Transcript Using Internet Megasites to Foster Girls’ Interest in

TechGURLS:
Egaming and Teenage Girls
Presented by Lesley Farmer
[email protected]
www.csulb.edu/~lfarmer
What’s the Situation?
Are girls interested in egaming?
• YES! About 67% of 9-12 year old girls do and over
90% of 13-17 year old girls use technology
• 40% of girl game daily
• 6% of preteen and 4 % of teen girls make up game
audience
• Girls spend less time (household priorities)
Egame Mastery and Gender
• Girls master individually vs. boys learning from
each other (because of societal messages)
• Girls ask boys for advice
• Girls tend not to use manuals
• Girls tend to reset level or game
• Girls may walk away from controls/navigation
• Expert gamers are gender-neutral
What’s the Problem??
Girls don’t like the computer culture:
• They don’t like the nature of most computer games
• They dislike stereotypical female characters
• They see few female role models
• And their attitude becomes more problematic when
they hit adolescence because of social issues…
• … by the way, did you know that parents are more
likely to buy computers for boys than girls?
What Happens in Schools?
• Technology-enhanced projects are gender-neutral
or more male oriented.
• Girls are discouraged from taking advanced tech
courses.
• Girls lack info about the impact of technology on
salaries and promotions.
• Girls tend to classify all tech jobs as masculine.
• Schools tend to “dis” egames.
The World of Gaming
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Nature of the game, its characters, its story line
Graphic features
Interactivity
Openness
Context
Incorporation into education
Scaffolding
Personalized textual feedback
Benefits of Egaming
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use of fixed, equitable rules
clear roles and expectations
internally-consistent environment where everything is possible
clear goals within a rich context that gives goals personal meaning and
relevance
opportunities to explore identities
cognitive and affective engagement
multiple ways to achieve goals through constructivist strategies
specific, timely feedback
sense of control and personal investment
situated learning
sense of reward for effort, including trial and error
structured interaction between players, and between players and the game
blend of cooperation and competition
Tips to Engage Girls with Egames
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Provide choice
Get the girls’ input – and act on it
Make it social: encourage buddy learning
Focus on communication – and human
relationships
• Encourage intellectual risk-taking
• Emphasize effort more than mastery
• Have fun!
School Conditions for Engagement
• Broad-based vision and mission
• Positive and open community-based school
culture
• Cohesive, interdependent curriculum
• Strong repertoire of instructional/learning
strategies
• Sufficient resources
• System infrastructure and support
Criteria for Choosing Egames
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confidence: encourage and support girls’ abilities
collaboration: facilitate working together
personal identification: relate to personal life
contextuality: present information in narrative or story
form
flexibility/motility: offer several navigational paths
social connectivity: facilitate interpersonal connections
inclusion: portray diverse populations
multimedia presence: meld high-quality graphic, motion
and audio elements
Library Portals and Egaming
• add game-related displays that include game art,
game-related fiction, and information about
careers in gaming
• link to gaming magazines and strategy guides
• publicize gaming events and resources
• add student-created content, such as game
reviews
Instruction and Egaming Principles
• provide student choice (which topic to study)
• offer opportunities for low-pressure situations
• emphasize the importance of memorizing and mastering basics
of a concept before applying the knowledge
• Facilitate collaborative work
• provide extra help for struggling students
• provide extension activities for students who excel
• evaluate effort rather than product
• use alternative and authentic assessments – designing demo
games, tests based on mastery levels (not everyone takes the
same tests)
Egaming and Information Literacy
• just-in-time verbal or textual feedback when the learner wants it
• affirmation of effort as it leads to performance and competence
• incorporation of the affective domain, particularly as it relates to
personal priorities
• consideration of systems and relationships as they impact
information analysis and use
• emphasis on distributed knowledge and cross-functional
information-seeking teams
• acknowledgement and leveraging of multiple perspectives
• empathy of complex information systems
What Can Adults Do?
• Have girls bookmark egames when they use the
Internet – make them easy to find!
• Include these site on web portals
• Link to projects that support girls’ career
exploration
• Alert the school community about these egames
• Plan activities that use these egames
References
Agosto, D. (2004). Girls and gaming: A summary of the research with implications for practice. Teacher Librarian, 31(3), 8-14..
American Association of University Women. (2000). Tech-savvy: Education girls in the new computer age. Washington, DC: American
Association of University Women.
Amory, Alan, et al (1999). The use of computer games as an educational tool.. British Journal of Educational Technology, 30, 311321.
Becker, K. (2007) Digital game-based learning once removed.. British Journal of Educational Technology, 38, 479-488.
Cassell, J., & Jenkins, H. (Eds). (1998). From Barbie to Mortal Kombat. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
Cooper, J., & Weaver, K. (2003). Gender and computers: Understanding the digital divide. Nawah, NJ: Erlbaum.
DeKanter, N. (2005). Gaming redefines interactivity for learning. TechTrends, 49(3), 26-31.
Fromme, J. (2003). Computer games as a part of children's culture. Game Studies, 3(1).
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Helmrich, E., & Neiburger, E. (2007). Video games as a service: Three years later. VOYA, 30(2) 113-115.
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Neiburger, E. (2007). Gamers...in the library?! Chicago: American Library Association.
Nicholson, S. (2007). The role of gaming in libraries: Taking the pulse. http://boardgameswithscott.com/pulse2007.pdf
Prensky, M. (2006). Don’t bother me mom – I’m learning! St. Paul, MN: Paragon House.
Schott, G., & Horrell, Kirsty. (2000). Girl games and their relationship with the gaming culture. Convergence, 6(4), 36-53.
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