Twitter working on diversity, as are others ...

... by changing people in the role of "Diversity Chief"as reported in this article in the NY Times.  But is it enough?  I mean, we in education are often accused of "just making a new course" to cover a curricular hole or overlooked but important issues, is this the same in the world of technology?

Well, it's a start I suppose :)

Diversity in Academia

Just a quick link on diversity in the Academy.

A Science Issue, a Human Issue

Latest found in Astronomy, but an problem that is found in many places, as reported here by NPR.

DO-IT video on inclusive teaching ...

The University of Washington's DO-IT program has been a great resource for exploring the intersection of computing and disability/accessibility, here is a recent (2015) 11 minute video on what I would term "Universal Teaching" (i.e., where universal design meets computing education) which is more of an ideal to which we should aim and work to realize as much as possible.

HuffPost Tech article on why girls should learn to code

Just a quick handoff to 14 Girls Explain Why Women Should Learn How To Code, enjoy!

Three simple was to improve diversity in tech hiring

They seem simple, and have been tried in other contexts, should be considered in tech as well in conjunction with others means.

World Accessibility Map

I have yet to try it, but thought you would like to know about it, link here.

Big data find evidence of hiring bias

Aaron Clauset of the University of Colorado, Boulder (and Haverford College class of 2001) just published an article suggesting evidence of bias in faculty hiring, especially in computer science and especially with women.

A provocative discussion

So I saw this recent article about not teaching all women to code. Or more accurately, the title is provocative.  As I read the piece, there are some ideas I agree with, like we should never coerce students to learn coding or anything for that matter. But I do believe we should expose them to computational thinking, and that will include algorithms, data representations .. in other words, programming.

I am sensing that the issue is more with the targeted accommodations for women. Studies indicate that is where the issue is.  Still, the dream should be less accommodation and more universal design of education that includes everyone.  In this way, women, like everyone else, can make a more informed choice about career and interest.

But I am considering a (sarcastic) response about not teaching men cooking, or some other provocative title.  Stay tuned.