web 2.0 and gurls presented by dr. lesley farmer california state university, long beach...
TRANSCRIPT
What’s the Situation?
Are girls interested in technology?
YES! About 67% of 9-12 year old girls do and over 90% of 13-17 year old girls do
Do they use it the same way boys do?
NO! Girls use it more for education and communication; boys use it for entertainment
So What’s the Problem?? Girls don’t like the computer culture: They find programming to be boring They don’t like the nature of most
computer games They see few female role models And their attitude becomes more
problematic when they hit adolescence because of social issues…
… by the way, did you know that parents are more likely to buy computers for boys than girls?
What Happens in Schools? Technology-enhanced projects are gender-
neutral or more male oriented. Girls are discouraged from taking advanced
tech courses. Girls lack info about the impact of technology
on salaries and promotions. Girls tend to classify all tech jobs as
masculine.
Using the Web to Engage Teen Girls ¾ of teen girls use the Internet. Business, organizations and education
build web sites to attract teen girls. Companies are selling “girlie” equipment. Marketeers are reaching out to teens to
get information about current trends.
Tips to Engage Girls with Tech
Provide choice Get the girls’ input – and act on it Make it social: encourage buddy learning Focus on communication – and human
relationships Encourage intellectual risk-taking Emphasize effort more than mastery Have fun!
Focus on Megasites
What happens when searching for “teen girls and technology”?
Lots of news, programs, AND megasites that link to many other web
sites: a likely place for girls to start surfing, particularly if they’re looking on their own
What Do Megasites Look Like?
Pretty much the same: pages of text arranged alphabetically, like this: http://dmoz.org/Kids_and_Teens/Teen_Life/Girls_Only
… and pretty much to the same web sites. DMOZ is an Open Directory Project, and is the
basis for dozens of these teen girl megasites.
What Are the Ten 10 Topics? Magazines Online communication (chat, blogs) Advice … and gossip Teen issues (relationships, appearance, self-
esteem, drug abuse, etc.) Sex Health and fitness Fashion and beauty Entertainment Recreation and pastimes Occult
Runner-Up Topics Sports Current events Money Academics Careers … fewer than 10% talk about
technology
How About the Site Names?
www.gURL.com www.girlslife.com www.girlsplace.com www.girlsite.com www.girland.com Can you tell them
apart?
1/3 of Domain Names include the word “Teen” or “Girl” How many ways can you spell
“girl”? Girls Gurl Grrl Grrrls Girlz Gurlz … there’s also Babz, Chicks,
and Minx
Commercial Megasites
These are flashier, better organized, and more fun!: http://www.go-girl.com
The covert agenda is to sell products and to gather data (through cookies, surveys, etc.)
Some are highly interactive, like this one (can you guess who owns this?) http://www.girltech.com
The creator is Radica games (electronic entertainment)
Benefits of Commercial Megasites
Some give useful info: health, teen issues, technology support
Tech industries partner with education and government to prepare girls for tech jobs:
http://www.ignite-us.org http://www.girlsforachange.org … just teach girls how to view them critically
Organizational Megasites
Female advocacy groups have created some very good web sites, although they’re not as glitzy as commercial ones:
http://www.girlsbestfriend.org/artman/publish/links_girls.shtml
http://www.engineergirl.org http://www.techup.org/
Girl Scouts has national, council, and troop sites that focus on technology.
Government and Educational Megasites Education and government support teen girl
engagement in technology through projects and web sites:
http://www.smartgirl.org http://www.girlpower.gov http://research.umbc.edu/~korenman/wmst/
links_girls.html -- I really like this one http://mercury.mvhs.net/resources/
resources_for_girls.html -- made by teens
Tipping Point
Female millenials in tech jobs BinaryGirl.com Blogging/webcasting High school courses More girls than boys have web
pages
What Can Librarians Do? Bookmark megasites to attract girls when they
use the Internet – make them easy to find! Include these megasites on school portals Link to projects that support girls’ career
exploration Alert the school community about these
megasites Develop learning activities that use these
megasites Teach information literacy using these
megasites
References American Association of University Women (2000). Tech-savvy: Educating girls in the
new computer age. Washington, DC: AAUW. Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. (2003). Girls go tech. New York: Girl Scouts of the U.S.A.
http://girlscouts.org/girlsgotech/index.html Hackbarth, S. (2001, April). Changes in primary students’ computer literacy as a
function of classroom use and gender. TechTrends, 45(4), 19-27. Koszalka, T. (2002). Technology resources as a mediating factor in career interest
development. Educational Technology & Society, 5(2), 29-38. National School Boards Foundation. (2003). Safe & smart. Alexandria, VA: NSBF. Notess, G. (2003, Oct. 13). Search engine showdown reviews. Silverman, S. & Pritchard, A.M. (1999, Sept. 17). Building their future: Girls and
technology education in Connecticut. Digital Library and Archives. http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JTE/v7n2/silverman.jte-v7n2.html
UNICEF. (2003). Girls’ education: Focus on technology. New York: UNICEF. http://www.unicef.org/girlseducation/index_focus_technology.html
U. S. Department of Commerce. (2002). A nation online: How Americans are expanding their use of the Internet. Washington, DC: U. S. Dept. of Commerce. http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/dn/.