Unknown Speaker 00:05 My name is Debbie Eastman and I'm an assistant professor of Mathematics at William Paterson college. What I passed out to you is a selected bibliography covering various topics. And the reason we selected for each one of those has a lot of a total bibliography in it. So the first part is selected bibliography and women in mathematics. Then there are selected general references on here's the next page is a sample again selected bibliography about the Apple Computer. This is an Apple computer, any computer personal computer that you get has its own bibliography nowadays, and the last page has some periodicals because the periodicals are often much more useful than the books at this point. I also want you to see that type that was done on this computer with the word processing software. So then I've done all my bibliographies now on the word processor so that you have an idea of what does it look like in terms of the type that you can do on a microcomputer? I also will say that those of you and I think there's some I looked at the list who had extensive computer background, this is probably the wrong workshop for you. This is an overview of how the computer microcomputer can be used against us and possibly how we can use it in no positive way. So that if you have been doing a lot with computers and thought quite a lot about women and mathematics, I would suggest that probably this is not the correct workshop for you and I invite you to leave Okay, first I would like to introduce the this is a house a home computer and the various parts of it is called hardware. The hardware is this is a monitor or video display. This is a disk drive this part of the central processing unit or the actual computer some of the other things are what are called floppy disks, and they're called floppy because they do flop well rather than like records which are horrible. This is my library I carry it around with me all the time and I vary from and I usually are carrying around when I walk around the campus about 10 of these with me depending on I want to have my library with my memory is here I turned off the machine there is no limit there at all. And so that this is the difference between those of you who work on a larger mainframe computer computer where you store your data, you're given a number of disadvantages for your data there I store my data or information or whatever I want one thing that what I would like to do today is present along with be a possible nightmare view of the future then I will discuss particular women's reactions to microcomputer and with a different possible vision of the future beep will help in the presentation because various programs be run before we begin had been does anybody have a birthday today or Has anybody had a birthday recently? Would you come up and do this is really important okay would you tell us could not everybody here sure like that what searcher it says hi my name is and then it says what do you say I tell everyone how you do. Unknown Speaker 04:05 Computer can be used in many different ways obviously. As the people this morning gave us left us with a fairly depressing picture of the world the and what the implications are in terms of the microcomputer and processing and terms of the industry and our future I want to continue in that vein first of all, this is a memory chip which I took out of my computer is not now on the packet around please be careful I took it out so it has pins so don't hurt yourself on those. The pins make the connection. The black part that you will see this carry for one kg or 1200 1024 characters of memes as you can see very easily this can be embedded in our Social Security And very soon or technology can be this size that already is that will carry more memory. If this is embedded in your social security card at any point and somebody can ask for them Haitian, plug it into a computer, and all kinds of information could be 1024 characters is roughly about 13 lines, one amazement, regulars have a lot of material to convey, you know, just elected me or anybody that I would like to back. But I wanted to do that this is the kind of technology that can be used against these big memory chips. At the end, clearly, one of the things that we are not involved with what information goes on there, the kind of invasion of privacy that will take place to consider the kinds of things that can be coded because we aren't involved with the decisions about the coding, it's very easy to hide things in a computer. They say that there are certain memory areas that are only available to the what they call the user. It's not true. You can hide all kinds of things and put in the programs the arcade games, hide them deliberately so that people can't deprogram or find out. So you go through a whole process of learning how to find out how these games really work. So that the the on that memory chip, a lot could be put on and then coded in such a way that we would have no control over. Content. What about the workplace if there is such a place separate let me turn this off, just save on electricity. Many businesses are already becoming paperless as computers and word process processes become more prevalent. First, there are documented health hazards if one sits in front of a video monitor for long periods of time, eye strain and back strain are common, but also changes in the menstrual cycle. miscarriages and birth defects have been documented. To