You know, for kids! 7 tips for improving tech education in our schools

This talk will cover how raising confident daughters with access to technology and mentors isn't enough. In this example, the speaker will show how a high school programming class is a microcosm of the open source tech world, and how these negative experiences early on are enough to turn girls away from persuing tech careers later. With a real-life example, Rikki will discuss what can (and does) go wrong in early computing education, and how the environment can be improved dramatically without affecting staffing or budgets. The talk will also show specific examples of the overwhelming backlash that occurs when women and girls speak up about harassment. Attendees will take away specific ideas for improving technology education at home and in schools, with the achievable goal of creating a more inclusive, diverse tech field in the near future.