. Bringing these divergent personalities and abilities to the table creates better products , a fact that industry now realizes. Bringing these diver-gent personalities and abilities to the table creates better products , a fact that industry now realizes ...;

Tracy Ca m p is associate professor in the Department of Math and Computer Sciences at the Colorado School of Mines and co - chair of the Association for Computing Machinery Committee on Women in Computing.

http://cra.org/Activities/craw/Syllabus-Camp.pdf

Perspective is Everything

• You are the best judge of your own computing needs. There are some computer-savvy people who would have you believe that if you're not doing all your work on a computer, something is wrong with you. Don't buy that for a minute. Computer use is not an all-or-nothing proposition: learn what you need to know now and save the rest for later. Only you can accurately gauge the potential for using your computer in your daily working and living.


• People learn at different rates. Just because your kids, your husband or your co-worker have mastered the fine points of PC applications while you're still having difficulty with the basics doesn't mean they're smarter than you are. Work at your own pace and let the rest of the world take care of itself.


• It is perfectly normal to be intimidated or uneasy about computers at first. They are indeed complex devices with enormous potential; still, they're only machines. With continued practice and exposure, you will discover that computers are much less mysterious and scary than you had originally thought they were.


• You are smarter than any computer: your brain at rest is far more powerful than the most advanced PC working at its capacity. Computers are incapable of most mental tasks you take for granted, including intuition, independent learning, associative memory, creativity, dedication, emotion and flexibility.


• Even if you don't have a home computer, every enterprise on which you depend uses this equipment. You need a basic understanding of how the system works in order to take care of yourself and your family, protect yourself against fraud and fight for your rights.


• Everyone who uses computers was once a raw beginner--including your instructor.


• Concentrate and focus on how great it is to prove what women really can do, after all what we are doing, women can manage IT too. In time, you'll feel more at home.

Back to the Top | Home