Answering Damarin’s Call: How iOS Apps Approach Diversity, Equity, and Multiculturalism

Authors

  • Todd Cherner Portland State University
  • Alex Fegely Coastal Carolina University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18251/ijme.v20i1.1464

Keywords:

diversity, equity, multicultural, iOS app, iPad

Abstract

In 1998, Suzanne Damarin put forward a call for technologists and multicultural educators to work together to create technologies that promote inclusiveness and equity for students. As significant technological advancements have happened along with major changes in educational policy over the past 20 years, this study set out to examine if Damarin’s call has been answered. In this article, the researchers first explain how they systematically identified a group of iOS applications designed for iPads and analyzed them for their design quality and content through a lens of diversity, equity, and multiculturalism. They then share their findings and offer implications before concluding with a response regarding the status of Damarin’s call.

Author Biographies

Todd Cherner, Portland State University

Todd Cherner, PhD, is an assistant professor of education in the Graduate School of Education’s Curriculum and Instruction Department. Cherner specializes in using instructional technology to develop students’ literacy abilities across the content areas, and he is committed to the purposeful use of technology to promote students’ reading and writing in the classroom. Before entering higher education, he taught 10th grade English and journalism courses at Leesburg High School in Central Florida. While at LHS, Cherner served on the school’s literacy committee, mentored first year teachers, and coached the varsity bowling team. Cherner earned his bachelor’s degree in English education from the University of Central Florida, his master’s in secondary education from Clemson university, and his doctorate in teacher education from the University of Tennessee. Previous to coming to Portland State University, he taught in and coordinated Coastal Carolina University’s Master of Arts in Teaching program.

Alex Fegely, Coastal Carolina University

Alex Fegely is a lecturer and instructional technology specialist at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, South Carolina, where he teaches both undergraduate and graduate-level educational technology courses. Previously, Alex taught high school social studies and digital media. His research interests are in augmented reality, robotics, and mobile learning in education.

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Published

2018-02-28

How to Cite

Cherner, T., & Fegely, A. (2018). Answering Damarin’s Call: How iOS Apps Approach Diversity, Equity, and Multiculturalism. International Journal of Multicultural Education, 20(1), 21–47. https://doi.org/10.18251/ijme.v20i1.1464

Issue

Vol. 20 No. 1 (2018): Special Issue (20th Anniversary Issue)-"Multicultural Education: Using Our Past to Build Our Future"

Section

2018 20th Anniversary Issue Articles (Peer-reviewed)