Inspiring girls through games and coding: A hands-on exploration

Inspiring Girls Through
Games and Coding
A Hands-On Exploration
#mlw2015 @brainpop @ProjectTomorrow @unesco @UN_Women

Any Super Heroes in the room with
Super Mobile Powers?

Introduce us to your favorite Super
Mobile Power
 Always on, always ready to act
 Multi‐talented with lots of tools
 Indispensable best friend
 Information powerhouse
 Sized to go anywhere, anytime

Let’s Play
1. DESIGN: In your group, create a game
with three objects.
2. PLAY: Play your game!
3. DISCUSS: Did you make a game that
would be appealing to girls? If not, how
would you change it so that it did appeal
to girls?
6

Dr. Kari Stubbs
Vice President of Learning and Innovation, BrainPOP
@karistubbs
Julie Evans
CEO, Project Tomorrow
@JulieEvans_PT
Katya Hott
User Testing Lead / Project Manager, BrainPOP
@katyamuses
@brainpop @ProjectTomorrow #mlw2015 @unesco @UN_Women

Agenda
1. Setting the Stage (10:00-10:35)
2. Girls & Gaming (10:35-11:15)
3. Break (11:15-11:45)
4. Girls & Coding (11:45-12:30)
5. Teacher & Parent Support (12:30-12:45)
6. Take-aways / Q&A (12:45-1:00)

Let’s talk about girls and ICT
Mobile Devices Games + Coding

(c) Project Tomorrow 2015
“Knowing it and
seeing it are two
different things.”
Suzanne Collins, Mockingjay
Use of technology by students for learning

“Without data, you
are just another
person with an
opinion …”

“Without data, you are just another person with an
opinion …”
Introducing Project Tomorrow
research data to inform your
plans, programs and policies
for supporting girls’ use of ICT
for learning

Project Tomorrow Research Data on Girls & ICT
• Speak Up Research Project
• VOCES DE MÉXICO Project
• Making Learning Mobile – Chicago Project

Speak Up Research Project
 521,000 K-12 students, parents & educators
 8,216 schools in US and around the world
VOCES DE MÉXICO Project
 594 5th & 6th grade students + parents & teachers
 7 schools in Mexico
Making Learning Mobile – Chicago Project
 120 5th grade students
 1 school in Chicago – 3 year study

Did you
know that?

Did you know that?
Girls and boys use technology in similar and different ways to
support learning
Similar
• Look up information
on the Internet
• Play learning games
• Create
presentations

• Look up information
on the Internet
• Play learning games
• Create
presentations
Similar
• Text classmates
about homework
• Find online videos
to help learning
• Take photos in class
of assignments
Different
Girls and boys use technology in similar and different ways to
support learning
Did you know that?

Both girls and boys say that using technology increases
their engagement and interest in learning
63%
66%
55%
57%
Technology Use = Increased Interest
Gr 6‐8 Girls Gr 6‐8 Boys Gr 9‐12 Girls Gr 9‐12 Boys
Did you know that?

Girls and boys have similar access to mobile devices
Mobile Devices Girls Boys
Smartphone 45% 46%
Tablets 62% 59%
Smartphone 70% 66%
Tablets 58% 53%
Smartphone 84% 80%
Tablets 40% 36%
Grades
9-12
Grades
6-8
Grades
3-5
Did you know that?

But they have different expectations for using
those devices for schoolwork
Girls are more interested than boys in using mobile devices to:
 Write school reports
 Work on projects with classmates
 Read stories and books for schoolwork
 Take notes in class
 Email classmates about homework
 Access online textbooks
 Organize schoolwork
Did you know that?

Girls and boys have different perceptions of their technology
skills – and it starts in elementary school
Tech skill level
compared to peers
K-2
Girls /
Boys
Gr 3-5
Girls /
Boys
Gr 6-8
Girls /
Boys
Gr 9-12
Girls /
Boys
My skills are
advanced
26% / 32% 21% / 32% 21% / 34% 20% / 37%
My skills are average 48% / 46% 61% / 53% 74% / 60% 76% / 58%
My skills are
beginner level
25% / 22% 18% / 15% 5% / 6% 4% / 5%
Did you know that?

And different aspirations for STEM careers too
How interested are you in a career in a STEM field?
29%
15%
37%
20%
19%
13%
36%
32%
Not interested
No opinion
Somewhat interested
Very interested
Boys Girls
Did you know that?

