High School Art Education Classroom in a Latino Culture

The Importance of Digital Technology Fitting into High School Art Education Classroom in a Latino Culture
Bibliographic Annotation
Fuller, B., Lizárraga, J. R., & Gray, J. H. (2015). Digital media and Latino families: New channels for learning, parenting, and local organizing. New York, NY: Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop.
Digital knowledge is an essential tool for strengthening expertise in a community. Children are now more than before exposed to a wider array of digital media and information. As the digital divide closes and digital blitz emerge integral to our everyday lives, exploring the usage and social dynamics of the digital media in advancing learning is instrumental. The study by Fuller et al (2015) identifies a close in the digital gap of access to critical devices such as smartphones, laptops, and tablet among the Hispanic community compared to the white middle-income American class. The widening access and the versatility of smart devices in accessing information websites implies an increasing exposure of the Hispanic children to a wider variety of knowledge.
The expanding arena of digital devices among the Hispanic community trickles to educational activities embracing digital devices. The prevalence raises questions on the education utility and what digital media content and platforms services educational outcome. The penetration as well raises questions on the availability of content that addresses the diversity in family and culture. The review by Fuller et al (2015) establishes that research has not adequately disaggregated the socializing and educational elements of digital media among the Hispanic children. The study identifies that limited research explores the content the Hispanic Latino children are learning from digital engagement, a research gap that the current study seeks to explore by examining the art related content high school Hispanic students generate from digital media.
Katz, V. S., & Levine, M. H. (2015). Connecting to learn: Promoting digital equity among America’s Hispanic families. New York, NY: Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop.
The significance of digital media in enhancing education outcome has been extensively explored. Exploring the integration of digital media among Hispanic communities, Katz & Levine (2015) identifies a catalyzing effect of education media on other learning opportunities such as springboard for conversation and imaginative play. Not only does the digital media benefit the Hispanic community with an educational enhancement for the students, but as well serves as a community resource by providing information and learning opportunities for adults and parents interacting with the students.
Mainstream, culture, and families above the poverty line have been the predominant focus of research on digital media and education ecology with limited research and policy focusing on the minority groups despite the increasing populations of the minorities. In addition to the population of children with a Hispanic doubling in 3 decades, the majority of these children belong to families living below the federal poverty line (Katz & Levine, 2015). Katz & Levine (2015) identifies that although there has been increasing policy attention on the accelerated technological innovation and digital equity, the policy discusses hardly centers on the inextricable link between digital technology and academic trajectory for students from the low socioeconomic category. The policy paper by Katz & Levine (2015) reports a disproportionate digital divide among populations experiencing social inequalities. (Katz & Levine, 2015) identifies family, community and school level variations in technological adoption by Hispanic communities.
The research by Katz & Levine (2015) reveals an increasing uptake of tablets, smartphones, and social network sites but underdevelopment of infrastructure that such as high- speed mobile internet and limited access to broadband internet that would promote effective and equitable digital media in education. While existing research digital divide in education among the Hispanic communities in the US, the literature scantly the accesses the role of digital media contributes to cognitive development among learner’s high school students. This study seeks to enrich literature educational outcomes of integrating digital media in the education systems for Hispanic students from low-income suburbs.
Levinson, M., & Barron, B. (2018). Latino Immigrant Families Learning with Digital Media across Settings and Generations. Digital Education Review, 150-159
Technology has emerged as an instrumental tool in reinventing approaches of learning and adapting learning experience to the learner's needs. Digital media is emerging as a tool for enhancing language literacy among the Hispanic community. The advent of digital media has sparked increasing interest as a source of information to enhance knowledge. Integrating the use of the internet-powered device in the art education for high school Hispanic student would enable exploration of content in the curriculum which would shape the student interest. Levinson & Barron (2018) identifies that the use of the internet enables both the student and the parents identify key areas of interest and expand knowledge beyond the content provided within the school context.
The study by Levinson & Barron (2018) establishes that the increasing accessibility of internet and ICT devices among the Hispanic families results in positive cognitive development both for the students and the community at large. The study observes the use of digital media to strengthen children’s academic skills, while parents used media as a tool to advance their careers and studies. Use of translation apps, for example, enables the parents to support the children with their homework. Further digital media elevates community interaction as Levinson & Barron (2018) reveals extensive use of social network to maintain networks with relatives and friends. The analysis by Levinson & Barron (2018) observes the diversity of content from using digital media which consequently enhances the scope of interest, hence its integration in art education is inevitable. The diversity of use of digital media as revealed in the study by Levinson & Barron (2018) forms a foundation of the current study that seeks to explore digital media in high school art education for Hispanic students.
Ili?, V., Stojanovi?-?or?evi?, T., & Šikl-Erski, A. (2018). ICT and art education. Technics, Technology, and Informatics in Education, 32-37.
