Bridge the Gender Gap

           What comes to mind when you think of professions such as construction worker, engineer, computer programmer, and architects? These are all male dominated careers.  Gender differences are everywhere, especially in the field of technology. There are many factors contributing to gender gaps in technology. As educators what are some steps we can take to level the divide?

  

            Picciano (2011) explains that as females advance into middle school and high school, there is a lack of interest in technology. Removing barriers is critical to increase female participation in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) related fields. According to the following video by Microsoft Research (2013), by 2018, there will be more than 1.4 million tech jobs open in the United States and only 29 percent will be filled by women.  

            There is a lack of awareness of the importance of computer science and the global impact. Educators can bridge the gap through diversity and creativity by acting as role models for young girls. Women mentoring young females will engage and encourage them to pursue careers in the field of technology.  

            According to Huhman (2012), the U.S. Department of Commerce noted the lack of female engineers with a 1:7 female to male ratio. Furthermore, since 2000 there has not been an employment growth in STEM careers, with a staggering 20 percent of females earning bachelor’s degrees in computer science. According to Heemskerk, Ten Dam, Volman, and Admiraal (2009), females enjoy technology that emphasizes creativity such as electronic games and software where males favor games that are action oriented and focus on competition. Picciano (2011) explains that gender attitudes toward technology also contribute to gender gaps. This divide indicates males tend to favor activities such as computer clubs, going to summer computer camps and majoring in computer science in college. Therefore, if technology skills improve over time, males will be more successful in technology related fields. Understanding gender preferences relating to technology is important when creating curriculum that is appealing to females.

            Everyone has a teacher who stands out to them as making a difference in their education and possibly their career path. But as educators, how can we remove barriers to engage more females in technology? Stereotypes begin at an early age; therefore, it is critical for educators to introduce and encourage STEM related subjects to females as soon as they enroll in school. Changing biases is not an overnight process, and will require a deliberate effort to change skewed perceptions. According to Huhman (2012), encouraging females to study technology through programs such as computer clubs and beginner programming courses should be implemented in elementary school. These programs allow females to explore and develop new interests in technology as well as expanding career options in the future. In addition, featuring the accomplishments of women in STEM fields will inspire young girls to follow in their footsteps.

References

                         

Heemskerk, I., Ten Dam, G., Volman, M., & Admiraal W. (2009). 

          Gender inclusiveness in educational technology and 

           learning experiences of girls and boys. Journal of 

           Research of Technology in Education, 41(3), 253-276.

Huhman H. R. (2012). STEM fields and the gender gap: where 

           are the women Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.

           forbes.com/sites/work-in-progress/2012/06/20/stem-

           fields-and-the-gender-gap-where-are-the-women/

Microsoft Research. (2013, February 15). Helping bridge the 

           gender gap in computing careers [Video file]. 

           Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

           xnEJp8ef_sE

Picciano, A. G. (2011). Educational leadership and planning for 

           technology (5th ed.) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Social Media

                 Social media has become the easiest way to stay in touch with family, friends from high school and college, and colleagues. Like most, I typically begin my day by logging on to Facebook to get the latest updates from my friends and family. Social media has become such a mainstay in everyone’s life, regardless of age. Tweens to 80-year-olds enjoy interacting online for various reasons, but it all boils down to communication.  

     My example of social media interaction is a conversation on Facebook that occurred a couple of years after graduation. According to the MAPS heuristic, this social media thread is very casual with a goal of staying in touch. One person tagged everyone from the same graduating class to share what was going on in their life. Everyone from the graduating class had news to share. It was amazing to see where everyone was working, as well as information from their personal life. This thread could have been the start to many conversations through the existing thread, a new thread, or private message. Collaborating with others by sharing lesson plans and strategies that work in the classroom is an exciting way to continue a relationship, even if it is simply through social media. This thread could have been more digitally enhanced by adding photos and video. Even though life gets busy, staying in touch is easy through social media because it offers so many features.

     Since social media is so embedded in our lives, it only makes sense to integrate it into the classroom. Educators have an obligation to teach students to become responsible digital citizens. Johnson (2010) explains that teachers should advocate using social media in the classroom to teach students how to become knowledgeable users. We would not give a brand new car to a 13-year-old without a license. Yet most 13-year-olds are given permission to explore and use social media without learning how to use all of the features safely. According to Hicks (2013), young people are constructing their identities, building (or destroying) relationships, creating new opportunities for learning, and remixing media to create new compositions. Students use social media to discuss, promote, and share their thoughts and opinions with the world. According to Hicks (2013), encouraging students to think about what they are saying in text, will help them to present a positive image and participate in a variety of communities safely. Teaching students to become responsible digital citizens is critical because their digital footprint will remain with them for the rest of their life. 

References

Hicks, T. (2013). Crafting digital writing: Composing texts across media and 

     genres. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Johnson, S. 2010, March 11. Guest Blog: Making the case for social media

     in education. Edutopia. Retrieved November 21, 2014, from 

     www.edutopia.org/social-media-case-education-edchat-steve-
                 johnson.

