Redefining geek : bias and the five hidden habits of tech-savvy teens / Cassidy Puckett.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Puckett, Cassidy, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Technology and youth.

Technical education--Methodology.

Technical education.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (320 p.) : 18 halftones, 10 tables

Place of Publication:

Chicago, Illinois : University of Chicago Press, [2022]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

A surprising and deeply researched look at how everyone can develop tech fluency by focusing on five easily developed learning habits. Picture a typical computer geek. Likely white, male, and someone you’d say has a “natural instinct” for technology. Yet, after six years teaching technology classes to first-generation, low-income middle school students in Oakland, California, Cassidy Puckett has seen firsthand that being good with technology is not something people are born with—it’s something they learn. In Redefining Geek, she overturns the stereotypes around the digitally savvy and identifies the habits that can help everyone cultivate their inner geek. Drawing on observations and interviews with a diverse group of students around the country, Puckett zeroes in on five technology learning habits that enable tech-savvy teens to learn new technologies: a willingness to try and fail, management of frustration and boredom, use of models, and the abilities to use design logic and identify efficiencies. In Redefining Geek, she shows how to measure and build these habits, and she demonstrates how many teens historically marginalized in STEM are already using these habits and would benefit from recognition for their talent, access to further learning opportunities, and support in career pathways. She argues that if we can develop, recognize, and reward these technological learning habits in all kids—especially girls and historically marginalized racial and ethnic groups—we can address many educational inequities and disparities in STEM. Revealing how being good with technology is not about natural ability but habit and persistence, Redefining Geek speaks to the ongoing conversation on equity in technology education and argues for a more inclusive technology learning experience for all students.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Introduction: WHY ARE SOME PEOPLE SO GOOD WITH TECHNOLOGY?

[1] Why Does Digital Inequality Persist?

[2] What Helps People Learn

[3] Techie Tricks

[4] Recognizing the Five Habits

[5] The Five Habits, Teens’ Futures, and Digital Inequality

[6] Tackling Digital Inequality

Conclusion: ENVISIONING AN EqUITABLE FUTURE

Acknowledgments

Appendix A: REFLECTION ON MIXED- METHODS RESEARCH

Notes

Index

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

0-226-73272-X

OCLC:

1294144727