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...…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).

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