Gender, Diversities & Technology Institute
projects address a number of issues. Learn more about each project
by reading the summaries of our work below or visiting the project
Web page.
Building the National STEM Digital Library
(NSDL) 
The Institute is a founding member of the National Science Foundation’s
National STEM Digital Library initiative
- a digital library portal of exemplary resource collections and
services, organized in support of science education at all levels.
Our 3 collections projects include:
- Gender & Science
Digital Library (GSDL)
The Gender & Science Digital Library is an online resource
of exemplary STEM educational resources and services for use in
both formal and informal learning environments. The goal of the
GSDL is to provide gender equitable, educational materials that
will help to promote interest and engagement in STEM by all learners,
particularly females and under-represented populations. Resources
in the GSDL include online lesson plans and activities, courseware
and instructional methodologies, analysis of national and international
retention strategies for higher education institutions, on-line
mentoring opportunities, scholarship and fellowship information,
career development resources, internship and special program information,
and much more.
- Effective
Access: Using Digital Resources to Enhance High School Teaching
of STEM
Building on the work of the GSDL, the Effective Access project
is exploring how STEM educators use, and would like to use, digital
resources during lesson preparation, instruction, and professional
development, as well as how developers of digital resources understand
the unique needs of high school STEM educators. This research is
being shared with collections within the NSDL to improve educators'
access to, and integration of, digital resources in the classroom.
- CaREN
Also known as the FunWorks, this project is
a digital library of STEM career development information
for middle school and early high school youth. The goal of this
project is to create a comprehensive career development resource
that is inviting and engaging to diverse populations of middle
and early high school students, that builds on their diverse
interests, and draws them into a range of career
exploration options and resources.
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Living Life: Stories of Women, Men and Changing Roles in the 20th Century
For the last 30 years, at least three generations of women and men have benefited from gender equity legislation and programs. However, the importance and impact of this work is often invisible to more recent generations who may take these rights for granted. With funding from the Ford Foundation, we are developing a book that we hope will capture the next wave of women's rights—the story that began to be visible in the 1950s, that paralleled (and connected to) the civil rights movement, and that re-emerged in a series of new laws that supported women's educational, economic, and social development. Through the stories and voices of a wide range of women and men, we will provide a positive perspective on the gender equity movement in education and give readers a sense of what this means for "ordinary" citizens. This work complements those efforts by building public understanding and support for gender equity—by highlighting the experiences and emotions in a voice that sounds like the person next door.
Online Learning
GEMS: Learning
On-line
The Gender, Diversities & Technology Institute
at EDC, together with its partners, WestEd, TERC, Intercultural
Development Research Association (IDRA), and the Eisenhower National
Clearinghouse, are collaborating on a major national research project
to determine the impact of online learning on gender-equitable math
and science instruction. Funded by the National Science Foundation's
Programs for Gender Equity, GEMS may be one of the first to look
comprehensively at the relationships between the design and structure
of online courses, the ways in which individuals interact and learn
on line, and the outcomes of that experience. This national collaborative
will be joined by a national advisory group, including representatives
from Georgia Tech, Carnegie Mellon, the Concord Consortium, and
washington State University.
The National ITEST Learning Resource Center
The
Institute (GDI) is part of National Science Foundation’s
National ITEST Learning Resource Center, assists projects funded by NSF’s Information
Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST)
program. The ITEST
program is designed to increase the opportunities for students
and teachers to learn about, experience, and use information
technologies within the context of STEM. The program supports
both youth-based
projects with strong emphases on career and educational
paths, and comprehensive projects for students and teachers.
The Center engage in research related to these projects and
provides technical support and have responsibility for national
dissemination of project models, instructional materials,
and best practices. As a partner in the resource center the institute's focus is on diversifying research
that support the focus on underrepresented populations.
ICT International
A focus on the gender dimension
of information and communications technologies is essential
not only for preventing an adverse impact of the digital revolution
on gender equality or the perpetuation of existing inequalities
and discrimination, but also for enhancing women’s equitable
access to the benefits of information and communication technologies
and to ensure that they can become a central tool for the empowerment
of women and the promotion of gender equality.
-Kofi Annan, United Nations Secretary General
Information and communication technologies can
support the economic and social/cultural development of communities
and of individuals. It can help women and girls move into new
careers, expand their skills, and provide new opportunities for
self-development, family stability, and democratic leadership.
The Institute seeks to link individuals and organizations around
the globe in a network of training, support, and discussion, designed
to increase participation and ownership of the new knowledge society
brought about by the Internet. Through a range of online, onsite,
print, and other technology-based activities, we work with local
groups or organizations to help determine local needs and then
collaborate to develop systems and services that integrate ICT
education and development into a local setting.
We maintain a national network of field-based projects
and researchers who are focused on increasing the interest and
skills of women and girls in ICT. These range from such projects
as the development of CD programs for teachers or families that
integrate what we know about the ways girls learn to improve math
skills to projects that introduce girls and women to the introduction
and use of computers for education and work to training on the
development of materials for the Internet. We provide training
and consultation to individuals, schools and universities, NGOs,
governmental agencies, or businesses including onsite training,
exchange visits, or electronic forums. We work onsite with communities
within the US and in different countries to develop a culturally
appropriate approach and integration of ICT projects and resources.
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Science of Learning Center
“Learner Diversity and Technology Enhanced Learning: Different
Questions, New Understandings” is a one-year planning project,
funded by the National Science Foundation’s Science of Learning
Centers. The Gender, Diversities, and Technology Institute at EDC
and the Autonomous Undersea Systems Institute, together with consulting
partners, Indiana University Bloomington, and Concord Consortium, are setting a research agenda that will help determine how integrating the perspectives of diverse populations
can improve technology design, training, and implementation to enhance
learning.
Breaking
Barriers
Breaking Barriers is a comprehensive,
participant centered program that generates community involvement
among often-marginalized immigrants by bridging community economic
development and individual empowerment and growth. The program emphasizes social and work
skills development, basic literacy and ongoing English language
development, economic development, and computer skills.
Gender Healthy Respectful
Schools
The Gender Healthy/Respectful Schools Project
works with teacher teams from Boston and Cambridge public schools
to support the growth of school communities that are free from sexism,
gender bias, and other discriminatory practices that inhibit academic
achievement. Learning environments that are socially, emotionally,
and physically safe and in which students and adults respect themselves
and one another provide an essential foundation for fostering academic
excellence and social responsibility in all students. Funded by
the Caroline and Sigmund Schott Foundation, the project supports
the professional development of teachers and other educators on
equity issues; strengthens and expands a network of activists and
advocates for gender equity; and raises the awareness of gender
inequities among district administrators, principals, policymakers,
parents, and the public. The project uses a reflective practice
approach that assists teams in documenting the impact of their work
and disseminating their learnings about gender equity to the broader
community.
Women's Educational Equity
Act (WEEA) Resource Center
The Women's Educational Equity Act (WEEA) Equity
Resource Center was established more than 20 years ago to bring
support and resources to the many exceptional efforts that are improving
the education of girls and women in the United States. This is no longer an active site, but its online resources are still available.
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