Abstract
Recognizing the persistent problem of the underrepresentation of women in computer science, this chapter examines the barriers existing in the kindergarten through Grade 12 educational environment. It explores the vicious cycle that exists in the education field, as the change agents are predominantly women. Much of the research from the past decade reiterates the issue but substantive changes to reduce the gender gap have not occurred at rates that keep pace with the evolving digital society. This chapter offers practical solutions to (1) distinguish between computer science, instructional technology, and digital literacy in the K-12 educational setting; (2) propose ways to promote opportunities in these environments, for all students, with a focus on the underrepresented female population; (3) formulate strategies for educational leaders to incorporate computer science knowledge including computational thinking skills into teacher preparation programs and professional development to support those never exposed.
TopDefining Technology In Education
Abstraction is an important term in the study of computer science, as well as a key descriptor in characterizing one of the barriers that exists for underrepresented groups in educational environments. Just as students struggle to understand abstraction as a generalization in computer terms, the administrators of many K-12 environments only know the study of computer science in terms of the abstract. At the core of the problem, there exists an ambiguity surrounding what computer science is and what form it should take in the K-12 educational system.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Teacher Preparation Programs: College or university degree programs that prepare future educators.
Abstraction: Part of computational thinking that uses decomposition, pattern matching and data representations to allow for generalizations in the development of algorithms and solutions.
High Level Programming Language: Programming languages designed to simplify programming by using codes closer to human language making it more user friendly and platform independent as opposed to machine or assembly languages which are low level. Examples include Java, C++ and Python.
Educators: Teachers, administrators and individuals that have a direct impact on learning and curriculum.
Professional Development: Providing knowledge and learning experiences for educators.
Block-Based Coding: A graphical programming language designed to code software programs and to prevent syntax errors through the visual manipulation of colored shapes with built in functions.
Digital Tools and Media: Technology devices, software programs, cloud based or internet-based applications and computational artifacts.
Authentic Learning: Real-world application of skills learned.
Administrators: Superintendents, assistant superintendents, principals, vice principals, headmasters, subject specific supervisors or other educators that facilitate curriculum and observe teaching staff for proficiencies.
Web Design: Creating websites and coding web pages using hypertext markup language (HTML), cascading style sheets (CSS) and JavaScript.