Looks Like Me, Sounds Like Me! How Race Matters in Learning With Digital Tools

• In Event: 68.061 - Roundtable Session 30
  In Roundtable Session: 68.061-12 - Recentering Children, Multiracial Preservice Teachers, Race, and Small Schools in Educational Research

Abstract

The technology education movement includes e-books that can be customized for students. This qualitative study examined 35 students as they customized their own digital books. Using digital photos and videos, each student selected from a folder of diverse options to drag and drop images into their e-book. The images were identical except for the racial of the characters. We discovered that cues about racial authenticity emerged as primary the motivation for students selecting images. Students consistently chose images that reflected their racial, gender, and linguistic identities. The results of this study highlight the need to recognize how racial cues can help students draw deeper connections to digital media if those cues are culturally authentic.

Authors

• Bryan A. Brown, Stanford University

• Kareem Edouard, Stanford University