TECHNO-VERNACULAR CREATIVITY, INNOVATION AND LEARNING IN UNDERREPRESENTED ETHNIC COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE A Dissertation Presented to The Academic Faculty By Nettrice Rosallye Gaskins In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Digital Media Georgia Institute of Technology December, 2014 Copyright © Nettrice R. Gaskins 2014 TECHNO-VERNACULAR CREATIVITY, INNOVATION AND LEARNING IN UNDERREPRESENTED ETHNIC COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE Approved by: Dr. Celia Pearce (Advisor) Dr. Ron Eglash School of Literature, Media, and Department of Science and Technology Communication Studies Georgia Institute of Technology Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Dr. Jacqueline Jones Royster Dr. Alessandra Raengo Dean, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts Department of Communication Georgia Institute of Technology Georgia State University Dr. Janet Murray Date Approved: August 19, 2014 Ivan Allen College Dean's Professor Georgia Institute of Technology Dedication This dissertation is the realization of a long-term goal that would not have been possible without words of encouragement and love from my extended family and special friends. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First, I would like to acknowledge Dr. Celia Pearce, my thesis advisor, who undertook to act as my supervisor despite her many other academic and professional commitments. Her knowledge and commitment to the highest standards of research inspired and motivated me. Thank you to all of the members of my committee: Dr. Jacqueline Royster, Dr. Janet Murray, Dr. Ron Eglash and Dr. Alessandra Raengo for their time, consideration, encouraging words and insights. A special thank you to “Ron” (Dr. Eglash) for being a source of information, as well as guidance and support for the development of the AfroFuturism Culturally Situated Design Tools that were used in this study. Thank you to the participants of my study for taking time out of their busy lives to help me with this important research. Also, to the educational institutions that allowed me to conduct my research and supported me in my studies, thank you. A special thank you to my unofficial committee of friends and colleagues who kept reminding me to “stay the course” and never let me quit; Dr. Michelle Schuder, Dr. Sheri Davis-Faulkner, Dr. Michele Prettyman Beverly, Dr. Bettina Love, Mamie (“Mother”) Moore, Sharon Dunn and Lyssa Palu-ay. And finally, I need to acknowledge my creative influence Sanford Biggers without whom I would not have linked cultural heritage, visual art/performance, digital media, and STEM. Hearing Sanford talk about “historical quilts,” “star charts,” and “sacred geometry” during a lecture guided the direction of my research. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................. iv LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................... viii LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................... ix GLOSSARY (ABBREVIATIONS)............................................................................... xiv SUMMARY .....................................................................................................................xv CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................1 1.1. Overview ..........................................................................................................1 1.2. Key Concepts ...................................................................................................2 1.3. Thesis Statement...............................................................................................5 1.4. Plan of Action ...................................................................................................6 1.5. Problem Statement .........................................................................................11 1.6. Significance of the Problem ...........................................................................12 CHAPTER 2: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK AND PRIOR RESEARCH ...............16 2.1. Overview ........................................................................................................16 2.2. Black Vernacular Technological Creativity ...................................................18 2.3. Vernacular Art, Crafts and Technology .........................................................21 2.4. Cultural and Social Practices ..........................................................................29 2.5. Prior Work in Culturally Situated Arts-Based Learning ................................38 2.6. TVC Learning Taxonomy ..............................................................................50 2.7. Informal Learning Contexts ...........................................................................53 CHAPTER 3: TVC IN RESEARCH AND PRACTICE .................................................59 3.1. Overview ........................................................................................................59 3.2. Techno-Vernacular Creativity Modes of Practice ..........................................65 3.3. TVC Across the STEAM Disciplines ............................................................79 3.4. Techno-Vernacular Creativity and Mapping ..................................................85 3.5. Techno-Vernacular Creativity in the Development of CSDTs ......................88 3.6. Techno-Vernacular Creativity Case Studies and Projects ..............................92 CHAPTER 4: METHODOLOGY .................................................................................105 4.1. Overview ......................................................................................................105 4.2. Strategies of Inquiry .....................................................................................106 4.3. Preliminary Observations and Workshops at Drew Charter School ............108 v 4.4. Professional Culturally Situated Arts-Based Learning Workshop ...............114 4.5. Lithonia Middle School STEAM Learning Workshop ................................120 4.6. Limitations/Delimitations .............................................................................133 4.7. Summary ......................................................................................................134 CHAPTER 5: RESULTS AND FINDINGS..................................................................135 5.1. Overview ......................................................................................................135 5.2. Quilting the Fabric: Research Results ..........................................................135 5.3. Quantitative Results: Assessment of UEG Interest and Motivation ............144 5.4. Qualitative Results: How TVC Engages UEGs ...........................................157 5.5. Research Findings ........................................................................................166 5.6. Summary ......................................................................................................180 CHAPTER 6: DISCUSSION, CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE WORK ...................183 6.1. Overview ......................................................................................................183 6.2. Putting It All Together: Discussion ..............................................................184 6.3. Conclusions and Implications ......................................................................185 6.4. Future Directions ..........................................................................................189 APPENDIX A: RETROSPECTIVE PRE-POST SELF-ASSESSMENT ...................192 APPENDIX B: CSABL WORKSHOP FEEDBACK FORM .....................................194 REFERENCES ..............................................................................................................195 VITA ............................................................................................................................212 vi LIST OF TABLES Table 1 Extent (Vision Maps) ................................................................................... 149 Table 2 Breadth (Vision Maps) ................................................................................. 150 Table 3 Depth (Vision Maps).................................................................................... 151 Table 4 Mastery (Vision Maps) ................................................................................ 152 Table 5 Reappropriation (CSDTs) ............................................................................ 153 Table 6 Improvisation (CSDTs) ................................................................................ 154 Table 7 Conceptual remixing (CSDTs) .................................................................... 154 vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 Dissertation plan with thesis statement and research components ............... 1 Figure 2 Techno-Vernacular Creativity “Wordle” drawn from early research ........... 3 Figure 3 Left: DJ Grandmaster Flash, Right: DJ Focus .............................................. 4 Figure 4 Theory of change logic model that frames the present study developed with Tom McKlin of the SageFox Consulting Group, LLC. ................................ 6 Figure 5 Vision mapping activity at LMS with 6th grade students............................. 9 Figure 6 Theoretical framework and prior work ......................................................