Maybe One Reason Why There Are Few Females in STEM
"66 percent of 4th grade girls say they like science and math. But only 18 percent of all college engineering majors are female."
Posts
Promoting Health in My Technology Classroom
I try to build protective factors (health-related skills) and developmental assets (building blocks of human development) for my students through my instruction, curriculum, and classroom management. In my curriculum, I have incorporated projects that focus on the importance of healthy family and peer relationships. In my instruction I have modeled online safety procedures that involve safe decision-making and refusal skills (ignoring online strangers or ignoring ads). In my classroom, I also define computer lab expectations that promote appropriate behavior: C ome to class with clean hands. O perate only YOUR equipment properly. M onitors off! P ush your chair in when you are done. U se your inside voice. T ake care of your computer station and leave it the way you would like to find it. E at and drink outside the computer lab. R aise your hand if you need help. L isten to the teacher's directions carefully. A lways work toward your bes...
Help Students Build Up their English with Spell Up!
Have your students practice their spelling and pronunciation. This game requires students to spell out words to build the largest tower they can. As the tower goes higher, the words get more difficult. Once you make a mistake the tower will collapse. However, you can earn bonuses to level up and unlock achievements. You can also solve mystery words and jumbled words. You can find it at chrome.com/spellup.
"Are today’s youth digital natives?" by Danah Boyd
Danah Boyd, a Principal Researcher at Microsoft Research , talks about some myths related to the term, Digital Native, in her book, It’s Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens . Here are some interesting quotes found in chapter 7, "Are today's youth digital natives?": "Because teens grew up in a world in which the internet has always existed, many adults assume that youth automatically understand new technologies ." (pg. 176) "I interviewed teens who used programming scripts to build complex websites. I also talked with teens who didn’t literacy know the difference between a web browser and the internet." (pg. 176) "Teens may make their own media or share content online, but this does not mean that they inherently have the knowledge or perspective to critically examine what they consume . (pg. 177) "Not only is it fraught, but it obscures the uneven distribution of technologi...