Crafting Video Texts

 

Creating or editing movies has always been exciting but also overwhelming for me. The process can be time consuming and frustrating. Each editing service is different, and it takes time to get to know and understand the various programs. As educators, we must remember that our digital native students often have the same struggles with technology, but they are excited to try to use new forms of technology. Compared to traditional writing, digital writing must begin with a very similar draft process. Hicks (2013) explained that when starting a technology-rich project, students benefit from a sketch, a storyboard, even a conversation. Planning is the key to success when creating a digital project because it requires organization and structure. Students of all ages need time to think about the design and content of their project. While prewriting and drafting, students need to document images, text, transitions, and create a script to be prepared for creating the digital video and text. Planning for the final product will lessen the stress and prevent students from becoming overwhelmed during the process.

Hicks (2013) explained that first educators must focus on the writer, then the writing, and finally the technology. As educators, we need to utilize the strengths and interests of our students. Writing can be a difficult task for students because it requires students to organize their thoughts into a fluent text. Digital writing allows students to jump into the writing process in a way that is engaging for the students. In my experience, I have found that students are anxious to finish the drafting process to get the technology component.

Educators have an important role to provide good examples of mentor text as well as modeling the research process for images, text, and video. Jenny Maehara provides some great examples of digital mentor texts. Students need to feel comfortable utilizing search engines to find material for any type of presentation. Richard Byrne offers several search engines that are intended for student academic use. As students utilize and create video text, the more digital literate they will become. Hicks (2013) stated that students can search or create images, graphs, or other visuals. With devices such as smart phones, taking pictures and recording video has become easier than ever. Google Docs allows students to create graphs online without needing additional software. Encouraging students to become familiar with searching and creating resources will foster creativity and provide a purpose for their project.
        According to Hicks (2013), crafting a multimedia project requires more than recording when the MAPS heuristic is utilized in the creation process. I revised my video introduction by using iMove. This editing software is very user friendly and offers several templates. I incorporated narration, transitions, music, and text to my video. I particularly like the iMovie app because it can be used on a hand-held device. When the iMovie app is installed on the iPad, an extension of the app can be accessed from the photo editor. This feature is very beneficial to the classroom to create and edit video quickly and effectively.

           

References:

Hicks, T. (2013). Crafting digital writing: Composing texts across media and 

     genres. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

(2014). Editing Video In iOS 8 With the iMovie Extension. Retrieved November 
     1, 2014, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_FzeZ0PlxM.

(2010). Seven Search Engines for Students - Free Technology for Teachers.

     Retrieved November 1, 2014, from

     http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2010/08/seven-search-engines-for-

     students.html.

(2013). Using Digital Mentor Texts in Writing Workshop - Raising Voices: 
     Thoughts on Teaching, Learning, and  Leading. Retrieved November 
     1, 2014, from https://teach2change.wordpress.com/2013/07/17/using-
     digital-mentor-texts-in-writing-workshop/.



Creating Digital Presentations

            The majority of educators are stuck in time and do not explore new technology available to create engaging presentations. Hicks (2013) explained that students should not create “power pointless” presentations. Teaching students at an early age to design engaging presentations is imperative to break the cycle of ineffective presentations. Technology can be very effective or ineffective in presentations. The majority of the time, a presenter will check technology off of the list because a PowerPoint presentation was incorporated into the presentation. Typically PowerPoint presentations are very lengthy and boring, causing the audience to become disengaged. There are new and exciting digital presentation tools that will motivate students to create engaging presentations inside and outside of the classroom. For example, I created a digital presentation using PowToon. The website was very easy and fun to use.

             Handouts are a good tool to refer to information later, but needs to be used in an effective way to retain the attention of the audience. When given a handout with all of the information provided, I will tune out the presenter because most of the time they will read the bullet points word for word. In the Edutopia (2012) video, educator Kate Summers found that students learn material best when presenting the material. In the video, a group chose to use Google Presentations and created fill in the blank handouts for their classmates to take notes. Since the student audience were required to fill in the blanks, they were more likely to remain engaged in the presentation. 

            Students must concentrate on presenting material to leave a lasting impression. Hicks (2013) stated that the “stickiness” of a presentation as well as the presenter’s ability to tell a story will determine the effectiveness of the presentation.  In order to be successful, students need time to think about the purpose of their presentation and how they would like to present it to their audience. The revision and editing process is especially difficult for elementary students.  Story-like elements are easier for a young editor to identify and more beneficial to the creator of the presentation. Hicks (2013) emphasized the importance of focusing on qualitative properties instead of a quantitative list when reviewing a presentation. Duarte (2008) noted that arrangement, visual elements, and movement are the key to success when creating effective slide design. PicMonkey is a free online tool that allows students to edit photos that will benefit their presentation. Focusing more on aesthetic appeal instead of solely focusing on grammatical correctness will teach students how to revise and edit effectively. Ultimately, teaching students to present material in an engaging way will provide confidence to the presenter.     

                                                        
                                                     References

Duarte, N. (2008). Slide:ology: The art and science of creating great 
      presentations (1^st ed.). Sebastopol, CA:O’Reilly Media.

Edutopia. (2012, September 12). Collaborative digital presentations enrich 

      projects [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com
      /watch?v=KzCQH58Bwpo

 

Hicks, T. (2013). Crafting digital writing: Composing texts across media and 

     genres. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Photo editor | PicMonkey: Free Online Photo Editing. (n.d.). Retrieved 
     October 12, 2014.  

PowToon, free business presentation software animated video ... 
     (n.d.). Retrieved October 12, 2014.