name women have fought this and are now built into their union contracts that a woman can only work five hours per day at a video display terminal. And that a pregnant woman can be shifted away from such work. technology could be used to make the monitors safer. The last demanding is safety have not been passed. And in this country, there is very little working towards this. Now this computer's a dumb creature. If I turn this machine on, Unknown Speaker 07:35 it will just sit there until I give it some kind of instruction. Even if we add to what is going on, you'll see the red light, red light if not all, what happened? Did it go oh yeah, went on a minute stop. Because why not? Let me that was a bad demonstration. Sorry, I have stopped so that will stop you by now nothing is in this computer at this moment. If I now turn the computer on. No, it's just going to sit there and it's gonna do this forever. I and if I press the reset button to stop the worrying and, and get the apple to have the screen. Nothing still is gonna happen. The computer is totally dumb. It is what we do with it. That can concern Oh, the computer can only do one task at a time. Granted highly repetitive and very quickly but one task at a time. This could result in jobs being divided up and compartmentalized. No longer could exist. The variety of work of an executive secretary in its place would be the job carefully split into pieces, and divided out among lower paid web people usually women and women would spend entire days doing highly repetitive tasks similar to an assembly line. This unfortunately is what the computer is good at. Is this a one task at a time, but are there to be workplaces, cottage industries are working at home could multiply as commuting costs and costs to maintain buildings become too expensive. loopholes and Blue Shield are already trying this out. Well several women in the south these women do the typing at home have a quota forms are paid by the number of forms and have no benefits. In other words, again, the actuality that we've heard this morning about the cottage industry is happening. And the abuses of this worker are clear no benefits and in isolation. Now we're processing lots of people are leaping up and down about the joys of word processing. The problem is and I must admit I have become hooked by Philips Junior College in New Orleans now grants a word processing operator depending on the new terminology is that a graduate is called a word processing specialist. True one does need new key skills and we'll get to that in a minute and editing skills in order to read and edit on a video display terminal. I still do not have I have those skills I'm working on. But I find it very difficult and I'm very, I use paper a lot, I have to print out a copy of my paper, then catch my errors and then go back. I don't do not have those skills. Word Processing specialists are paid more than typhus. That is true. This latter occupation will probably disappear. One of my sisters who is a secretary of the law firm in Australia goes down to collect the form the boss needs, and I use the word down because machines are housed in the basement. The whiners, as they're called, because machines are Wang's spend their entire day in the basement segregated all in front of a video exploiter. Added to this is the possible abuse of this worker, since the computer does not differentiate between kids. By this I mean that a computer will say a key has been pressed or typed. Whether it prints a letter or not. The spacebar counts as much in the computer as if one had typed the letter A. The new terminology about the keyboard is key stroking. Instead of typing class in the future, we will have keystroke classes. The reason for this change is there more keys on the computer, and some of them have hidden commands. Now let me show you what I mean by hidden command. If I typed the word print and the spacebar and it's just a print six, and I hit the return key, which is similar on the electric typewriter to enter anything else prior it's like the character returning the number comes back and the number you can't see it but the number six is printed on the screen. If I type the question mark, and then hit six also, and hit the Return six is again. In other words, the question mark is has the same effect as the print command. That's what's meant as a hidden command. So instead of typing five letters for print, you only have to type one which is the question there are loads of hidden commands in a computer. And so the whole issue of keystrokes is just finding these hidden commands and what the different keys mean. Unknown Speaker 12:26 Now to show how this concept of keystroke can can be abused, I will now have slight demonstration I will need a volunteer from one of you will this is an abuse of typist program I wrote this program deliberately to with disparaging comments and little was for I wrote it Okay, so I'm taking full responsibility for the negativism in it. But it was to deliberately to convey to you this terrible possibility. Now I will take it please stop me at any moment if things are happening too fast in terms of the terminology This is the program is on this I will load it in the disk the way to communicate to the computer is from your memory gets in through the distro then what I'm going to do is load the project but I need a volunteer let me get to cheer Okay, now would you be so kind and would you read what