Gender terminology
Relative to education and learning
Gender sensitive
Gender
responsive
Gender transformative
Gender
awareness
Gender blind
GENDER BIASED
Gender unequal

Evaluating the gender-sensitivity of digital content
Focus: Digital Games
Questions for Consideration Guide
Characterization
Are women/girls referred to by their names or roles, or only in their relationship to
men/boy characters?
Imagery and Language
Which places in the game signify importance and value? Are both genders portrayed in
those places equitably?
Storyline
Are women/girls or men/boys represented as central characters within the storyline of the
game?
Results
What types of messages are articulated in the game about gender differences? Are those
messages positive or negative?

Different types of games matter to girls and boys
How often do you play games?
Game format Grades 6-8 Girls
“All the time +
often”
Grades 6-8 Boys
“All the time +
often”
Online and mobile app
games
47% 50%
Did you know that?

Different types of games matter to girls and boys
How often do you play games?
Game format Grades 6-8 Girls
“All the time +
often”
Grades 6-8 Boys
“All the time +
often”
Online and mobile app
games
47% 50%
Massively multi-player
online games
13% 44%
Did you know that?

Girls believe that games can help them with schoolwork
in many different ways
Middle school girls explain:
I would be more interested in what I was learning 65%
It would be more interesting to practice problems 63%
Games make it easier to understand difficult topics 62%
School would be more fun! 59%
I would learn more 52%
Schoolwork would be personalized to me 49%
I would become a better thinker and problem solver 48%
I could get immediate feedback on my learning 47%
Did you know that?

Having a mobile device matters! Girls with mobile
devices are more likely to use digital study games
for learning
 56% of girls in grades 6-8 who have a
smartphone play learning games to
help with schoolwork
 59% who have a tablet also play
learning games
Did you know that?

31
BrainPOP GameUp

32
Play a Game
Monster School Bus Sortify SpaceForce
1. Go to brainpop.com/games
2. Search for your game

33
What Makes a Game
Appealing to Girls?
Monster School Bus Sortify SpaceForce

34
GIRLS
● Girls mainly playing games on computers and cell phones
● Girls tend to play social and casual games, puzzles and simulations
● Girls prefer games with rich social interaction
BOYS
● Boys more likely to play on a console
● Boys prefer violent, action and role-playing games
● Boys drawn to competition and often play as an emotional outlet
BOTH
● Both boys and girls excited by idea of “making your own world”
● Boys play more competitively at first, but after extended play, both genders engage
similarly
Lenhart et al., 2008, Nash et al., 2013, Hartmann and Klimmt, 2006, Phan et al., 2012, Olson, 2010,
Robertson, 2012, Cassel and Jenkins, 1998
What Makes a Game
Appealing to Girls?

National STEM Video
Game Challenge
stemchallenge.org

36
Student-Made Games

41
Learning Languages
Through Games

BrainPOP ESL
42
● Fully digital, award-winning program for
English language learners
● Aligned to: US Common Core and state
standards; corresponds to CEFR, WIDA
and TESOL levels; up to European
Standards C1 level.
● Incorporates all four language skills:
listening, speaking, reading and writing with
movies, quizzes, interactive exercises and
teacher materials
● Web, Android, iOS and Windows 8
brainpopesl.com

43
BrainPOP ESL App
• Platform availability: Android,
iOS, Windows 8
• English language learning
anytime, anywhere
• 90 lessons, including 18 free
lessons, take students from
beginner to advanced English
language levels

BrainPOP ESL App
Each lesson contains an animated movie and five supporting
features
Voice
recording
Animated
movie
Animated
grammar
instruction
Animated
vocabulary
instruction
Vocabulary
flash cards

GameUp:
ESL Lesson Plan for Quandary
Student Objectives:
1. Distinguish among facts, opinions and solutions.
2. Analyze situations from multiple perspectives and viewpoints.
3. Apply critical thinking, problem-solving and decision-making skills to online
gameplay.
4. Adapt different characters' points of view and role play a debate of the issues.
5. Make decisions and solve problems after listening to multiple points of view.

GameUp:
ESL Lesson Plan for Quandary

49
During the break, we invite you to download
the BrainPOP Featured Movie app.
The BrainPOP app is available for iOS, Android and Windows 8. Look
for it in American English, British English and Spanish. After the
break, we’ll begin with a mobile device activity about Ada Lovelace
using the BrainPOP app.

Ada Lovelace

Girls + Coding + Mobiles = STEM Interests?

