I would be lying if I said that I was excited when I registered for my Women and Computers course. I have never really considered my self a "techy" person. In fact, I usually tell people that I am technologically challenged! My bad attitude toward the class made the first few class meetings really long. As I began to do the assignments, though, I realized how much I was interested in the content of the class!
Computers and the internet are so very important in this day and age. They are a part of our everyday lives! We communicate with others on the computer, play games on the computer, we even pay our bills on the computer! Why not further our education on the computer!? And why not do it in a feminist way!?
Had I not taken this class I never would have realized how interested I am in blogging. While I do not write blog entries as often as I would like, I do read my favorite blogs at least once a day. I have learned so much! I have also been introduced to numerous different resources that I can utilize in other classes and in my everyday life. Delicious might be one of my favorite new websites!
Overall, I am very glad that I was required to take this course. Had it not been a requirement I never would have registered. I am saddened that the class will no longer be available for other students to take. I feel that it is very important and that it has helped me to become a better feminist!
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
The Unnatural Management of Intersexuality
During the second semester of my Freshman year, I had the opportunity to conduct a semester long research project. The purpose of the project was to tie two, seemingly unrelated, classes together and to present what was found at St. Cloud State University's annual Honor's Colloquium. At the time I was taking my very first Women's Studies course--Gender and The Body. At first I had no idea what I wanted to do for my project. I knew that I was interested in the concept of gender, since it was completely new to me, but other than that I had no idea. At the time I was also enrolled in an entry level biology class. I decided to tie these two classes together and to do my project on nature versus nurture. I wanted to know what aspects of a person were due to their genetic make-up and what aspects were due to the society in which they lived. As I began to research the topic, however, I began to realize that it was nearly impossible to differentiate between nature and nurture--they are so completely interconnected. As I came to realize that I had absolutely nothing for my project, I became very discouraged. I scheduled an appointment with my Women's Studies professor at the time, Beth Berila, in hopes that she would be able to help me. As I was talking to her about my previous research, she suggested that I look to people/situations that challenge the norm concerning nature versus nurture. As I began to research this topic, I came across the phenomenon of intersexuality. The more research that I did, the more I became interested in the topic. I read and watched movies about intersexuality whenever I had time. My project eventually transformed into research on The Unnatural Management of Intersexuality. My thesis in the paper states that physicians lead us to believe that their decisions concerning intersexuality are based solely on biological factors when, in reality, social factors are greatly influential.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Women's Contributions
In my Women and Computers course, on April 13, 2011, we looked at many of the different contributions that women have made to computers and the internet.
Becky made a presentation on slideshare.net about Caterina Fake. Caterina Fake is the creator of Flickr, which is a website that is used to build community by sharing photos with others. I really enjoyed Becky's presentation in that it was both very interesting and more aesthetically pleasing than just a plain old PowerPoint.
Hannah's presentation was created on prezi.com. Her presentation was on Corvida Raven, the creator of shegeeks.net and EverythingTwitter. Corvida Raven is super cool in that in addition to these two different websites she has also made numerous other contributions to the internet AND she is very young (still in her 20's)! I also really enjoyed the format that Hannah chose. Prezi is a very unique format and it is actually kind of fun to watch!
Becky made a presentation on slideshare.net about Caterina Fake. Caterina Fake is the creator of Flickr, which is a website that is used to build community by sharing photos with others. I really enjoyed Becky's presentation in that it was both very interesting and more aesthetically pleasing than just a plain old PowerPoint.
Hannah's presentation was created on prezi.com. Her presentation was on Corvida Raven, the creator of shegeeks.net and EverythingTwitter. Corvida Raven is super cool in that in addition to these two different websites she has also made numerous other contributions to the internet AND she is very young (still in her 20's)! I also really enjoyed the format that Hannah chose. Prezi is a very unique format and it is actually kind of fun to watch!
Monday, March 28, 2011
Life Resources
On March 16, 2011, in my Women and Computers class, I was assigned a Life Resources assignment. For this assignment I focused on locating resources related to my anticipated career following graduation at St. Cloud State University. The most interesting thing that I found through this assignment was the National Women's Studies Association website. I had no idea that this website even existed and I have spent hour upon hour looking at it. It is very neat in that there is an entire section of the website dedicated to students. I am currently looking for Graduate Schools that have Women's/Gender Studies programs and this website provides information on the top programs in the United States. It also provides links to job and internship opportunities for students. In addition to job and internship postings for students there are also postings for professionals. The website also provides tons of information about Women's Studies in general. Overall, I think the National Women's Studies Association website is one that I will visit quite frequently throughout this and the next chapter of my life.