it says Hi, Unknown Speaker 13:35 my name is beat. This program will demonstrate how the computer can be used typist press any key to continue. Hi, my name is my name. My name is beep this program will demonstrate how the computer can abuse typist. Press any key to continue Unknown Speaker 13:59 please type as long as you wish. When you want to stop use the return key. When you are ready press any key to begin. enforcement Unknown Speaker 15:07 Okay, now by hitting the reset button that's one way to destroy this is now problems been totally destroyed. Right? Like, Unknown Speaker 15:17 you know what I want, you know now you Unknown Speaker 15:19 can do whatever you want. Because say you haven't well Titan mountain gold doesn't matter what you want because no there'll be no tech now in essence, that's the only button that I was trying to figure out what one could destroy that's the only way you can write that he sort of that particular story in any any particular interval there's you can in other words you can what they say is this enable disable any key on that I deliberately did not disable that because I want to at least be able to stop that. Now to run the program Unknown Speaker 15:58 run the word run I work Unknown Speaker 16:01 on that the machine command with the running okay. Okay, you have tried to run Unknown Speaker 16:18 Hi, my name is big. This program will demonstrate how the computer can he has typed this press any key to continue. Unknown Speaker 16:23 Okay, I'm sorry, it says my name is the same thing. She started it over again, press any key and I Unknown Speaker 16:29 can just just type all these things in I'll keep. I'll keep typing it out until I Unknown Speaker 16:34 until you decide to hit the Return button. Unknown Speaker 16:37 How does this abuse me? Or you wait, hit the Return button. What is it the only type 34 keystrokes you're not working enough. Press Enter key to try again. Unknown Speaker 16:49 I'm sorry, let me repeat. It says you only have 34 keystrokes you are not working enough press any key to try again. Unknown Speaker 16:57 Okay, keep doing it keep it just counseling. You only type 12 keystrokes you're not working enough press any key to try again Unknown Speaker 17:17 Absolutely, can come back now I wrote it so that if you type certainly you get this nasty message. Between 50 and 100 I have another nurse with 100 and oh boy the mother I mean you've never taught them not for the children you think you're typing but forget it you would do the same thing if you type well Unknown Speaker 17:56 you type 206 keystrokes but you should be typing at least 216 keystrokes press any key to try again. I'm doing better though. Well I'm so happy to be informed. Unknown Speaker 18:20 But visit and then it can be monitored. And those folks the women who are doing the Blue Cross Blue Shield can be monitored because they will hook in to a larger computer at the at wherever their main offices so the implications of our should be able to be monitored. I don't understand Unknown Speaker 18:44 make it sound like it's an awful thing to monitor again by looking up a lot of operators during the main operator that listens in make sure that the people are safe and tracking what is going to Unknown Speaker 18:57 be honest with Unknown Speaker 19:01 you tonight and how you can pay more for stupid it's just you know the matter about balance sheet any view that Unknown Speaker 19:25 it's supposed to be at this point. I will attempt to make a positive towards the end. I mean, I'm trying to paint right now all the possible abuses that I can hope to see. Unfortunately I've obviously this is my personal home computer and I wouldn't be I mean I wouldn't have a personal computer if I didn't say that they were positive reasons. But I'm trying to show you right now all of you. Unknown Speaker 19:50 Poor weather has nothing to do with that because Unknown Speaker 20:09 it is there is a committee that is a scam I mean investigating the whole issue of privacy but there is another no monitoring there are no laws passed at this point there there's vague rumblings on you know, but nothing has been done okay, now we'll go over what 505 keystrokes Would you still have to try again I'm sorry yes Unknown Speaker 20:43 virus for you saying that the control systems always tell somebody to take another secret Unknown Speaker 20:58 to check in on my officials themselves will take you find out when the good times and then walk it out. Yeah, the more you know about the technology the more you can do that so I mean that I mean there are pluses and minuses we're going Yeah, well I'm sorry there's one more than all of us Unknown Speaker 21:30 in fact, everybody does. Whenever it was your turn, people are going to ask for you to share some income or university because everybody traffic numbers are the same number I read that the last thing I said that we offer and the reason was because I guarantee apparently we're hearing so all of us strive for privacy and freedom. When you ask for yourself it's pretty hard to refuse and one of the things that universities have been playing numbers which they will assign to you if you insist that you will learn security why strange Unknown Speaker 22:31 but most of you adequately knowing Unknown Speaker 22:35 that you should manage to Unknown Speaker 22:37 get your driver's license just to have this number now is a good change and the end it's an all in one line that