In the past week and a 1/2 we have been looking at equity and equality in technology education. Many things that I hadn't really put much thought into before. I teach in a small district that has gone 1:1. In essence the thought was when we gave each student a computer that the discussion of inequity or inequality had disappeared. It is clear after this weeks readings and my further studying for the podcast we can not write it off that easily. Giving students the computer was really the easy part.
My focus on gender equity made me think a lot about my classroom and my own children at home. Have I encouraged boys more than girls to use technology? I really don't feel like I have, but as Jo Sanders points out in her research- most teachers have no idea they are doing it! I've been thinking through the gender differences in my classroom. Do boys use the technology more than girls? Or are they just using it differently? I think it's probably the latter of the two. In my research I found several studies that found boys and girls generally spend a similar amount of time on the computer, but boys are spending more than 400% more time playing video games. Jo Sanders cited this, but also said that there isn't really a definite answer as to whether or not that is giving boys a large advantage. This was a study that I could totally relate to and it didn't really surprise me at all. In my classes I can recall maybe 2-3 girls total over the years who have talked about playing video games or computer games. I will say however in recent years I have heard more girls talking about games such as minecraft or minesweeper which are problem solving games.
The discussion of software for "girls" brings up the point of talking about if there is no gender inequity then why is it necessary to market for "girls"? This leads one to believe that the other marketing of software must be aimed at boys. The question I had at the end of my research and creating of the podcast is how can we begin to move girls in the direction of technology? Do girls simply need more experience or support in technology? Gatta and Trigg conducted a study on women in technology related jobs and educational programs and talked about the need to provide these young women with both role models and mentors in the program. This becomes difficult when the program may have only 10% or less of it's faculty that are women. We in education need to make sure that we are giving our young students people in the field to look up to and admire and also to turn to when they have questions. IT and computer science can often feel like a "boys club" and this may inhibit girls from attempting to join in, but I think given the right circumstances and support we could help girls be successful in the field.
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