WE’RE GONNA NEED A BIGGER BOAT

Dr. Asegul Hulus’ JAWS protocol for navigating gender bias in EdTech seas.

Just when you thought it was safe to enter the digital classroom...

Under the projector’s blue light, another male administrator presented my research on gender-responsive digital pedagogy at the Educational Technology Conference. I presented that same, meticulously documented research at last semester’s faculty meeting. Repackaged and unattributed, the work was lauded as groundbreaking by an inexperienced man.

The 1975 movie, Jaws, is set on Amity Island - a beautiful tourist trap, plagued by a vicious shark hiding in the waves. And for many women, this is today’s educational technology landscape; glistening and promising on the surface, but swimming with unseen predators beneath. The 2023 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) report “Gender Equality and EdTech: What are the barriers and enablers to enhance equity in and through EdTech?” confirms what I experienced daily: significant digital divides between males and females, with biases and assumptions about whether females benefit from and enjoy using EdTech.

Underlying the professional facade, subtle gender bias frequently surfaces in comments like, “Females don’t need advanced digital skills,” or “Impressive coding work... for a female educator.” These aren’t mere microaggressions; they are systemic barriers within an education system designed to exclude females.

At post-conference receptions around the world, discussions are dominated by men who frequently interrupt, contradict, and reiterate ideas women have already expressed. The invisible current of “who-getsheard” pulls strongly in one direction, mirroring the UNESCO report’s finding that disparities emerge, not just in relation to digital access, but also in digital freedom, literacy, pedagogies, and design within educational institutions.

The evidence of the problem is on my laptop: a painstakingly detailed spreadsheet documenting every stolen idea, dismissive comment, and “well, actually” interruption from the last year. The spreadsheet data corroborates the UNESCO report. Females in educational technology aren’t imagining the predator below; they are systematically being circled, tested, and occasionally attacked by biases that limit their access both in and out of the digital classroom. The “Gender Equality and EdTech” report highlights the disparity in mobile device ownership and access between male and female students, showing how this technological divide, coupled with factors like location, poverty, and educational attainment, disproportionately impacts certain groups of females.

Next to my computer is a cherished photo from my childhood – eight-year-old me, beaming, and holding up my Game Boy SP. The sneering comment from an old co-worker about my Game Boy – “Why were you playing that, didn’t they have Barbies?” – still stings. It’s preposterous to assume programming is only for men.

That early shark bite was just the first of many. The persistence of antiquated gender biases in educational institutions, places that should champion innovation, is remarkable and unacceptable. The 2023 UNESCO research confirms this reality: significant barriers exist in how technology is taught, designed, and implemented in institutions. Females like me in educational technology find ourselves playing dual roles: creating gender-responsive pedagogies while simultaneously fighting currents that constantly push females toward the digital shallows.

The days of ignoring problems, like the Amity Island officials in Jaws did to protect tourism, are over for institutions. The UNESCO report clearly states that gender bias in educational technology requires intervention; no woman should face this challenge alone.

The problem isn’t that females cannot swim in these waters; the problem is that we are forced to do so while constantly watching for fins breaking the surface, draining energy that should be directed toward learning and innovation. While our male colleagues freestyle ahead, we perform the exhausting dance of educational advancement while predator-spotting. UNESCO’s report showcases effective strategies for tackling these challenges, such as collaborative design, comprehensive frameworks, individualized learning, and gender-sensitive teaching methods in institutions.

The solution is not to close the digital beaches or warn females away from EdTech education. The answer is in fundamentally changing how educational institutions monitor and address these waters. Females do not need simplified digital swimming lessons; the educational ecosystem needs transformation.

Enter the JAWS Protocol (Justice, Advocacy, Watchfulness, and Structural-change), my comprehensive approach to addressing gender bias in educational technology spaces based on the UNESCO report. The JAWS Protocol represents every evidencebased finding from years of navigating treacherous educational waters, every strategy developed for institutional change, and every insight gained from watching institutional leadership repeatedly claim “it’s safe to go back in the digital water” while female students and educators were still bandaging bite marks.

This is not just another diversity initiative to be framed on an institutional wall or highlighted in recruitment brochures. This is a bigger boat: one designed using the UNESCO report’s recommendations for co-design practices, comprehensive approaches that consider intersectionality, context analysis with gender-specific data, and disaggregation of outcomes by characteristics relating to inequality and marginalisation.