separates them from floor to floor it took me a little while to learn how to do I suppose I know that a new process security never at all now I know that number is so low it's like so automatic that I see it you know it jumps up what's going away Unknown Speaker 23:38 I have a natural we still have a separate Unknown Speaker 23:45 video it's very important for you to share it your mind that much less likely to have diabetes Unknown Speaker 24:41 What's that what's the number everyone heard? Unknown Speaker 24:49 Have you I think there's enough time to do this. In the future everybody is not entitled to that is one way Unknown Speaker 25:12 to do it the program these that you just saw leads to the problem of software. This was all hardware, because it is like a piece of furniture that you can't change software is the generic term for all written programs that you can purchase and or right. Since situations change good software should be bought that can be modified or changed at any time. We all know about the video games with extreme violence sexism and racism. But unfortunately, these attitudes have carried over into many of the educational programs. In the April 1983 issue of Creative Computing, an NSF funded project created the following language program teaching German The computer says translate from German to English, greater Shinjuku speed. The answer is every pretty cow claims. The computer responds with right translate from German to English way to schlocky frown. Every cow hits the woman. It could be other games that were written other language program. This was an NSF funded program. Other language problems which has been dealt with for the students with COC flight Squadron, where a sentence with a missing word appears for words being shown on the screen, the student must sap the right word and disintegrate the other role on choices. If the student chooses incorrectly, the students crap disintegrates. The computer is value free, but much of the software carefully endorses and encourages certain values. The Minnesota educational computer consortium is probably the best known computer group is creating creative educational programs for all levels from kindergarten to college. I had access to some of these programs, so I decided to try them out I played a game called plants where I had a vegetable st Stan and I was to sell tomatoes. Since I do not like advertising, I decided not to advertise. I don't like to spend my money that way. I lost the game, and it was strongly hinted that I should advertise. So I played it again and decided to advertise. Not only was I rewarded for advertising, but it was strongly reinforced to advertise more. I mean, obviously, some of you noticed this one. The program lemonade, which has been used to introduce many young people to the computer has a built in bias towards Voldemort. Lemonade is a simulation, as well as the plant probe. Your lemonade stand is drawn on the screen, and various days pass and the weather changes. And you have to decide how many glasses of lemonade to sell and for how much lemonade. The after few days, your mother doesn't give you free sugar, so you must raise your price to call the cover your expenses, you have a choice of whether to advertise or not, but the advertising is not always useful. At one point in the program, I was told Street was closed due to road repair. Since I live in the city, I said so but there'll be plenty of people around. Well, needless to say, I lost all my money that day. The program was written with a suburban bias where Road closed means no cars and no people. As a result, when I use eliminate and eliminate is a very good sedang and it's good simulation. It's one of the better ones, too. I use that to introduce introduce the computer to a group of city students. I made sure that they were warned about this virus logo, which is an extraordinary program now being used successfully as early as third grade where students create absolutely gorgeous designs very easily. Even logo has the command Ctrl K to kill a text line, which really means you just simply erase a few words that you didn't want. The designers of this language could have been more creative for using say Ctrl R for remove or Ctrl E or erase, but know the command is Ctrl K for kill. I would like to show you a program now which has been written by one of the mathematicians in our department. Many mathematicians and scientists are thrilled by the four graphics capability of the microcomputer without considering the ethical and moral issues of their programs. This game bombs the world and beautiful colors. When I asked him what his score of 280 men, he said that the world had been destroyed 200 native times since I won't survive one nuclear bomb 208 It makes no sense. So let me know and I need a volunteer at Google like to play this wonderful time in the morning. It is the typical game where it's hand eye coordination Unknown Speaker 30:20 it's called to his poems got to understand that you're not volunteering. Would anybody like to volunteer to see? I mean, we ought to see experience ourselves. It's not I mean, I brought in a color monitor so that we could experience one of the Would anybody like to play this? So it was mine. We want to read this slowly. Okay, I do. Okay, Doomsday is a game in which you get 10 chances to destroy the world in great variety of graphic waves, depending on rocket velocity, mountain color, and bomb rotation upon