Abstract:

This presentation is based on a joint dissertation completed by doctoral students Rebekkah Watkins and Amy Myers. The problem this study addressed was how K-12 students in public schools located in remote areas of N.C. are not receiving the leadership and technology opportunities they need to be successful, and they are not active participants in the education process. By integrating a Youth Participatory Action Research methodology into their research, these researchers empowered participants to work towards making a positive change in their school environment.

This research answered these questions:
1. How can instructional technologies successfully provide leadership and mentorship opportunities to children located in remote areas of North Carolina?
2. In what ways can educators build strong digital citizens through supplemental educational opportunities?
3. How can these supplemental opportunities, like this camp, build a stronger understanding of credible information so students can become more knowledgeable consumers of online information?
4. How might students recognize factors in which supplemental educational opportunities enhance their knowledge beyond what is offered by their traditional education?

This project, which was comprised of a one week camp referred to as a research institute focused on building skills for leadership and several instructional technologies, including the Google suite of products and virtual field trips. Participants practically applied the skills they learned to advocate for a change to a problem that they recognized in their school environment.They created a final product using Google sites.

Findings from this project in terms of technology found the following:
- Digital Literacy standards are not being taught consistently throughout Jackson County.
- Participants felt like they had enough “regular educational” technology in their schools, but they would like to see other technologies like e-readers, Alexa lights, etc. to enhance their education beyond Chromebooks and Promethean boards.
- School system online restrictions, which are intended to keep students safe in a digital environment often inhibit learning or make it more difficult for them to collaborate with others.
- Students did not correlate the production/creation of a digital product to digital literacy.
- Students still have much to learn about digital literacy.
- Students who were less tech savvy at the camp, had parents who did not seem to understand how their child may or may not have utilized the digital literacy skills they acquired at camp. The disconnect regarding the importance of digital literacy seems to somewhat correlate between adults and children.

Dr. Watkins and Dr. Myers chose to do a collaborative dissertation because it was the most appropriate way for them to attain their research goals, as they both wanted to collaborate on ways supplemental educational offerings could help students progress beyond their lower socioeconomic status. This area is located in the western part of the state, and the majority of the children there live in poverty, as it is part of the Appalachian region of the country, which is historically known for its poverty and lack of resources. Dr. Jackson teaches at a school in the area.

Both researchers hope to continue to find avenues to draw attention to the lack of consistency in how these skills are taught and to provide more learning oppotunities for students regarding technology and leadership.

Keywords:

Technology, Youth Participatory Action Research, STEM, Personal Learning Environments, Technology-Enhanced Learning, Digital Skills.