Spotlight on Digital Media And Learning

5.6.10 | Today we published two new stories about technology and gender. Here are some related stories from around the web:

- MinnPost.com takes a look at government and educational efforts to boost girls’ participation in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and math). PBS is taking a booster role with its launch earlier this year of “SciGirls,” a series featuring real girls engaged in scientific activities.

“We believe that that there is a certain appeal in showing real girls who are not actors,” said the series producer, Kathy Shugrue. “The kids want to see girls who are like themselves.”

Theres also a “SciGirls” for teachers website.

- Universities are also reaching out to girls—some of whom are still years away from choosing majors—to get them thinking about science and technology careers. Michelle Craig, a University of Toronto computer science professor, came up with the idea for Gr8 Designs for Gr8 Girls, a full-day workshop that shows how computers can be used to work with other people.

“In my classes it doesn’t feel that different than 20 years ago,” Craig told the Toronto Star, referring to the low number of female students pursuing computer science.

According to the Computing Research Association, in 2002, women accounted for only 19 percent of undergraduate degrees in computer science and engineering in the United States and Canada. By 2007, that number was down to 12 percent. The New York Times has more on the data.

- A recent story in the Harvard Crimson notes that computer science is “the most gender-skewed concentration offered at Harvard, with women comprising only 13 percent of undergraduate CS majors.” By comparison, at Princeton, women account for 19 percent of computer science majors, and at Stanford it’s 14 percent.

Evan R. Rosenman talked with Harvard students about why the numbers are so low. The answers ranged from girls not wanting to be perceived as nerds in high school to difficulty making social connections if you’re one of the only girls in the class:

“Freshman year, I found it really difficult to find people to work with,” [Jean] Yang said, adding that she believed many males “wound up [living] with other guys who did math or physics or CS, and they all worked together,” but she lacked this option because her roommates were all studying humanities.

[Nivedita] Sarnath agreed with Yang: “It is still true that guys tend to work with guys, and that makes it a little more difficult if you don’t know any other girls in your class, to find someone to work with.”

Some women also noted that collaborating on problem sets in larger groups often brought out gender-related differences in work habits and communication styles.

[Lee E.] Evangelakos said that her interactions with male CS concentrators had sometimes led her to doubt her own qualifications.

“Even the guys who you take all your classes with will sometimes try to explain things to you that you already know,” Evangelakos said.

For the record, Yang is now pursuing her computer science Ph.D. at MIT.

Plus: Sexism and isolation don’t end at graduation. In a lengthy New York Times story, Claire Cain Miller interviews women with stunning academic degrees and technology backgrounds on the barriers they face to securing funding for start-up ventures. The story discusses programs to engage women in technology at younger ages and how to structure support systems for women in the field.

- More girls are giving up hand-held dolls at younger ages and turning to online doll play, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer. The website Stardoll.com, which bills itself as “the world’s largest online fashion and games community for girls,” and Barbie’s EverythingGirl.com both rank among the top 10 websites for girls age 8 to 12.

Writing in repsonse, Rik Panganiban of Global Kids questions whether this transition is a good thing.

Do these online toy-based worlds provide the kind of youth development experiences that will prepare our young people to be successful, creative, social and smart adults, in the way that traditional play does? Or are they preparing young people to be passive consumers of content and goods?

I guess it depends on which worlds your child is spending his or her time in. There are worlds that provide more opportunities for unguided play and creativity and ones that are just another form of crass marketing. I’m less concerned about a girl hanging out with her guild online to plan their next raid or a boy creating art and sharing it with his friends, than I am about the mindless collection of virtual points or goods. But the latter seems to be the norm rather than the former, when it comes to youth-focused virtual worlds.

Panganiban also kicks around the idea of a regulatory framework—something akin to the Children’s Television Act of 1990—that would ensure youth-oriented worlds offer at least a minimal amount of rich content and experiences that would help prepare kids to be active digital citizens. It’s a good, provocative post.

Plus: Gender roles get worked out in Disney’s popular Pixie Hollow, where a male faerie avatar is now an option.

“It’s pretty clear that Slate will serve mainly as somebody else for little girls to dress up, a token boy in a flower-festooned pixie land,” writes Mary Elizabeth Williams at Salon. “But his mere presence gives every kid the option of deciding for herself – and himself – their roles in that world. The fact that when young visitors create characters now they’re presented with both a female and a male avatar and prompted to “please pick one” is a big deal for a generation that’s going to grow up spending a portion of its life online.”