Posts Tagged Girls and Technology
Thoughts on Video Games for Girls
Digital Media Academy News + Events | March 20th, 2009 by Margaret Lim
When I think back to the first game system to enter the scene, the Atari System in the 1980s, the games were fairly gender neutral. I never got one as a kid, because my dad thought my sister and I would play too much and that it would hurt our eyes. But my cool aunt and uncle, who were much younger than my dad, would let us borrow theirs for a week at time. The first time we had an Atari System in the house, it was my mom who stayed up all night playing Pac-man.
I remember fondly the first home video games – Pac-man, Donkey Kong, Frogger, Asteriods and Centipede. I remember my cousins making me cry when they wouldn’t let me play Frogger. And I remember that it didn’t matter whether you were a boy or a girl – Atari games had the power to draw in both audiences.
In my opinion, more current systems, like the Nintendo DS, the Sony PlayStation systems or the XBOX, and the games that go with them, have not had the same gender-neutral appeal. As a girl, I do not find myself drawn to the most recent NFL Madden game or the latest battlefield simulation. While I know many boys (and grown men) who find re-enacting WWII to be quite enjoyable, it just does not have the same appeal to me. Those who have studied the content of video games more closely have argued that compared to boys, girls “encounter fewer powerful, active female role models in computer games or software.” Because these systems and games dominated the market for many years, it makes sense that girls who spent most of their impressionable years with these systems on the market would be less drawn to a course on video game creation.
The latest game system to enter the market, the ever-popular Nintendo Wii, has the potential, I believe, to swing the market back to video games being gender neutral. I see more and more girls drawn to the more physically active games that are popular with the game system, such as Wii Sports and Rockband, just to name a few. One of the dads in our office was actually just telling me this morning how his two girls (ages 9 and 6) find Wii Sports (especially bowling and tennis) to be engaging, whereas they did not have much interest in earlier game systems.
So perhaps as more girls take an interest in video games with the newer game systems,we will see the percentage of girls in these classes rise. We are also starting to see more well-designed video games that are engaging to a female audience. I recently came upon a article from KidConfidence with some specific game suggestions for girls. Click here to check it out.
As for me, when the Atari left our house for the last time, I took a twenty-year hiatus from video game playing, except for the very occasional attempt to please the video game loving people in my life. I did find myself enjoying RockBand for several hours on one recent occasion. Who knows … maybe this older gal will find her way back into the video game world.
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Student Technology Showcase at CUE
Digital Media Academy News + Events | March 7th, 2009 by Margaret Lim
Traditionally on the last day of the annual CUE conference, selected students from various regions of California have an opportunity to present projects as part of the CTAP Student Technology Showcase Program. The California Technology Assistance Program (CTAP) is funded by the California Department of Education and is divided into eleven regions covering the entire state. CTAP provides assistance in integrating technology into teaching and learning, especially in the core content areas. Every year at CUE, the CTAP Student Technology Showcase is an opportunity for teachers across the country to be inspired by real life examples of student work, presented by the students themselves!
I had an opportunity to talk today with three eighth grade students from Abraham Lincoln Middle School in Fresno County, CA. Trent Viau, Celeste Mendoza, Ally Miller and Colton Pierce (not present in the photo) showcased a ten-minute video on General Sherman and his Civil War March to the Sea. I was drawn to their video because of the professionalism of their work. Upon talking to these students, I learned that their documentary had won an award in the 2007 National History Day Contest. Focusing on the contest’s theme of “conflict and compromise,” the documentary asks whether General Sherman’s March to the Sea was “morally correct.” When asked about their conclusion, Trent commented that “it was for a greater good.”
In addition to being impressed with their critical thinking skills, I was inspired by how much work these students put into creating this piece. They started the summer before the 2007-8 school year and spent most of “their own time,” especially weekends, to work on this. They relied on one parent’s computer and created the whole documentary using iMovie and GarageBand. What impressed me about their work was the smoothness of their transitions, the use of historical photos and artifacts, and the eloquent narration. I felt like I was watching the History Channel.
This story is just one example of how technology integrates well with teaching in the core content areas. With the use of video editing and audio recording, history is literally coming alive for thousands of students across California and across the nation. To be further inspired, I would encourage watching the online version of the Student Technology Showcase.
