(M3.1) Beyond the Screen: Connecting Math, Culture, and Digital Literacy
As a first-year high school math teacher, I have been thinking a lot lately about how we design learning that actually reaches kids, not just through screens, but in ways that really collect. With so many digital tools out there, it is easy to lean on the tech. But the bigger question for me has been: how do we go beyond the screen to create learning that is meaningful, equitable, and rooted in the real world, even in a math class?
One framework that really helped me make sense of this is from Aguilera and Literacy Today (2017). They talk about digital literacy through three lenses: on the screen, behind the screen, and beyond the screen. It is not just about what students see, like a graphing calculator app or a math video. It is also about understanding what is behind that tech (how it works, who designed it, what assumptions it makes). And most importantly, it is about thinking beyond the screen, asking questions about power, equity, and whose voices are centered or left out in the digital world.
Equity and Engagement in Math Class
As I have wrestled with these ideas, a few key things have really stuck with me
The Participation Gap Is Real
We often assume students are digital natives—many are handed a tablet before they can talk. But access doesn’t equal meaningful participation. I’ve seen students who can scroll and swipe with ease freeze when asked to write an email or analyze a graph. Philip and Garcia (2013) call this the participation gap. It’s not just about having tech, but having the skills and confidence to use it for academic purposes. Social media fluency doesn’t translate to formal digital literacy. When we assume students know how to engage with school tech, we risk leaving many, especially those from marginalized backgrounds, feeling overwhelmed or left behind.Engagement Isn’t Built into Devices
Just because students love their phones doesn’t mean they’ll love a math app. The “iGen” narrative oversimplifies reality. Yes, they’re always online, but that doesn’t mean they’re motivated by every digital tool. A flashy interface can’t replace relevance, connection, or choice. School tech often lacks the personalization they’re used to. Engagement must be built through trust, purpose, and student voice—it’s not built into the device.Beware of “Cultural Agnosia”
Cultural agnosia—a term from Emdin, Adjapong, and Levy (2021)—describes how educators often miss the brilliance in students’ cultural and intellectual practices. It reminded me how dominant ideas about being “smart” or “appropriate” can obscure students’ creativity and problem-solving, especially when it doesn’t match traditional norms. In math and tech, we need to recognize and uplift the diverse ways students think, speak, and show understanding.Online Spaces Aren’t Neutral
Posting online isn’t just “turning in” work—it’s entering a public space with unwritten rules. For students unfamiliar with academic or creative online publishing, this can be intimidating. Platforms may feel intuitive to us, but not to them. As Magnifico, Lammers, and Fields (2018) note, we can’t assume students know how to engage online. They need support navigating the audience, tone, and feedback—because these experiences shape their confidence and willingness to participate.Balance Is Everything
In math, balancing inquiry and structure is tough. Too much freedom, and students get lost. Too much structure, and curiosity disappears. As Magnifico et al. (2018) explain, we need to be intentional about how and when we support students—especially in open-ended digital tasks. The goal is to help them feel both challenged and safe enough to explore, question, and take ownership of their learning.
My Activity Idea: My Mathematician, My Roots
One project that I am really excited about is something I want to call My Mathematician, My Roots. Basically, each student picks a mathematician who shares a connection with their culture or a culture of their interest, but more specifically someone who may not always be in the usual textbook. For example, a student with connection or interest in Guatemala may choose Efrain Amaya.
What is really cool is that students get to decide how they want to share what they find. Whether it is a video, a podcast, a slide show, or a good old fashion trifold board. Letting them pick the format means they really get to make it their own.
But beyond just the project itself, what really hits me is how this helps students seem themselves in math. So often, the famous names we learn about feel distant or unrelated. This activity flips that, letting students discover that math has deep roots in their own cultures and communities. It gives them a chance to bring their full selves into the classroom and be proud of that.
It is more than just research. It is about connection, pride, and seeing that math is not just for some, it is for everyone! And that makes all the difference.
Conclusion
For me, this whole journey is about reclaiming math as a human story—one shaped by power, place, culture, and voice. By integrating both analog and digital ways of knowing, we can help students become not just better mathematicians, but more critical, empathetic, and engaged citizens. I’m still figuring it out—but I’m hopeful. And honestly, I’d love to hear how others are doing this too.
