The document discusses bridging the digital divide and increasing digital literacy. It notes that while students are digital natives, education needs to adapt to their skills and connectivity. There are also challenges around gender diversity in ICT fields. The Project ICT-STER from 2005-2007 aimed to increase female participation in ICT education and careers through comprehensive strategies from primary school through the workforce, with results including more girls choosing STEM fields today. Overall bridging divides is important to ensure all children can participate fully in an increasingly digital world.

1. Bridging the digital divide
Miranda Valkenburg
April 16 2012

2. Topics
The impact of ICT on education
Trends
Challenges in (ict) education
Digital literacy and diversity
Research on gender and ict
Project Ict-STER

3. Introduction

4. Rotterdam
Gateway to Europe, one of the
largest ports in the world
Multicultural home of over 160
nationalities

5. Rotterdam University
28.000 students
11 institutes
Motto: outside in - inside out
strong relationships with companies
and organizations in the area
Institute for Communication, Media
and Information Technology (CMI)

6. Who am I?
Programme Director Bachelor of
Informatics at Hogeschool Rotterdam
Have been working in higher
education - technological and ict -
from 1993 until now
Proud mother of a son (21) and a
daughter (17)

7. Topics
The impact of ICT on education
Trends
Challenges in (ict) education
Digital literacy and diversity
Research on gender and ict
Project Ict-STER

8. The impact of ICT
on education
New technologies have great impact
on our lives
ICT changes the way we
communicate, access information, and
connect with peers and colleagues
This leads to challenges that have a
significant impact on teaching and
learning

9. Trends
Increasing globalization
availability of tools to connect worldwide
Collective intelligence
today’s learners want to be active
participants in the learning process – not
mere listeners
easy access to content and knowledge
Games as learning tools
active participation and interaction
current educational methods are not
engaging students enough

10. Challenges 1/2
Students are digital natives, but are
taught by digital immigrants
Education needs to adapt to current
student needs and skills
Students need to be technologically
adept, to be able to collaborate with
peers all over the world
Students need to become information
and technological literacy

11. Challenges 2/2
Students are different, but schools are
still using materials developed decades ago
Content is almost as easy to access on a
mobile as on a computer
Education must make use of - and deliver
- services, content and media to
(applications for) mobile devices

12. Bridging the digital divide
Access to computers and the internet
and the ability to effectively use ict is
necessary for full participation
It’s important to make children AND
teachers digital literate

13. Topics
The impact of ICT on education
Trends
Challenges in (ict) education
Digital literacy and diversity
Research on gender and ict
Project Ict-STER

14. Gender and ICT
In NL – like many western countries –
the participation of women in ict
professions is very low (10%)
Enrolment of women students in ict
education is even lower (6%)
Without encouraging measurements
these percentages will not increase

15. Why is it important?
Economic reasons
Industry benefits from diversity
Increasing demand for highly educated ict
professionals
The number of young people is
decreasing
Ethical reasons
Technology designs the future: women
must play a part
Equal opportunities for girls and boys

16. What causes the gender gap?
Confidence gap: differences in how
students (f/m) assess their own
performance
The scarcity of female role models
Ict programmes ‘made by men, made
for boys’
The lack of a sufficient critical mass to
sustain supportive peer communities

17. What to do?
Increase the enrolment of female
students in ict programmes
Transfer female ict students to ict
positions on the labour market
Recruitment and retention of female ict
professionals

18. Project Ict-STER 2005-2007
Joint action
Education, industry, professionals, experts
Integral approach
Raising awareness among teachers, parents,
policy makers,..
Supporting and influencing actions for girls
Comprehensive approach
From primary education to the labour market
Combined strategies
Specific policy for girls
Gender mainstreaming

19. Examples
• Gender inclusive information
• Database role models
• Developing new ICT programmes,
combined with health, art, etc
• Workshadowing
• Empowerment: students participate
in research, advisory panels, etc.
• Videos: ICT in various work settings
• Girls days

20. Results
• Nowadays, more girls choose STEM in
secondary education
• Stabilized enrolment female students in
higher education ICT (but… still no
increase)
• Interventions are still necessary
• Many universities benefit from the
experiences in Ict-STER
• Ict-STER continues

21. Bridging the digital divide
•Our children define the future
•Make sure that girls AND boys have equal
opportunities to use and produce ICT

22. Q&A
m.w.valkenburg@hr.nl