impact. The best pictures are obtained with velocity equals two on the Red Mountain points scored according to mountain color with bonuses for higher velocity and understand the red was third, blue equals 20 Green equals 15 the highest possible score is 510. Drop the bomb by pressing any key Well, it's hard to understand but we will we will continue to buy what do we have to do press any key to continue Okay, okay, so there you go. Okay, you want the velocity stayed about two and then you will hit the return key and enter it into the computer. Now you have a number of bombs left or 10 and you will try and drop a bomb so it will hit one of the mountaintops if it hits one of the mountain so that one didn't hit so now you have nine more chance to go so now we'll try this again okay, world safe with many people who haven't experienced the graphics one so this is ultra almost listen, I tried this the other day I got down to six phones before Yeah, I mean it's really annoying No, there's no there isn't a typical bombing of the World Yeah, the airplane does get to fly she just plays anything it's just a simple variation on any sort of game right because no variation on any sort of game so now you have you have bombed the world 36 times yeah, all right. Okay, yeah. So you just have to clue into what the projector right yeah you're playing six planes into the destroyer yeah the planes awesome yeah, but you do get No he hasn't gotten that far it's defined in the world women we are Episode Two Oh no, we only have one chance have to because you get rewarded Unknown Speaker 33:52 Do you remember the village is always conducted with different colors. Unknown Speaker 33:55 Nothing about them that you hit when they have to prove that you haven't had a different point value right? Yes, the red home has I can't remember what it is. But once you get that one how many times Unknown Speaker 34:14 that's it okay. All right. I'll try and do another one. Now this one is different. This one is when the destroying of the world is the same color as the border so she wanted to get as kind of a blank statement and just trying to show this. You have two bombs left you have a wonderful story 144 You're reacting to what he has to colors. Last night she was going to eat like it was like a flower oh yeah yeah Unknown Speaker 35:14 that was created by Unknown Speaker 35:22 well the game is back on the world the 191 except the plane another plane comes on the side but at the same time I'm sorry Unknown Speaker 35:48 but least women got together and really took off your customers running the coasters last time for the white man wins this times Unknown Speaker 36:17 yeah Unknown Speaker 36:23 okay let me tell you this is a new person he is writing this product just wants to make a million dollars and you want to teach your child this poor girl and he keeps her child and use that as her game but no it is not as education this is for entertainment. This is okay, I would like to now concentrate on some particular reasons that many women react negatively to the computer. First, there's a woman's fear of technology since most women use more machines weekly than most men. The list includes washing machines sewing machines, dryer electric typewriters, not to mention the data on the screen Xerox machines etc etc. It is clear that women can and do use modern technology. The technology to operate a microcomputer is similar to the electric typewriter. It seems here that is not the use of technology but other issues which may be dictating our negativism. Part of the problem of the technology is the new vocabulary which appears without much explanation. I've had to learn new words or expressions like wrong dos 16k 48k, expandable Pixies, pixels, CPM, but I learned these words as the need arose. The process was somewhat similar to learn about the parts of my car, I learned about carburetors filters points as the car collapsed. So technology in the computer world is developing and changing so rapidly that machines become data. How can we begin to be a part of a world where new models appear almost every one where books become dated by the time they are published? And where some people feel that even monthly magazines are dated by the time they reach the minister. This machine is already dated it was purchased last summer, but in no way am I going to replace it with a different model. When I purchased this machine, I made sure that it was expandable so that I could add on accessories or peripherals as their whole life was there example the printer or on board member or whatever. Each year new car models are brought out and I do not feel I have to purchase a new car so why should I purchase a new computer. The important guideline in purchasing a microcomputer is that the computer is expandable so that as one's uses change, soaking up also change one's computer. Along with the problems and learning about this new technology is the issue of fatigue. One woman I talked with said she had worked and fought hard to write the articles, serve on department committees and teach well, she had finally won her tenure battle and she was exhausted. Now this new technology was demanding that she learned a new field. This is a genuine concern for all of us. But the suppose the joy of a microcomputer is that it could make one's life easy. It should enable us to more efficiently complete our work and help us decrease the amount of time spent on our jobs and