Sexism in CS Jobs

Just found this : Sexism in CS Jobs

In the words of my friend Bradley: Imagine going to work everyday with a bunch of 40 year old virgin über nerds.

Are More Girl Gamers the Answer?

I first began playing video games on the original Nintendo. My partially deaf Uncle Joe, who lived out of a room in my Grandma's house jam-packed with taped videos and Joe Cooool figurines, had a console and sometimes allowed us to play. He had Super Mario Bros, Duck Hunt, some car racing game, Galaga, and a few others. My cousin Stephanie and I preferred Super Mario Bros over the others, but we never had enough time to beat the game because he never let us stay in his room for very long. So in order to suffice our gaming cravings, when Uncle Joe would lock his door and leave the house to run some errands, Stephanie and I would RUN to the kitchen for a butterknife and jimmy his door open to proceed in our princess-saving tactics.

Soon after, my Dad bought me a Super Nintendo and I played Zelda, Mario Kart, and one of my favorites: Mortal Kombat. When I was in middle school transitioning into high school, I bought myself an orange Nintendo64 and shortly after a PlayStation 2. I don't consider myself a gamer, but I was definitely exposed to some computer games. There is this notion in the articles that the more exposed you are to gaming, the more likely you are to become interested and involved in computer science.

However, I don't think I have ever been curious enough to tear apart my computers or gaming consoles and figure out how to program things. Honestly, to my knowledge I don't think I've ever truly been interested in figuring out how electronic things work. What I'm suggesting is that there are some people innately interested in the composition or engineering of things and there are those who simply like to use technology. This, however, does not help explain why women aren't enrolling in computer science programs-- I will get there.

In reference to the NYTimes article that said there need to be more games for girls, I don't know if I fully agree that the ones out there aren't for girls. When I was younger my cousin had one Barbie game where you had to drive and rollerskate through obstacles, but it wasn't the greatest. Most of the time we favored games like Mortal Kombat, Max Payne, Goldeneye, games that might be considered games targeted to boys. But those were the ones we enjoyed and we played them all the time without thinking twice.

I'm not saying that violence, gore, male heros etc. are completely irrelevant to the fact that girls don't play as much video games, which in turn affects computer science enrollment (supposedly.) I just think there are bigger factors at play. I see it as any other social phenomenon where history plays a large part as well as learned gender roles. When there are no female role models in a field, women tend to not feel as comfortable to pursue them. And for so long engineering, computer science, math and science have been dominated by males. The way our parents and community shape our likes and dislikes according to gender roles also has a large part in what career we choose. It's a complicated issue and one thing can't be named the culprit, but I think actively seeking a female contribution to computer science and attempting to interest girls in technology composition etc. through our school systems will help close the gender divide.

More options, increasingly male-oriented games to blame for gender gap

After reading "What Has Driven Women Out of Computer Science?" I though several of the points made in the article were some of the very ones I think cause(d) the gender gap.

1) Although it may sound trivial, there is something to be said about girls/women not wanting to have the stigma of being nerdy or dorky for working in the computer field. We want to to think we have come a long way for women's self-esteem. But with the field of computer science and games becoming increasingly male-oriented, it seems difficult for there to be a space for women.

2) The games these days are so much more aimed at the teenage boy, the entrepreneur 20-something, the mid-life crisis dad. I remember when I used to play Mario brothers on Super Nintendo with my brother. Or Duck hunting, remember that? Those games were incredibly simple. There wasn't a lot of shoot-em up violence, war strategy, car theft themes coming from every corner like there is today. I do think that has a lot to do with the capabilities for games back then--we just didn't have what we do today, duh. But I think just like a genre of movies, books, types of musician or artists, games are just naturally geared toward men. And if in the time of their peak they are being designed by me, mostly consumed and played by men, then why would there be a large number of women trying to get in that market? You don't see a lot of romantic comedies being written by men do you?

3)I think another reason for the lack of women in this field could be that there are so many more career options for women in dominantly women fields and also fields where it is more balanced for men and women. Now more than ever women are going after jobs that they maybe didn't used to in the past. Journalism, news anchors, directors, scientists, doctors, politicians, etc. These fields are much more balanced. With so many (seemingly more fair) options, why would we try to get into a career of computer science and perhaps not do as well?

