Contributing to Young Mexican American English Learners' Multiliteracy Education Through Technological Funds of Knowledge

• In Event: 66.057 - Roundtable Session 27
  In Roundtable Session: 66.057-14 - Promoting Engagement: Teaching and Learning With Digital Means

Abstract

The current digital revolution has greatly changed the educational experiences of millennial students, including the increasing enrollment of English Learners (ELs). The purpose of this ethnographic case study was to explore the technological Funds of Knowledge (FoK) in 6th-8th grade ELs from low-income Mexican-American families in Midwestern United States. The trustworthiness of the data was verified by triangulation of home-visits, in-depth interviews, surveys, writing artifacts, and field notes. The findings indicate these young millennial ELs have rich technological knowledge and skills gained at home. By bridging parents’ beliefs and involvement in ELs’ daily use of technology and “transforming students’ diversities into pedagogical assets,” technology-based FoK provide relevant curricular connections for technology integration into the classroom in a digital world.

Authors

• Yan Chen, University of Nevada - Las Vegas

• Hayley J. Mayall, Northern Illinois University

• Cindy S. York, Northern Illinois University

• Ying Xie, Northern Illinois University