Information exchange, communication, and expression are now inconceivable without ICT and internet. The world has become more interconnected evolving the way people communicate. The increasing prevalence of the internet has evolved information flow from conventional media where content flowed in one direction to participatory media where consumers of content becoming the producers of the content. Ili? et al (2018) propose such participatory media has a place in the classroom where it enables students to engage in innovative learning, communication, and expression. Digital technology is merging as an irreplaceable tool in the four components of literacy; art, calculating, reading and writing. ICT guides creativity by enriching art education and enabling students to visualize artistic ideas resulting in new aesthetic experiences. Additionally, ICT enables interactivity through animated objects, digitized videos, and animated movies. Use of ICT in art Education is characterized by increased ease of use, practicability, attractiveness, experimentation, interdisciplinarity, and applicability in real life. Student’s creativity could be enhanced by digitally simulating information (Ili? et al., 2018)
The digital age demands designer and artistic skills for all sectors of modern life. ICT presents dynamic and interactive tools for visualization and expression of artistic ideas. ICT enables automation of artistic resources. Ili? et al (2018) note adoption of digital media exposes teachers and students to rich resources with multidisciplinary artistic content and develop ideas that would otherwise not emerged with traditional tools of art. The digitalized content enriches the classroom environment creating a stronger link between curriculum goals, content, and outcome. However, the goal of integrating digital technology in art education should not only be enhancing student’s artistic creativity but as well as nurturing community development. The integration of media implies that student connects, communicate and collaborate with the world audience. The students are exposed to wider artistic work from diverse cultures bringing the students closer to diverse cultural heritage. Consequently, the student should actively seek to express to the world their creativity and works to the world.
Research Purpose and Research Questions
The integration of digital media to enrich classroom dynamics remains a pervasive research gap. According to Fuller et al. (2015), limited literature exists examining the interaction of digitally mediated learning and art educational outcomes. To enrich the limited extant literature, the current study seeks to examine the significance of integrating digital technology in high school for students from low-income suburbs with interrupted education (S.I.F.E). The study underscores the importance of an updated approach of education that reflects the technological advancement of the 21st century.
A semi-structured questionnaire will be presented to the target interviewees addressing the following questions:
a. Does digital technology/ media components academically empower motivationally challenged SIFE high school students?
b. Does embracing technology into SIFE high school classroom program lead to better classroom instruction, better student lead curriculum and avoid the pitfalls with shunning away technology
c. Why do SIFE Classrooms struggle with the use of digital technology
d. How does cross-cultural instruction with media communication classrooms assist the high school SIFE students learning objectives and improve upon overall success in the classroom?
e. What are the benefits for the SIFE classroom teacher and their students when working collaboratively with a media communications/Art Education in the classroom?
f. How do you measure success in technology-driven SIFE classroom environment vs a more traditional classroom?
g. Why do traditional means of education (i.e. written paper instructions, letters home to parents) still prevail over the use of technology/media as a means of communication with the struggling SIFE student and parents of those students?
The rationale for the Hispanic Community
There exist socio-economic disparities between the minority communities compared to the majority community with American orientation. Particularly, the Hispanic community form part of the minority group living below the poverty line. Surveys demonstrate that although the number of children in the Hispanic community had doubled in the last 3 decades, the majority of the children live below the federal poverty line (Ili? et al., 2018; Marrapodi, 2016). Additionally, the children with Hispanic origin face a language challenge raises the concern of underachievement in literacy development. Moreover, the schools in such community face resource constraint implying higher student to resource ratio. However, access to media adoption of internet and ICT related devices has rapidly accelerated over time among the Hispanic community. Given the trend, exploring the extent to which the increased access to digital media has been leveraged in the education system in the Hispanic community is a potential research gap.
The significance of the Study
Integrating digital technology enriches student competencies that surpass the skills and knowledge and skills typically acquired through the traditional educational approach. Students could independently organize their learning trajectory with the introduction of digital literacy. Students engage in actively generating/sourcing information as opposed to being a passive recipient of information. The study explores the significance of integrating digital technology in efficiency in learning. The findings of the study will enrich knowledge for policymakers, educators, and digital media content developers as they work to integrate digital content in the education system.
Literature and Literature Gap
The advent of technology in human lives presents indisputable benefits. Illic et al (2018) note the digital age continues to shape human’s habits and world perception. There’s accelerating consensus that systematic reforms in education to reflect the skills and knowledge that prepare students for the 21st-century society and workforce are inevitable. The traditional archaic school education system is paving way for the explorative and student-centered education system, enhancing student competence. Education reforms agree that digital technology and media must be part of the current education reforms. Turgut (2012) identifies diverse use of digital devices such as laptops in the classroom to present visual instructions, the practice of learned content, supporting language development student projects presentation and student assessment. Although research has established that effectiveness and necessity of integrating technology in the classroom, the integration remains pervasive.