The Digital Divide

Honestly I have never heard of this concept and I had to Google the term to fully understand its meaning. I think that the digital divide is inevitably shrinking with each day because technology is becoming a way of life and those who do not adapt or evolve will be left behind economically, politically and socially.

This last presidential election saw the first time users and candidates used youtube as a platform and as a means of campaigning and I think it was awesome. Anytime you can bring important information to the common Internet user you get a great response in education and development. This use of technology proves that even politicians and advisory staff that usually is stuck in their ways is closing the digital divide and I believe that it will continue. With the economy, I believe that you have to technology savvy and you have to have an understanding to survive because you make yourself more marketable and better equipped for a wide variety of jobs.

My personal reflection and story with technology takes a long journey. My family did not get the Internet till I was 12 and I never really got into the instant messaging fad. My first cell phone was when I started driving and I admit that I viewed technology as something I would not have to face and could get around. Now, I feel that my own personal digital divide has closed and it feels good to understand technology and use it to be more efficient.

I believe that in order for America to continue to thrive in a world market and to continue its climb out of the recession, we must make technology education a priority to close the digital divide. The more you know the better.

The Great Divide

The high school I attended in Dallas, Texas is a great school. I attended Lincoln High School, which also had a magnet. Lincoln made waves in both academics and sports throughout my years there. However looking back at my time at LHS, they did not have the latest and best technology. There were maybe two or three computer labs in the entire school, and many of the devices we used were behind technically. Each year while the school did receive funding there was not always money for new equipment. I had other friends who attended schools in Highland Park, and they were receiving updates left and right. The reality is that it wasn't just computers, it was having to use older textbooks, and sometimes the facilities. I enjoyed my days thoroughly, but there were so many things technically that I had to play catch up with when I came to UT. It also helped that during those years I worked in North Dallas and had access to an updated computer daily. Most of my classmates however, did not have this same opportunity. So much is embedded during grade school, so many different resources need to be developed, but if you don't realize you're missing out, how can you know the difference. Eventually it will get better, and it currently is. There is an understanding of the lack of funding in predominantly minority based areas.

Sufficient but not necessary

The Digital Divide brings up an incredibly salient point that seems to be rarely made in the digital divide dialogue. The digital divide is ultimately about the disparities in access to technology. But once that gap is closed, the article asks, will the social problems associated with the disparity disappear? 

OF COURSE NOT! Obviously it is not just a lack of access to technology that makes minorities perform lower on standardized tests. Lack of access to technology may be a necessary causal factor, but not a sufficient one. Does it not seem ridiculous now to think that access to the use of calculators or CABLE TELEVISION could restructure society? 

The point is, there are deeper reasons as to why there are disparities in educational performance. How could eliminating the digital divide ever be expected in and of itself to "improve educational performance and reduce economic and social inequality"??? What about our crappy public education system? What about centuries of the majority not allowing minorities access to an education AT ALL, which is one of the reasons minorities don't have the same probability of going to college and subsequently making as much money as the majority or at least enough to buy a computer and Internet access? 

Just as other technologies were seen as tools to destroy disparities but eventually turned into entertainment devices and became widely available to the public, eliminating the digital divide cannot be expected to cure or help in any significant way with the kind of inequalities discussed. 

Apple to bring iPhone to Verizon

An article from WIRED called 4 Reasons Apple Should Share the iPhone With Verizon talks about Apple's possible movement to share iPhone with Verizon for the upcoming 4G model.

games to be blamed

Even before I read the New York Times article, What Has Driven Women Out of Computer Science?, I have always had a hypothesis regarding gender divide in computer science: the computer games are the culprit of the gender divide in this field.

When I was in an elementary school, I used to play hours of computer games with friends. The games created common ground between me and my friends. We would always talk about it such as how to defeat the boss, how to get to the highest score, what kinds of games came out and so on. As a result of this male-bonding process, we’ve accidentally picked up various computer skills that women of our age couldn’t learn. Girls seldom played computer games. Rather, they would chat, play with toys, draw, and read books. At least this was how it was for my generation.