International Feminist Websites
In my Women and Computers class, on March 16, 2011, we looked at numerous International Feminist Websites. We looked at websites from Europe and the Global South. Of the eight websites that I looked at I found two to be especially interesting: Women's Net of South Africa and Visualizing Women's Rights in the Arab World.
Women's Net of South Africa is a feminist organization that works to advance gender equality and justice in South Africa. They do this through the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). I found the website to be interesting in that it provides feminist organizations with a lot of options to help in setting up or improving. There are numerous projects, services, and publications available for feminists to utilize in setting up the technological aspects of their organizations. In addition to these helpful features there are also numerous digital stories available. Digital stories are interesting in that they provide a unique way of learning and sharing information. Overall, I think that Women's Net is a great resource for any new or existing feminist organizations.
Women's Net of South Africa is a feminist organization that works to advance gender equality and justice in South Africa. They do this through the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). I found the website to be interesting in that it provides feminist organizations with a lot of options to help in setting up or improving. There are numerous projects, services, and publications available for feminists to utilize in setting up the technological aspects of their organizations. In addition to these helpful features there are also numerous digital stories available. Digital stories are interesting in that they provide a unique way of learning and sharing information. Overall, I think that Women's Net is a great resource for any new or existing feminist organizations.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
The Digital Divide
The digital divide is the unequal opportunity to access and make use of computers and the internet. These inequalities can be due to many different factors including racism, sexism, and classism. I found all of the above "isms" to be very interesting within the context of the digital divide and I also discovered that they cannot really be separated from one another. They are all intertwined so deeply that it is almost impossible to contribute one certain aspect of the digital divide to one certain "ism" or vice versa.
The Gender Digital Divide, Women Fall Behind is an article that talks a lot about how women, on a more global scale, are being affected by the gap as a result of the digital divide. In class we really wanted to focus on the digital divide within the United States, however, I think it is useful to look at the happenings in other countries as well. This is especially true when thinking about the number of poor, women of color that reside in other countries. Analyzing the digital divide in other countries is not only useful, but is absolutely necessary when taking a feminist perspective. Women of color, especially in other countries, are so often left out of numerous feminist studies and I for one do not want to proliferate that in any way.
The Gender Digital Divide, Women Fall Behind is an article that talks a lot about how women, on a more global scale, are being affected by the gap as a result of the digital divide. In class we really wanted to focus on the digital divide within the United States, however, I think it is useful to look at the happenings in other countries as well. This is especially true when thinking about the number of poor, women of color that reside in other countries. Analyzing the digital divide in other countries is not only useful, but is absolutely necessary when taking a feminist perspective. Women of color, especially in other countries, are so often left out of numerous feminist studies and I for one do not want to proliferate that in any way.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Interview with Nadine Moawad
Nadine Moawad is a feminist activist who works in Lebanon. She is currently focusing her energy on the intersection of sexuality issues with internet censorship and communication. She talks about the many issues with the internet in Lebanon and how these issues affect women.
About half a million new users are using the internet every month in the Middle East. That is a huge number! Many people, however, especially women, are not easily included in that number. Nadine talked about how internet usage is a huge issue of class. If a woman cannot afford her own computer, she must seek out internet usage elsewhere. There are Internet Cafes/Shops where women can go and use the internet, but they are not very "user-friendly". These shops are highly dominated by men. Often time, the men in these spaces are using the internet to watch porn and play games. I do not know about everyone else, but I sure wouldn't want to sit in a cafe with a bunch of men looking at porn. Not only is it an awkward atmosphere, but once women log onto the computers, they are bombarded with sexist propaganda. The promotion of violence against women and articles on Facebook about "How to handle women" can be found everywhere!
About half a million new users are using the internet every month in the Middle East. That is a huge number! Many people, however, especially women, are not easily included in that number. Nadine talked about how internet usage is a huge issue of class. If a woman cannot afford her own computer, she must seek out internet usage elsewhere. There are Internet Cafes/Shops where women can go and use the internet, but they are not very "user-friendly". These shops are highly dominated by men. Often time, the men in these spaces are using the internet to watch porn and play games. I do not know about everyone else, but I sure wouldn't want to sit in a cafe with a bunch of men looking at porn. Not only is it an awkward atmosphere, but once women log onto the computers, they are bombarded with sexist propaganda. The promotion of violence against women and articles on Facebook about "How to handle women" can be found everywhere!
