Volume 1
Issue 1
16 March 1998
Gender
Inequalities in Education
The
Gender Gap in the Computing Field
Whitmore
High School: A Case Study of Computer Usage
Computer
Projects for Mother and Daughter
Expanding
Your Horizons in Math and Science
Computers
and Technology: Differences In Gender
Gender
Bias In Educational Software
Educational
Software For Girls
- Purple Moon: Thanks but No Thanks for Rockett's New School
- Girl Tech - Not Girl Friendly Enough
- Her Interactive
- Broderbund: Classroom Software Done Right
Computers
In the Classroom: What is the Effect on the Gender
Gap?
Broderbund: Classroom Software Done Right
Additionally, it needs to be something that kids and teachers will be able to use, and will want to use. Fortunately, Broderbund has developed some products that fill this need. Apart from its entertainment/educational sotware, such as Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego, a history/mystery/geography game, and KidPix, a paint program for kids, Broderbund has software that is designed to teach certain concepts. One is Math Workshop, a math program for grades K-12. Here, students learn about fractions, arithmetic, and can even practice spacial thinking with visual puzzles. Another program, The Logical Journey of the Zoombinis, is designed to improve student's data analysis and logic skills. It builds on the teaching in another product, The Tabletop, where students learn how to categorize and measure, organize and arrange, represent and interpret, graph and analyze. In the Zoombini game, students are given a task -- to rescue the Zoombinis -- and they have to solve various puzzles to acomplish this goal. The approach taken in all of these games makes math and logic equally attractive to boys and girls. It does not include gender-specific characters or stong competition which can alienate girls, and it presents mathematics in a fun, engaging way.
One of the problems with putting computers in the classroom has been the difficulty with which educators locate educational software that is not only free of gender bias, but which is also appropriate for teaching. There are several potential problems: one is the quality of the teaching in the software. Often, so-called educational software has much more entertainment than educational value. Even it the program is educational, though, it may not be appropriate for the grade level.
Broderbund also provides teachers with easy ways to present the material, including in the software package lesson plans, teacher instructions, bibliographies, and other student resources. This makes use in the classroom easy and does not require expensive teacher training. The actual curricla for these games is developed by TERC, a nonprofit research and development organization which develops innovative curricula for the teaching of mathematic, as well as creative techniques for the use of technology in the classroom.