The New York Times article discusses an attempt to engage more women by introducing computer games to them. It says the attempt to create computer games that would appeal to girls have failed. To quote the director of Northwestern University’s Center for Techonlogy & Social Behavior, “The girls game movement failed to dislodge the sense among both boys and girls that computers were ‘boys’ toys’ and that true girls didn’t play with computers.”

I am somewhat surprised by this notion. Is this still the case today? I thought a lot more young girls (elementary or middle school kids) started to play computer games with their friends. There are lots of girly games available. Then why do these young girls still view games as ‘boys’ toys’? Maybe parents' influence?

The GREAT Digital Divide

I thought a little help from Wikipedia was in order to understand a more simplistic definition of digital divide.

The term digital divide refers to the gap between people with effective access to digital and information technology and those with very limited or no access at all. It includes the imbalances in physical access to technology as well as the imbalances in resources and skills needed to effectively participate as a digital citizen. In other words, it is the unequal access by some members of society to information and communications technology, and the unequal acquisition of related skills. The digital divide may be classified based on gender, income, and race groups, and by locations.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_divide

Information and knowledge is all around us. It can be found in the person sitting next to us at lunch, a movie on a lazy Saturday afternoon, or on the screen right in front of our faces. The computer and it's respective technological associations is just one, single way to educate our minds. It's versatility and extent of knowledge compared to any other piece of technology is overwhelmingly exhaustive.

I do believe in the existence of the digital divide. However, I can't necessarily say it will be shrinking in the near future. There will always be those who cannot afford a computer or have the unlimited access to its educational features as some do. And there will be those who can afford it and choose not to be involved.

I feel as though there will always be a divide in society no matter the most recent technology. There is going to be lag time between those who have it and those who don't...it's part of the natural cycle. In my mind, the most important thing about the digital divide is providing educational opportunities to those who desperately seek them!

Shrinking Digital Divide

I think the digital divide is in fact shrinking. I say this from the perspective of someone who recently has been moving from a technology hater to a technology lover. The main reason for this, I believe, is became I have learned how technology can help me save time, and also how to properly use it.

I believe as schools and businesses start requiring more "tech knowledge", more people will start to come around. Not only because they have to, but they will see how new technological advances benefit their school work/normal work and begin to use them in their own lives.

I think by noticing that the widespread use of email over recent year, we can see how other new gadgets will also be accepted as long as they are intuitive, and not requiring a "how to" class. Many of these new/popular websites; Digg, Delicious, Twitter, Blogger, Google Reader, iGoogle, ect. aren't necessarily appealing to people until they are taught how to use it.

More than just website tough, take the actual gadgets. The internet phone. At first it seems just a toy, but then when e-mails can really be answered, orders can be purchased, and people can be contacted on the go, we see how the work world is really benefiting from technological developments, and therefore people in the work place and coming around and learning more. Because of this, it is required (somewhat) in school to be taught this in order to be prepared, and that is why I think the digital divide is in fact shrinking.

Canada, China, Europe, and the United States have all seen a decrease in the digital divide. But what about in more developing countries? Though we may experience certain advantages with technology in out society, but are they just a luxury? There is a website that deals with socioeconomic development and this issue.

Recent YouTube update

Website

Pay per view on YouTube. YouTube has recently signed with Sony, and now some of the content posted on the website will require a fee.

gender gap in digital divides

One of the debate on digital divide will be whether it is shrinking or not. My overall answer will be no. However, in terms of gender gap, I think it's shrinking. The matter of this problem is,  I think, the younger they are, the better they can adapt. 

I hoped to find recent data, but this is what I could find. The data is from the UCLA center for Communication Policy, a unit in the UCLA Anderson School of Management. The news release says that their "World Internet Project" shows "digital gender gap."