Class and Gender Impact Youth Internet Use
A survey is conducted annually in Sweden called "Young Swedes and the Internet". This survey has shown that from 2000 to 2009 internet use has crept down the age groups. The debut age has fallen from 13 to four. The survey shows that socioeconomic backgrounds and gender are key factors in how early and in what manner most children are learning to use the internet.
Four years old! I did not even know what the internet was when I was four. I know that our society has become extremely technologically advanced and that, yes, these new technologies are obviously going to be used by kids younger and younger, but four years old! That just seems crazy! What are kids doing on the internet at four?
I have two little sisters and both are elementary school age. They both know how to use the internet and use it quite regularly. They use it to both play games and get homework done. I can understand school age children using the internet, no problem, but toddlers? Early Education educators stress the importance of play when talking about toddlers. It is fundamentally important in a child's development. I am not going to go into all of the details about why play is so important, but I am pretty sure that "playing" on the internet does not count.
This news really makes me worry about the integrity of parenting styles and of the parents themselves. Just like you cannot rely on television to teach your kids, you cannot rely on the internet either! The internet is not censored and people can write/post pretty much whatever they want. The internet is also not the safest place to be, especially for little kids. While I strongly believe that the internet can be a useful tool in educating, this article made me wonder--what are toddlers really learning?
To learn more: http://www.thelocal.se/26750/20100520/
Four years old! I did not even know what the internet was when I was four. I know that our society has become extremely technologically advanced and that, yes, these new technologies are obviously going to be used by kids younger and younger, but four years old! That just seems crazy! What are kids doing on the internet at four?
I have two little sisters and both are elementary school age. They both know how to use the internet and use it quite regularly. They use it to both play games and get homework done. I can understand school age children using the internet, no problem, but toddlers? Early Education educators stress the importance of play when talking about toddlers. It is fundamentally important in a child's development. I am not going to go into all of the details about why play is so important, but I am pretty sure that "playing" on the internet does not count.
This news really makes me worry about the integrity of parenting styles and of the parents themselves. Just like you cannot rely on television to teach your kids, you cannot rely on the internet either! The internet is not censored and people can write/post pretty much whatever they want. The internet is also not the safest place to be, especially for little kids. While I strongly believe that the internet can be a useful tool in educating, this article made me wonder--what are toddlers really learning?
To learn more: http://www.thelocal.se/26750/20100520/
Got Facebook? Investigating What's Social About Social Media
"What do people do without Facebook?" Had this question been asked six years ago, people would have responded with a supplemental question, "What is Facebook?" Facebook is a relatively new social networking site, having been started in 2004; however, I cannot imagine my life without it. Everyone has Facebook and if you are one of the few who does not, boy do you get weird looks! A National Survey was conducted in hopes of answering numerous questions concerning this highly visited site. What social, cultural, and political activities are young, college-educated Facebook users engaged in? Who are the individuals and communities being interacted with? What types of media and information are being shared and consumed? All of these are good questions and the survey itself resulted in many great answers, however, I found this question more interesting: What is social about social media?
Think of all the many new technologies today that we did not have 20 years ago. Laptops, cell phones, ipods, gaming devices--all of these devices play a major role in our everyday lives. I know I personally start to panic if my cell phone is not within a reachable distance. In light of all these new technologies and our society's dependence upon them, many people are compelled to argue that humans have become less social. I can recall numerous times when my grandparents were telling stories and commented, "People just don't visit like they used to." Is this really the case? Are all of these new technologies and websites made to keep us together or apart?
Think of all the many new technologies today that we did not have 20 years ago. Laptops, cell phones, ipods, gaming devices--all of these devices play a major role in our everyday lives. I know I personally start to panic if my cell phone is not within a reachable distance. In light of all these new technologies and our society's dependence upon them, many people are compelled to argue that humans have become less social. I can recall numerous times when my grandparents were telling stories and commented, "People just don't visit like they used to." Is this really the case? Are all of these new technologies and websites made to keep us together or apart?
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