7.+Conclusions

=CONCLUSIONS=

Dr. Cooper summarizes the first steps to eliminating the gender digital divide in the conclusion to his paper:
//"It would be wonderful to be able to wave a magic wand and eliminate the gender stereotypes that presume that girls cannot and will not successfully use computers. Although there is no such magic wand, we can alter the stereotypes by attacking the phenomena that support it" (p. 331).//

//"In order to allow girls to benefit from the most important innovations of modern society, we must even the playing field and encourage girls and boys to partake of technology as a function of their interest, not as a function of their gender. Being aware of the existence of the digital divide as a pervasive phenomenon, and being committed to its reduction, are the first steps towards overcoming it" (p. 332).//

Implications for Teacher Librarianship
Cooper’s message for increased awareness can be seen as an opportunity to begin positive change towards the ways girls feel about computer technology. Teacher librarians can connect our new understandings about the basis for girls’ computer anxiety to suggestions voiced by library professionals. Joyce Valenza, in A Modest Manifesto, urges the 21st Century Librarian to “be concerned about a new digital divide: those who can effectively find quality information in all media formats, and those who cannot.” If our female students are encountering difficulties comfortably using computer technology, we must be concerned about what we can do to rectify this situation. Valenza also urges teacher librarians to read both professionally and beyond, to seek professional development opportunities, and connect with others in our field to form learning networks. She urges us to be leaders and to share our visions and knowledge with others. This is our mandate to share Cooper's gender divide findings with others. We need to elevate the factors and "phenomena" that hamper girls’ success with computers and other digital technologies to a conscious level of awareness in our schools. What can each of us do to apply Cooper’s insights against the way our school addresses the needs of female students? How can we model the attitudinal changes we want to occur? How can we work to break down existing stereotypes? Is there a way to share this information with parents? Who in our building can we engage in conversation about these issues? How can we help strengthen the technology skills of the girls who come into our school libraries? A small stone can create incredible ripples.

[|In Towards a Transformative Pedagogy for School Libraries 2.0], Asselin and Doiran (2008) suggest “The Net Generation holds the potential for great social transformation through their engagement and leadership in a wealth of current and global issues…they are a generation who look for new ways to take part socially and politically in society" (pp. 6-7). Perhaps this quote also suggests it is the perfect time for educators to also take this message directly to our students, and to enlist their support in beginning to break down the societal barriers at the basis of the gender divide issue. If Cooper's suggestion of awareness is seen as a first step then students too, both male and female, should be made aware of how stereotypes and societal influences can shape attitudes towards technology. The existing societal issues supporting the gender digital divide are long-standing ones, but through an open understanding of this issue educators and students, and hopefully parents, can begin to change the attitudes and make a difference for our female students.

The Next Steps
Thank you for participating in our presentation on the gender digital divide. We both were amazed at the new insights we gained about girls and computers from reading the research articles. Now we'd like to hear more from you about your own experiences and your thoughts about this topic. On the next page we'd invite your input on the gender divide issue. Please add your insights to our wiki under Questions. And, if you haven't already done it, you may want to take a quick look at the Anticipation Chart Revisited page results to see how our "pre-thinking" compared as a group.