According to the news release, an average 8 percent gap between men and women using the internet was observed. "That figure is not as large we might have expected, given the gender disparities that persist around the world. However, in several technologically developed countries, the gap is surprisingly large - in some cases almost twice as many men as women use the Internet."  Following is the data. You can find a full story here, World Internet Project.

Britain men 63.6; women 55.0

Germany men 50.4; women 41.7

Hungary men 20.3; women 15.1

Italy men 41.7; women 21.5 (20.2 percent)

Japan men 54.7; women 46.2

Korea men 67.8; women 53.8

Macao men 37.8; women 28.8

Singapore men 47.2; women 34.0

Spain men 46.4; women 27.2

Sweden men 67.7; women 64.4

Taiwan men 25.1; women 23.5 (1.6 percent)

United States men 73.1; women 69.0 (4.1 percent)

Sorry for the old data, but I think even now we'll have higher percentage of the Internet usage. (If anybody found more recent data, it would be great to share though.) Plus, the gap between women and men would be narrower. 

Setting aside this Internet digital divide, chapter 10-4 and the New York Times news article were about girls' education in new technologies. The New York Times article "What has driven women out of computer science?" says "women accounted for only 12 percent of undergraduate degrees in computer science and engineering in the United States and Canada granted in 2006-7 by Ph.D.-granting institutions, down from 19 percent in 2001-2." 

After I read this story, I was curious whether it's true in Asian countries. I could find a statistics about the number of females students during 2007 school year at the School of Engineering in the University of Tokyo, and surprisingly, similar trend was found. There were much lower percentages of female students' enrollment. You can find a full story here female engineering students. 

In IIT-Delhi, according to a EE Times India on Sep. 1, 2008, there were a significant rise in the number of female students in engineering - 65 percent - and electrical, chemical and bio-chemical engineering are popular. However, even though 65 percent increased, compared with female percentage in New York Times (less than 10 percent are female students), it was not a hugh difference. In 2007, only 9 percent(50/550) were female students. In 2008, only 13 percent (83/626) are female students. you can find a full story here IIT-Delhi welcomes more female students.

Why is that? How can we solve this problem? Can we ever solve the problem?

I could find a paper about "how to motivate girls to choose science and technologiesw?" In the abstract of the article, it provides a couple of says to motivate them. 

1. Showing female role models to girls before high school age.

2. Let mothers have positive attitude for choosing S & T.

3. Notice that the S&T occupation is less gender discriminating.

Digital Divide

Some have it and some don't. But that's always been the case with anything.

As some of us type our way into a digital future, others are still wary of sinister electronic gadgets taking over our lives. I confess that I am one of them. But then again, there are those of us who use those very electronic gadgets to sort our lives out and enhance the way we spend our time.

At some point in time, we figured out that computers also have a place in our homes. Soon, the computer became another household appliance like a toaster or iron box. And after the household appliance stage, came the concept of digital divides. "Digital Youth, Innovation, and the Unexpected: Practicing at Home" by Ellen Seiter got me thinking more about the digital divide and if it will ever close.

But more importantly, I guess the concept of digital divide has now moved on to internet access from computer haves and have nots. And eventually, it will be more than who has access to the Internet and who has access to a computer.

If you don't have either, I firmly believe that you will be road kill on the information highway.

But what of people who have access to technology and do not use it and others who are able to use the technology, but do not have access to it. So, in my opinion, I guess it’s not about owning/having the technology than about using it.

Doctors "Tweeting" During Surgery? True story.

Check out this story that was on Good Morning America this morning. Doctors have begun "tweeting", aka using the social networking tool Twitter, during their procedures as sort of a teaching tool.

Can't Wait For This

Oh yeah it's coming, iPhone 4G

Google Update...

So Google is updating the Android software...taking over the world one step at a time

Google Church

After that interesting discussion on Google in class on Monday I began to think a lot about the search engine, or entity. I'm not sure if anyone has seen or heard of this but there is this following of people that believe Google is the closest thing to God. They belong to the Church of Google. I thought this was really interesting. Their holiday is celebrated September 14. The link is to the hate mail page, but you can also view other portions of the website.

http://www.thechurchofgoogle.org/Scripture/hate_mail.html