Girls have high level of interest in learning how to code
– but that interest level is highest in elementary school
Are you interested in taking a class to learn how
to program computers or do coding?
Girls:
Grades 3-5
Girls:
Grades 6-8
Girls:
Grades 9-12
Yes, I would
be interested
64% 50% 37%
Did you know that?

Having a mobile device matters here too! Girls with mobile
devices are more likely to be interested in learning how to code
 79% of girls in grades 9-12 who are
interested in coding also own a
smartphone
 39% own a tablet
Did you know that?

Having a mobile device matters with STEM interest too! Girls
with mobile devices are more likely to be interested in a STEM
career field
 83% of girls in grades 9-12 who are
interested in STEM also own a
smartphone
 41% own a tablet
Did you know that?

And there is a correlation between coding interests
and interests in STEM career fields too!
 32% of girls in grades 6-8 who said they are
interested in learning how to code are also
interested in a STEM career field
Did you know that?

Games are part of this new equation also: Girls who play
learning games have higher interest in STEM
 57% of girls in grades 6-8 who said they play
digital study games are also interested in a
STEM career field
Did you know that?

Working together to create new learning
opportunities for girls

In one week alone:
The Hour of Code

62
When girls make games:
● they learn more advanced programming concepts; they make
“personal and epistemological connections”
● they’re engaged longer and reported greater enjoyment when
involved with storytelling
Peppler, Kafai (2006), Kelleher (2006)
Girls and Coding

Let’s Code
Tynker: Puppy Adventure CodeMonkey

Coding Debrief
• What was the story in the coding game?
• Did this story motivate you? How?
• How can you imagine girls (or boys) in a classroom
interacting with these coding games?

Actualizing
Parent & Teacher
Support

Important Role of Teachers and Parents

Parents have concerns about their child’s future – and believe that
technology/ICT usage is important
I am concerned that my child is not learning the right skills at school to be
successful in the future:
o 56% of parents from Speak Up Research
o 47% from VOCES DE MÉXICO Project
Did you know that?

Best way for child to learn those skills:
 Use technology in their classes
 Take advanced math and science courses
 Learn an additional language
 Learn how to code
Did you know that?
Parents have concerns about their child’s future – and believe that
technology/ICT usage is important
I am concerned that my child is not learning the right skills at school to be
successful in the future:
o 56% of parents from Speak Up Research
o 47% from VOCES DE MÉXICO Project

Parents in VOCES DE MÉXICO Project:
90% say that their child is more engaged in learning when technology is
used
Their dream school for their child must include:
• Digital content, animations, videos, digital books
• Mobile device for every child to use
• Online textbooks for learning
• Schoolwide Internet access
Did you know that?

Teachers are increasing using digital content to support
classroom instruction - 28% of classroom teachers are now
using games in this way
And teachers place high value on the benefits of game-based
learning:
• Increases student engagement and motivation 79%
• Provides way to address students’ learning styles 70%
• Enables differentiated instruction 60%
• Reinforces understanding and skills 56%
• Provides way for students to practice skills 54%
Did you know that?

72
BrainPOP GameUp
Gender sensitive games:
● Do I Have A Right?
● Citizen Science
● Gate
Gender sensitive coding tools:
● Tynker
● CodeMonkey
● Blockly: Maze

Questions for Consideration Guide
Characterization
Are women/girls referred to by their names or roles, or only in their relationship
to men/boy characters?
Imagery and Language
Which places in the game signify importance and value? Are both genders portrayed in
those places equitably?
Storyline
Are women/girls or men/boys represented as central characters within the storyline of the
game?
Results
What types of messages are articulated in the game about gender
differences? Are those messages positive or negative?

BrainPOP Lesson Ideas Pages

BrainPOP SnapThought

The A-Games Project

(c) Project Tomorrow 2014
Quick fire reflection:
What is the most interesting
thing you learned today in
this workshop?

A Look Back
1. Setting the Stage (10:00-10:35)
2. Girls & Gaming (10:35-11:15)
3. Break (11:15-11:45)
4. Girls & Coding (11:45-12:30)
5. Teacher & Parent Support (12:30-12:45)
6. Take-aways / Q&A (12:45-1:00)

Dr. Kari Stubbs
VP of Learning & Innovation, BrainPOP
@karistubbs
kstubbs@brainpop.com
Julie Evans
CEO, Project Tomorrow
@JulieEvans_PT
JEvans@tomorrow.org
Katya Hott
User Testing Lead, Project Manager, BrainPOP
@katyamuses
katyah@brainpop.com

Inspiring girls through games and coding: A hands-on exploration

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