[Edu-sig] Acadmic gender gap (was Thoughts)

[Kirby Urner]

> One more thing.  The fact that women aren't in computing as much as
> men totally escapes me.  I don't get it at all.  Coding seems very
> much like sewing to me, requiring artful careful well-planned and
> often tedious work.  I remember that, when typewriters first came out,
> it was men's work.  And then it changed.  So I wouldn't count it as
> decided yet.
> 
> What do you think?
> 
> Marilyn Davis

I think it's just a matter of time -- a rather short time -- until this
evens up a *lot*.  Geek girlz are realizing it's hot to be a techie, which
rhymes with trekie.  Can you say Seven of Nine?  We are borg, and damn cute
too (not that boys lack in the cutes department).

Seriously, what you say is true:  there's nothing inherently gender-specific
in the art of computer programming.  In how it's taught?  Sure, sometimes.
But pedagogy is malleable, as are stereotypes.  All we need are a few
dynamite CS teachers on the geek channel (one that boys can't wait to learn
from), and geek chic ratchets up one more notch.

Kirby

My Geek Channel [tm] is what we're pushing to off-set the Military Channel
[tm], which later is coming soon as well (the geek channel is more amorphous
right now, given the Internet and how it works).