Hi all,
Just a reminder that our panel discussion is coming up next Wednesday.
Also, please note a small change: you can now sign in and enter
directly at SRI's Building I, without having to go to Building A first.
Looking forward to seeing you there,
Beth McCullough & Shahani Towfiq
BayCHI-Kids' Co-chairs
DEVELOPING GIRLS' TECHNOLOGY FLUENCY
Wednesday, April 19, 2006.
6.30PM Networking
7PM Panel Presentation
SRI International
333 Ravenswood Avenue, Menlo Park
International Building
Directions at: http://www.sri.com/contact/ibldg.html
PANEL OVERVIEW:
Experts believe students need to become fluent with information
technology to gain a deep understanding of the fundamental concepts
behind how technologies work and to acquire an ability to use
technology tools to solve practical problems in different disciplines
(National Research Council, 1999). However, little is known about how
to identify and measure technological fluency. Further, girls express
little interest in becoming technologically fluent or in pursuing IT
careers (AAUW, 2000). Our panelists will describe how after-school
programs and settings can provide innovative and motivating learning
opportunities for girls to achieve technological fluency and to develop
interest in IT careers. The panelists will relate research on girls'
access to computers and the Internet, and then share specific research
on three community-based programs. Panelists will then dialogue with
the audience about how to support and assess technological fluency
across learning contexts.
PANELISTS
Rebecca London, University of California, Santa Cruz
Jill Denner, ETR Associates
Deborah Kim Emery, Center for Technology in Learning at SRI
International
Melissa Koch, Center for Technology in Learning at SRI International
PANELISTS' RESEARCH IN BRIEF
Rebecca London, University of California, Santa Cruz : A Longitudinal
Study of Girls' Access to Computers and the Internet
Although adolescent girls have begun to close the gender gap in science
and math coursework, they continue to lag behind boys in
technology-related coursework, particularly at the advanced level
(American Association of University Women Educational Foundation 1998).
Access to computers and the Internet at home affects school attendance,
high school graduation, and other educational outcomes. This study will
describe the findings from a longitudinal study of how home computer
and Internet access for girls ages 5-17 has changed. The data will be
used to describe changes over time in girls' home computer and Internet
access, where they use the Internet (e.g., school and the library), and
the family and personal characteristics that affect the probability of
home computer and Internet access. This study will also describe
variations across subgroups of the population, including differences by
race/ethnicity, age group, family type, metropolitan status, and region
of residence. Finally, the data will be used to offer comparisons
between girls and boys in their access to computers and the Internet at
home, and their use of the Internet at other locations.
Jill Denner, ETR Associates: Girls Creating Games: The Development of
Information Technology Fluency
Girls Creating Games is an after school and summer program which
utilizes a constructivist approach to put girls in the role of
producers (not just users) of technology. Girls learn to design and
program an interactive "choose your own adventure" game. In addition to
game design, program activities encourage identity formation, link
technology with real-world applications, support collaboration, and
connect girls with technical female role models. This program has led
to significant gains in some aspects of IT fluency for participating
girls. In our study, we describe the process through which participants
develop IT fluency. We collected data to determine how producing
technology in programming pairs affects girls' fluency, interest,
active participation, and persistence in technology studies. We will
report on the girls' fluency with regard to problem solving,
creativity, and conceptual understanding.
Deborah Kim Emery, Center for Technology in Learning at SRI
International : Learning Opportunities for Adolescent Girls in a
Community Technology Center
Community technology centers (CTCs) are contexts in which youth find
safe havens and opportunities to engage in authentic learning
opportunities with peers and adults, as well as new technologies. Teen
TechArts is an after-school, community-based program intended to foster
belonging and a sense of safety by providing opportunities for girls to
interact with one another and a clear program structure. Using a
sociocultural lens and ethnographic methods, this research examines how
girls' participation in activities and use of technology tools within
activities transformed over time. Three profiles of participant
trajectories revealed that negotiation of new roles was an individual
process and followed a nonlinear pattern, and that the opportunities
provided by Teen TechArts were such that participants did negotiate
increased ownership of the program and take on greater responsibilities
over time, but participants also went back and forth between roles as
"participants" using technology and "instructors" helping younger youth
learn how to use it.
Melissa Koch, Center for Technology in Learning at SRI International :
Build IT: Supporting Girls in Building Their Information Technology
Fluency Through Design
Build IT is a design- and problem-based curriculum that capitalizes on
girls' interest in design and communication technologies. In this
after-school program for low-income middle school students, girls
develop IT fluency, interest in math and taking math courses, and
knowledge of IT careers. Girls learn from IT professionals about IT
careers and participate as design partners in the software engineering
process. By introducing girls to women professionals in IT, the project
directly challenges girls' stereotypes about the types of careers
available in IT as well as the characteristics and lives of people in
IT careers.The Build IT program includes embedded performance tasks
that support girls in demonstrating their understanding of and skills
in using and programming information technology to themselves, youth
leaders, teachers, and parents/guardians.
http://www.baychi.org/bof/kids/
|