Sie befinden Sich nicht im Netzwerk der Universität Paderborn. Der Zugriff auf elektronische Ressourcen ist gegebenenfalls nur via VPN oder Shibboleth (DFN-AAI) möglich. mehr Informationen...
Canadian woman studies, 1998-01, Vol.17 (4), p.89
1998

Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte
Titel
Gender and Technology: Looking to the Past
Ist Teil von
  • Canadian woman studies, 1998-01, Vol.17 (4), p.89
Ort / Verlag
Downsview: Centennial College
Erscheinungsjahr
1998
Link zum Volltext
Quelle
Literature Online (LION eBooks)
Beschreibungen/Notizen
  • Women often participate in the early stages of new technological fields, but once a field becomes successful and financially viable, women are excluded from decision-making positions. Despite [Ada Lovelace]'s brilliant contributions, she is seldom mentioned in history. In fact, there are still some who claim that Ada did not write the mathematical work that appeared under her name even though her own letters and notes prove otherwise (Coyle). The exclusion of the ENIAC women's stories from computer education courses is also a great injustice. And women continue to be left out. In Stephen Levy's recent book, Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution, the author adheres to the hero myth of computer culture by virtually excluding women from the field of study. Roberta Williams, the woman who authored the first computer adventure games while her husband, Ken, ran their computing shop, is referred to only obliquely in the one-third of the book dedicated to the computer game company she and her husband ran. In Levy's account, Roberta is portrayed as a housewife and mother whose authorship of the popular games was the least important part of the process (Coyle). Carol Gilligan suggests that girls are not attracted to computer programming because it forces them to go against their own values and ways of relating. "The demands of programming, which stress rules and winning, are incompatible with socialized female values, such as relational ethics." AAUW'S recent report, How Schools Shortchange Girls, finds that to counteract the societal constructs and notions attached to technology-related subjects, non-stressful environments must be created. They reinforce the findings of a 1986 study by Belenky et al. which says that, "Successful learning takes place in an atmosphere that enables students to empathetically enter the subject they are studying." Perry and Greber agree that in order to make computer technology more attractive to girls we need to remember that "understanding ... the socially constructed nature of computer use reveals the origins of technophobic reactions to be in social systems not in machines." There are specific strategies that can be introduced to reduce the gender imbalance while promoting personal growth. Specifically girls need to be educated about computers and given an opportunity to become familiar with how they work and how they can best be utilized. Teachers could offer after-school clubs, computer camps, and/or enrichment programs specifically targeted for girls. These extracurricular opportunities may provide girls with an chance to become familiar with computers in a non-stressful environment, as well as to "catch up" to boys experience levels. Furthermore, teachers should refrain from using gender inappropriate software in the classroom, that is, software that is targeted only for boys. As well, teachers could teach the history of computers and programming and include the contributions of women so that boys and girls receive an unbiased understanding of how technologies were developed and by whom. Finally, teachers should allow a greater variety of intellectual styles to flourish in relation to computer use in the classroom. Girls need to be taught to not only become familiar with the existing uses of the computer but also be encouraged to make their own creative decisions about how computers could be used in relation to their own lives. All of these strategies bring girls closer to technology as well as draw us one step closer to achieving our educational goals. This is an exciting time in the field of technology and education, together we can ensure that women are equal partners in the discovery, planning, and benefits of cyberspace.
Sprache
Englisch
Identifikatoren
ISSN: 0713-3235
Titel-ID: cdi_proquest_journals_217455273

Weiterführende Literatur

Empfehlungen zum selben Thema automatisch vorgeschlagen von bX