Technology in the classroom: Burning the bridges to the gaps in gender-biased education?
|
|
| Audience/Grade: | College Freshman-Continuing Education |
| Discipline(s): |
Engineering Education Research |
| Special Topic(s): | |
| Learning Resource Type: |
Reference - Article/Document |
| Media Type: |
Audio |
| Author(s): |
Karyn M. Plumm |
| Description: | This review introduces the concepts of gender bias and technology in education. It discusses the interaction between the two in the educational setting and the effects this interaction may have on teachers, students and materials used in the classroom. It is argued that areas in the educational setting that have been focused on as materials and practices that are biased have also been translated into the use of educational technology that is biased. This review makes the point that biases that have been pointed out and studied within the educational system have not been solved by the use of technology (as some had hoped). In fact, the biases have simply been converted into a new form and may have actually served to undo some the bias-eliminating practices that had been starting to take place in classrooms. Implications and suggestions for change are discussed. Citation: Computers & Education, Volume 50, Issue 3, April 2008, Pages 1052-1068. |
| Rating: |
|
| Related Resources | |
| Keywords: | gender equity gender bias |
| Usage Tip | |
| Use of Resource: |
Conclusions: "Gender-biased education has been examined for many years and has been shown to exist in three main areas: teacher instruction, student social interaction and materials used for teaching and learning. Over the course of identifying ways in which bias is inherent, researchers and educators have also proposed many ways of reducing or eliminating such bias. As the instances of gender-bias were thought to have started to decrease in our classrooms, other concerns about the way in which students learn were brought to light. The effects of technology in the educational setting have been widely investigated. Biases that have existed in the many areas of the educational system (i.e., teachers, students, materials) have not magically been solved by the introduction of technology (as some had hoped). In fact, these biases may have simply been converted into a new form that may also serve to undo some of the bias-elimination that had started to take place in many classrooms. Technology in the classroom has been seen by educators as a way to enhance student learning. While technology is becoming more of a necessity in the classroom because of its widespread use, concerns about the disadvantages technology may produce in education have been set aside. As technology in the classroom increased and was intended to make education easier for all students, it has actually served to increase gender-bias in all three main areas of education; the very areas in which educators had been previously attempting to decrease gender-bias. As the process of learning and teaching technology to students becomes the main focus of education, educators are neglecting to maintain their bias-free classrooms. Furthermore, technology itself has been shown to hold gender-biases that reduce equity in the classroom, adding to the areas educators and researchers need to be aware of when attempting to reduce or eliminate gender-bias from classroom environments." |
| Difficulty: |
Medium |
| Interactivity Level: |
Low |
| Version Info | |
| Publication Date: | March 2010 |
| Platform/Format: |
WWW |
| Cost: |
Free |
| Download URL: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6VCJ-4M |
| Metadata: |
IEEE LOM Record |
| Collection: |
NEEDS
|