The above peer-reviewed journal identify diversity in the role of digital media; strengthening family and social ties (Fuller et al., 2015), enhances the scope of educational and career interest (Levinson & Barron, 2018) cognitive development (Katz & Levine, 2015) and participatory content development (Ilic et al., 2018; Marrapodi, 2016). Cross-Cutting findings of the above peer-reviewed journals are the contribution of digital media use by the Hispanic community is an informative and learning role for both the children and the parents. The systematic review reveals the significance of digital technology in the education system, hence forms a departure point for research on the application of digital media within education and social context. Notably, limited research explores the effect of integration of digital technology in art education for high school Hispanic students who largely live in low-income suburbs a gap that the current research seeks to explore.
Theoretical Framework
Conceived by Soviet psychologist Semyonovich Vygotsky, the foundation of the Sociocultural theory is the interactive role of society and cognitive development (Habibullah, et al. 2018). The Vygotsky perspective focuses on language, cultural and social effects on a child’s cognitive development and argues that learning is internalized through cognitive tools established by one's culture. The theory identifies society and culture as tools of intellectual adaptation and groundwork for knowledge constructivism. The theory asserts that the cognitive development of children is mediated by their interaction with adults. The theory has extensively exerted influence in the research across the education spectrum. According to Habibullah, et al. (2018), the modeling perspective of social relations as a mediator individual cognitive process adopted in the social-cultural theory fundamentally appropriates the theory domain of research in the education system. The current study entails a sociocultural perspective in art education for the Hispanic High school students implying that the socio-cultural theory would be to a great extent an appropriate theoretical foundation. Digital media presents a social dimension of intellectual imagination which is part of cognitive development. Use of the theory enables a psychological functioning modeling of digital media as a mediator of art education among Hispanic high school students. The sociocultural aspect of the study entails a Hispanic community that Fuller et al (2015) observes strongly embraces a communal as opposed to an individualized lifestyle.
Research Methods
Since the study is exploratory, a qualitative analysis fits the objective with sturdier sensitivity relative to quantitative analysis. Ethnographic observations and interviews will be undertaken among the Hispanic high school students residing in low suburb income area. The participating high school will be selected based on the populace of Hispanic students and three students will be selected from each grade resulting in 9 students being sampled for the study. A student with higher competency in English will be selected since they would easily express theory thoughts and views on the presented questions. Data will be collected to in form of transcripts and videos. Grounded theory will be the foundation of the coding process to establish the connection between the categories. Grounded theory is adopted in research that develops a theory from empirical data and is common in qualitative research seeking to establish a theory from people’s experience.
Data management and analysis will be undertaken using Nvivo 10, a computer data analysis software which according to Creswell & Poth, (2018) increases data credibility. Upon data collection, an analytical framework will be adapted to capture key concepts that will infirm the h research framework. The data will be categorized based on the three levels of coding identified by Creswell & Poth, (2018) as open coding, selective coding, and axial coding and. The initial stage of coding will entail creation open codes that entail a back and forth combining different labels and classification into an overarching concept. Subsequently, I will undertake axial coding which entails the grouping of open codes to establish analytical categories. I will conclude the coding process with selective coding that entails interpretation of categories and establishing a single category for each scheme. Test measures will be undertaken to establish the validity and reliability of the data and interpretation of results. The credibility of the research will be verified through investigator triangulation that establishing consensus and conclusions based on confirmation from data sources collected. To establish the transferability of the findings cross-case findings will be undertaken. Back and forth coding coupled with triangulation will ensure the dependability of the study findings. Lastly, audit trials will be undertaken to guarantee the confirmability of the study findings and interpretation (Creswell & Poth, 2018).



References
Creswell, J. W. & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five traditions. (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Fuller, B., Lizárraga, J. R., & Gray, J. H. (2015). Digital media and Latino families: New channels for learning, parenting, and local organizing. New York, NY: Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop.
Habibullah, P., Rafique, M., Shumaila, M., Ali, R. K., & Illahi, B. (2018). A Critical Review of Vygotsky’s Socio-Cultural Theory in Second Language Acquisition. International Journal of English Linguistics, 1923- 8703.
Ili?, V., Stojanovi?-?or?evi?, T., & Šikl-Erski, A. (2018). ICT and art education. Technics, Technology, and Informatics in Education, 32-37.
Katz, V. S., & Levine, M. H. (2015). Connecting to learn: Promoting digital equity among America’s Hispanic families. New York, NY: Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop.
Levinson, M., & Barron, B. (2018). Latino Immigrant Families Learning with Digital Media across Settings and Generations. Digital Education Review, 150-159.
Marrapodi, M. (2016). Transmedia meets the digital divide: adapting transmedia approaches to reach underserved Hispanic families. Journal of Children and Media, 276- 284.
Turgut, G. (2012). A Case Study on Use of One-to-One Laptops in English as Second Language Classrooms. Turkish Online Journal of Qualitative Inquiry, 3(4).