Entering Contests Inspires Students!
Iget notices about dozens of contests a year, and most of them land in the recycle bin. But two years ago,
one competition intrigued me—a web
design contest sponsored by the Michigan Council of Women in Technology (MCWT)—and I encouraged my
students to apply for it. Three of my
students entered, and each came away
with impressive recognition for their
efforts: Two placed in the top 12, and
one received an honorable mention.
As an educator, I am constantly
looking for ways to connect my teaching to context, and this experience
made me appreciate the real-world
application that contests provide. Kids
want meaning—not subtle or hidden
meaning, but in-your-face meaning.
After the positive results in the first
go-around, I decided to make enter-
ing the MCWT contest mandatory for
all of my female web design students
(the contest was open only to girls).
My male students did not enter the
contest but did design websites as if
they were contestants, and they were
perfectly happy supporting their class-
mates, knowing that women are still
outnumbered in the world of com-
puter science.
1. Social networking can fuel success
and engage students. Aside from
the sheer amount of work done in
class, students also sent 89 emails, 26
tweets, and 22 Facebook messages to
me asking for feedback. Many students just wanted me to read a paragraph or check an edited photo. They
wanted quality at every step. It makes
me proud to see this type of learning
engagement surface through the use
of social networking.
2. Students take pride in their work.
They spent significant time before
school, after school, and at home
modifying their work. Depending
on whether they entered the beginner or advanced category, the first-place prizes were $450 and $750,
respectively. Sure, they wanted to
win the money, but the generous
prizes also indicated that this was a
serious contest and they would have
serious competition. This motivated
them to do their best work, and they
rose to the challenge.
