The Digital Edge
CONNECTED YOUTH AND DIGITAL FUTURES
Series Editor: Julian Sefton-Green
This series explores young people’s day-to-day lives and futures. The volumes consider changes at the intersection of civil and political reform, transformations in employment and education, and the growing presence of digital technologies in all aspects of social, cultural, and political life. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation’s Digital Media and Learning (DML) Initiative has supported two research networks that have helped launch this series: the Youth and Participatory Politics Research Network and the Connected Learning Research Network. The DML Initiative and the DML Hub at the University of California, Irvine, also support production and open access for this series.
By Any Media Necessary: The New Activism of American Youth
Henry Jenkins, Sangita Shresthova, Liana Gamber-Thompson, Neta Kligler-Vilenchik, and Arely Zimmerman
The Class: Living and Learning in the Digital Age
Sonia Livingstone and Julian Sefton-Green
The Digital Edge: How Black and Latino Youth Navigate Digital Inequality
S. Craig Watkins with Andres Lombana-Bermudez, Alexander Cho, Jacqueline Ryan Vickery, Vivian Shaw, and Lauren Weinzimmer
The Digital Edge
How Black and Latino Youth Navigate Digital Inequality
S. Craig Watkins
with Andres Lombana-Bermudez
Alexander Cho
Vivian Shaw
Jacqueline Ryan Vickery
Lauren Weinzimmer
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS
New York
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS
New York
© 2018 by S. Craig Watkins
All rights reserved
References to Internet websites (URLs) were accurate at the time of writing. Neither the author nor New York University Press is responsible for URLs that may have expired or changed since the manuscript was prepared.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Watkins, S. Craig (Samuel Craig), author.
Title: The digital edge : how Black and Latino youth navigate digital inequality / S. Craig Watkins [and five others].
Description: New York, NY : New York University Press, [2018] | Series: Connected youth and digital futures | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2018021509| ISBN 9781479854110 (cl : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781479849857 (pb : alk. paper)
Subjects: LCSH: Digital divide—United States. | Internet and youth—United States. | African American youth—Social conditions. | Hispanic American youth—Social conditions. | Low income high school students—United States. | Equality—United States.
Classification: LCC HN90.I56 W38 2018 | DDC 303.48/33—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018021509
New York University Press books are printed on acid-free paper, and their binding materials are chosen for strength and durability. We strive to use environmentally responsible suppliers and materials to the greatest extent possible in publishing our books.
Manufactured in the United States of America
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Also available as an ebook
This book is dedicated to the students, teachers, parents, and guardians who welcomed us into their classrooms, homes, and lives.
Contents
S. Craig Watkins
Introduction: The Digital Edge
S. Craig Watkins
1 How Black and Latino Youth Are Remaking the Digital Divide
S. Craig Watkins
2 The Mobile Paradox: Understanding the Mobile Lives of Latino and Black Youth
S. Craig Watkins
3 Technology on the Edge of Formal Education
Jacqueline Ryan Vickery and Vivian Shaw
4 The STEM Crisis in Education
S. Craig Watkins
5 Gaming School: How Students Strive to Learn in Technology-Rich, Curriculum-Poor Classrooms
S. Craig Watkins
6 After the Bell: Why What Kids Do after School Matters
S. Craig Watkins, Andres Lombana-Bermudez, and Lauren Weinzimmer
Alexander Cho, Vivian Shaw, and S. Craig Watkins
Conclusion: Future Ready: Preparing Young People for Tomorrow’s World
S. Craig Watkins
Alexander Cho,