Implementing the JAWS Protocol: A Call to Action For educational institutions serious about addressing gender bias in educational technology, the JAWS Protocol offers a structured approach with actionable implementation guidelines:

(J)ustice

Equal Resource Allocation: Technology budget audits should verify equitable funding for male and femalebenefiting initiatives. The UNESCO report highlights the significant effect of fair resource distribution on reducing the digital divide.

Representation Matters: All digital learning resources should accurately reflect diversity and be free of gender bias in their visuals and language.

Documentation Systems: Create accessible, confidential reporting procedures within EdTech to handle instances of prejudice, intellectual property infringement, and discrimination.

(A)dvocacy

Females as Co-Designers: Involve women directly in the design of EdTech solutions using participatory methods, empowering them to shape the tools they will use.

Teacher Training: Make professional development in gender-responsive pedagogy mandatory for all technology educators.

Awareness Campaigns: Begin highlighting ongoing programs that celebrate women’s contributions to STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and educational technology. For example, The Association for Computing Machinery’s Council on Women in Computing (ACM-W).

(W)atchfulness

Gender Data Collection: Collect detailed data on technology access and use, broken down by gender, socioeconomic status, location, and other relevant factors.

Regular Assessments: Quarterly assessments should analyse participation and achievement patterns to determine gender equity in digital learning environments.

External Review: Institutions’ gender and technology practices should undergo independent audits.

(S)tructural-change

Policy Reform: To ensure gender equity in technology education, update institutional policies with transparent accountability measures.

Environmental Redesign: Make both physical and digital learning environments equally welcoming and useful for everyone, regardless of gender.

Incentive Systems: Develop awards for educational technology that champions inclusivity and gender responsiveness.

The UNESCO report highlighted that addressing gender bias in EdTech demands a coordinated approach to tackle systemic, not merely isolated, challenges. The role each institution plays in either perpetuating or dismantling these barriers must be acknowledged.

As for me, Dr. Ace Hulus, I’ll continue charting these waters and expanding the JAWS Protocol based on emerging research and practice. Because in the educational technology ocean, we shouldn’t just be teaching females to swim with sharks; we should be transforming the ecosystem to ensure everyone can navigate safely through waters rich with opportunity rather than danger.

We’re going to need a bigger boat. Let’s build it together.

Join the JAWS Movement

Ready to navigate these waters with us? This is how to participate in the JAWS Protocol and community:

Ace’s JAWS Committee: Join or Start an ACM-W Professional Chapter

Globally, the Association for Computing Machinery’s Council on Women in Computing (ACM-W) champions women in tech by supporting, celebrating, and advocating for them through ACM-W professional chapters.

ACM-W offers free JAWS-themed events, including webinars and talks by leading experts, focusing on topics such as EdTech equity.

At ACM-W, we don’t just discuss change; we embody the JAWS protocol. We are solution builders, defying stereotypes. ACM-W fosters a community that promotes mentorship, leadership, and innovation.

From your studies to your career, ACM-W is there to help you every step of the way. Innovation is not limited by gender.

Visit ACM-W to join the JAWS revolution. Or message me on LinkedIn (Dr. Asegul Hulus) or email.

Tell your Story, Display Posters, and Register for Future JAWS-themed Conferences

Speak up. Follow the JAWS protocol and see how much you can inspire people and follow the JAWS protocol to support each other.

Infographics and posters can visually highlight key statistics, such as Cheryl Robinson’s ForbesWomen 2024 report showing women comprise only 25% of the global computing workforce (including EdTech). These visuals help illustrate the persistent gender gap. Display these statistics in classrooms, staff rooms, and online to encourage discussion and raise awareness in EdTech.

Also, networking at seminars and webinars (conferences) is valuable; a quick Google search for “gender diversity webinars in EdTech” will uncover helpful resources and networking opportunities to further empower the Jaws protocol

We need to work together to safeguard these EdTech waters. Whether you’re an individual educator, administrator, or institution, your participation matters in creating safer EdTech learning environments for all.

Dr Asegul (Ace) Hulus is an Assistant Professor, Lecturer, Researcher and Author in Computing, and a regular contributor to Dirtyword. Learn more about her work and connect wth her here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/asegulhulus/