References
Aguilera, E., & Literacy Today (Eds.). (2017). More Than Bits and Bytes. Proquest.com; Literacy Today. https://www.proquest.com/docview/1966006470?accountid=8067&parentSessionId=zA186vMNKASVjyjS8RT557ioaTV3fX2sQPY7w%2FRTQDM%3D&sourcetype=Trade%20Journals
Emdin, C., Adjapong, E., & Levy, I. P. (2021). On Science Genius and Cultural Agnosia: Reality Pedagogy and/as Hip-Hop Rooted Cultural Teaching in STEM Education. The Educational Forum, 85(4), 391–405. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131725.2021.1957636
Garcia, A., & Literacy Today (Eds.). (2017). Nondigital Skills. Proquest.com; Literacy Today. https://www.proquest.com/docview/1966005428/4E1DCD1AA7D54D6EPQ/17?accountid=8067&sourcetype=Trade%20Journals
Hernandez, M. (Ed.). (2017). Reframing the Medium. Proquest.com; Literacy Today. https://www.proquest.com/docview/1966007223?accountid=8067&parentSessionId=CKjyHKpK3OSvG5dlkZ5MPc7%2BA8zK9euy0pQyegih3b4%3D&sourcetype=Trade%20Journals
Hsu, H.-Y., & Wang, S.-K. (Eds.). (2017). Shibboleth Authentication Request. Proquest.com; Literacy Today. https://www.proquest.com/docview/1966005990/4E1DCD1AA7D54D6EPQ/19?accountid=8067&sourcetype=Trade%20Journals
Jacobson, L. (Ed.). (2017). Shibboleth Authentication Request. Proquest.com; Literacy Today. https://www.proquest.com/docview/1966007432/4E1DCD1AA7D54D6EPQ/16?accountid=8067&sourcetype=Trade%20Journals
Magnifico, A. M., Lammers, J., & Fields, D. (Eds.). (2018). Shibboleth Authentication Request. Oclc.org. https://research-ebsco-com.sunyempire.idm.oclc.org/linkprocessor/plink?id=6226b5ac-d451-3e1e-877b-8541dcc2f1ca
Moorman, G., Pennell, A., & Literacy Today (Eds.). (2017). Plagiarism in the Digital Age. Proquest.com; Literacy Today. https://www.proquest.com/docview/1966007393/4E1DCD1AA7D54D6EPQ/14?accountid=8067&sourcetype=Trade%20Journals
Philip, T. M., & Garcia, A. D. (2013). The Importance of Still Teaching the iGeneration: New Technologies and the Centrality of Pedagogy. ; Cambridge, 83(2), 300–319. https://www.proquest.com/docview/1399327199?accountid=8067&parentSessionId=5R8z44tTXLU%2BOmk%2FNXtXIb2hEcNSZo6CuxMp0XBh%2BWI%3D&pq-origsite=primo&sourcetype=Scholarly%20Journals
Semingson, P. (Ed.). (2017). Shibboleth Authentication Request. Proquest.com; Litearcy Today. https://www.proquest.com/docview/1966005551/4E1DCD1AA7D54D6EPQ/20?accountid=8067&sourcetype=Trade%20Journals
Hi Allie,
ReplyDeleteYour perspective and thoughts are powerful! Your activity sounds wonderful and engaging. Do you think you will give guidance or choice on potential mathematicians they may choose, especially for those who may be unsure or nervous to express interest? I know you said you want them to choose someone who is from their culture or a culture they're interested in which I believe is so wonderful. The amount of choice in your activity is excellent and really allows students to take ownership in the class, tying it all back to math is exceptional because I recall a lot of students asking when they would ever need this when they're older. You are creating "buy in" which is spectacular!
In addition, you're right, even though it seems like students are constantly on technology doesn't mean they truly know how to use it or that it is engaging them. This week in my kindergarten classroom my students encountered two different problems with their iPads and all the sudden they didn't know how to use it anymore. First, the iPads updated, when they went to put in their code it was welcoming them instead of popping up the keypad. They kept telling me their iPad was broken. The second thing was a new app was automatically installed on their iPad and it was on the home screen. They were upset that there was a new blue app on there. I understand in the grand scheme of things these problems may be trivial when thinking of older students, but to my learners it was big. I can imagine that when unexpected things happen to older learners it is just as frustrating.
Allie, you should be excited about the learning project you mentioned because it sounds engaging and creative! In ELA the grade level authentic assessment at the end of the year is a biography project. We brought our students to the library and let them choose a biography of a person that interested them. The only guidelines were that is had to be someone that they knew nothing about, and they needed to be able make a connection between their person and two IB learner profile traits. My co-teacher (ICT Classroom) had just learned how to use Book Creator and was excited to share it with the students and that is how they presented their research, as a newspaper article. They did a nice job with it but I did notice that my students were not as engaged in creating their final project as some of my resource room students who had other teachers. I think that it is because we did not offer choice for how they would present their information and other teachers let their students choose. I will keep this in mind for next year and share this thought at my next team meeting! Thank you!
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