increase our leisure time. Attitude fatigue is a question about personality changes and changes in personal relationships. Psychologists are now beginning to study people who spend a good part of the day in front of this video display terminal to determine if those people relate differently to others or not. A couple of friends of mine who run travel agencies were complaining about the lack of humor With the lack of response to humans, that the three women who work at the reservation computers, the introduction of a computer has totally changed the atmosphere in the office. For some time, I refuse to believe that there was such a thing as a personality change until it was brought to my attention that I now Grunder. It used to be when it was announced that the dog was taking forward to being taken for its nightly walk that I would converse and say, Come back soon or something. Now I'm told I say nothing or I grew up. Sitting in front of the computer is very different than sitting in front of a TV. The microcomputer with this instantaneous response allows the user to have quite an intense conversation. For me personally, and I think that this is the true reason why the light in the home computer is it the computer has taken me out of professional isolation. Since my dissertation topic can stop a dinner conversation completely. Unknown Speaker 40:59 The computer gives me the capability to converse about mathematics and experiment with ideas. However, changes in communication behavior do occur. How these changes will affect our ways of relating means much further research. articles have been written about the computer widow. Very little has been written about the computer will. The women that I know who have computers talk to their computers as a family computer with all members of their family being involved. The men that I know who have purchased computers talk about the computers for themselves and their songs. microcomputers also do seem to complicate relations. A teacher one of my workshops had arranged to borrow one of her school's microcomputers over the Thanksgiving weekend. We've been working on graphics in the workshop, and she was very excited about exploring the various possibilities and wanting to spend time over the long weekend was also known as Thanksgiving weekends are a big family we can hold her. But instead of watching the football game, she and her brother in law retired upstairs to look for several hours on graphics. Family tensions often run high during holiday weekends anyway, but this one had an added dimension to it. In my household careful negotiation sometimes take place as to who is going to use this computer and for how long my neighbor has seemed to be belittling some of the personal problems, but they are real. Since the field is so new, the research is being done now. And what I've seen is geared towards men and their use. The best source for women at this time is each other and sharing these experiences. Further issues it's around women. microcomputers involve women in mathematics. Suppose I asked you to add in your heads 18 plus nine. Unknown Speaker 42:43 How would you do? Unknown Speaker 42:46 I was taught the old fashioned way where you write 18 on one line, you write nine under the eight, you had the nine plus the eight to get seven carry the one Yeah, the one in the one in the to get to and you finally get to one seven. Now some women would say hey, wait a minute. 18 plus nine is really 80 plus 10, which is 28. Subtract one and you get 27. Now this is much more efficient and shows a maturity of thinking and understanding of number of relationships. Then there are some of us who say forget it. I never liked math. When you ask a woman who responds negatively to math, When did she start feeling this way? She often can pinpoint the teacher, the classroom situation, or the changing schools which determine once having fallen behind she was never able to catch up. And math became the hard period of the school day. The research has shown again and again that math is the one subject in the early grades through sixth grade that is not and I repeat, not sex link. Burn study mathematics and sex in 1975 show that more girls like English than boys, more boys like science than girls. But girls and boys equally like or dislike mathematics. The change seems to begin in the junior high school years when other pressures force changes in girls attitudes. Parents, teachers, guidance counselors and peers often send the messages that girls should not do well in mathematics nor take mathematics. Armstrong study a national assessment of achievement and participation of women in mathematics. Show the 13 year old girls are not different in mathematical abilities than boys, both in problem solving skills and spatial relationships. A clear difference takes place by the end of the high school and probably can be attributed to the fact that most girls may only take two years of high school back Bob Royce are encouraged to take three if not for Elizabeth Panama from the University of Wisconsin, who is perhaps the expert on math anxiety with both boys and girls has demonstrated again and again that the more Math courses you take usually means the less anxiety about now. Research is now being collected on the number of girls in high school computer classes. 77% of the advanced computer classes are male. The free time after school when a computer lab is open is usually populated by over 90%