Research Study

Mammes, Ingelore (2004).Promoting Girls’ Interest in Technology through. International Journal of Technology & Design Education. 14, 89(12).

The article I found was a study comparing girls and boys and their interest in technology. They related this all the way back to the general toys boys and girls use to play with as toddlers. The article went on the discuss the options that girls have to work in a technology bases career and the lack of opportunties they have. In general, girls start falling away from technology at a young age. The article discussed the importance of following up with technology in both genders so girls don't feel intimidated by technology bases careers.
I found this study to be very important for me as a teacher because I am the one who has to make a difference. I am the one who can lead girls towards technology and make them feel more comfortable. I think it is important for all teachers to not be gender biased when it comes to technology. As teachers we need to promote gender equality.

I really enjoyed this part of the article:

"This neglect of technology education compared with other topics is
encouraged by the teachers’ freedom of choice. As a result, the technology
education provided is dependent to the teachers’ competence and interest
in technology" (Mammes, 4).

In the study it followed up with a few statistics that could be a factor in females and technology. It said that over 70% of ELED teachers were female and over 80% were not familar with technology. In result only 18% were teaching technology bases lessons in their classrooms.

Their were other factors discussed in the article but I focused on this because it is sometime I can control in my own classroom. Incorporating more technology in our lessons can make a difference if we take the time to teach it.