How we apply sloppy thinking to other people

I am frequently disappointed to learn of ways which people get labelled. As a short, small, woman, who does social science in a computer science department I get to experience what I imaging are the consequences of such labelling.  Of course we can't disown our cultural heritage ( I would be a real 'girls blouse' if I did ;-) There are cultural traditions, sometimes assumptions, sometimes unwritten rules, other time written rules which categorise individuals by their outward appearances rather than the use of actual evidence or clear logical thinking.

Sloppy thinking leads to decisions like the (now overturned) thinking of the International Association of Federations' ruling that Paula Radcliffe's women's world marathon record could not stand because she was 'paced' by a MAN!

Having heard of female students who have been told by their male colleagues that girl's can't program, I thought this illustration from the fabulous xkcd was just the ticket

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/how_it_works.png

 

Young People and the Internet

I am highly sceptical of the so called phenomena of 'digital native'. I also think that pundits, commentators, academics and researchers should beware of generalising from the leisure habits of teenagers. For that reason, those who are about to engage in future gazing, and the debate about young people's use of the internet and new media might want to familiarise themselves with some existing investigations of web and internet use.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/the_problem_with_wikipedia.png

Take a look at the Pew Foundation:

The Pew foundation in the US funds a lot of research into (North American) young people's use of the internet and social media, mostly just usage figures. Worth browsing their archives e.g. http://web.pewinternet.org/~/media/Files/Reports/2010/PIP_Social_Media_and_Young_Adults_Report_Final_with_toplines.pdf

FutureLab has funded a few studies in the UK, and have a slightly more qualitative bias.

 

David Gauntlet published and researches some interesting stuff on identity and the Internet, see for example

Identity in Cyberspace

http://ccit205.wikispaces.com/Identity+In+Cyberspace

Danah Boyd:Taken Out of Context: American Teen Sociality in Networked Publics

 

Computer Science Conferences and Deadlines

note for ref - review

January

• ITICSE deadline
• Australasian Computing Education Conference (Jan/Feb)
• FIE Abstract Deadline

 

February

March

• SIGCSE (US, Feb/Mar)

April

ICER deadline

May

June

• ITICSE (Europe)
• Koli Calling Deadline

July

August

• Australasian Computing Education Conference deadline

September

• SIGCSE Deadline
• ICER (date and location varies - May-Sept)

October

• FIE (North America - mostly US)

November

• Koli Calling (Finland)

December