







































Running Head: Culturally Relevant Teaching for the 21st Century 

 

1 

Culturally Relevant Teaching for the 21st Century: The 

Success and Challenges of Pre-Service Teachers When Using 

Technology in Critical Ways 

 
Virginie Jackson 

Kennesaw State University 

 

Stacy Delacruz 

Kennesaw State University 

 

Dominique Harry 

Kennesaw State University 
 
Abstract This case study examined pre-service teachers' use of technology as they implemented 
culturally relevant literacy lessons while tutoring elementary students in their field placement sites. As we 
enter a new decade, we want our students to be future-ready with technology skills. Here, we present an 
examination of how pre-service teachers integrated culturally relevant teaching with technology along with 
a discussion of the tools and devices their students used. Findings provided evidence that as pre-service 
teachers experienced authentic and engaging learning experiences within a supportive space, they 
emerged equipped to teach in culturally responsive ways that supported student learning and deeper 
levels of engagement. The implication for practice is for community-engaged teacher preparation models 
to focus on shaping prospective teachers' orientation toward culturally relevant teaching so that they build 
learning experiences around students' lives in engaging multiple, multimodal, and multifaceted ways. 
 
    Keywords: literacy, reading, technology integration, cultural relevant teaching, pre-service teachers, 
CRT 

 

Introduction 

 

New 21st century literacies were published by the International Literacy Association (ILA, 2017) 

focusing on shifts in curriculum development and teaching practices by stating the following: 

 

• Digital tool use requires new social practices, skills, strategies, and dispositions 

for the tools' effective use.  

• New literacies are rapidly changing as defining technologies change. 

• New literacies are multiple, multimodal, and multifaceted; thus, they benefit from 

various lenses seeking to understand how to support our students in a digital age 

better. (ILA, 2016) 

 

Covid-19 has pushed technology to the forefront of instruction, and while studies abound 

on technology that can be applied to online teaching, one factor in effective instruction is 

sometimes left out of the conversation: that of culturally responsive teaching. The purpose of this 

research was to bridge this gap by viewing technology applications through a culturally 

responsive lens. The following research questions guided our research: 

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Running Head: Culturally Relevant Teaching for the 21st Century 

 

2 

1. How do pre-service teachers integrate culturally relevant instruction and technology 

within literacy lessons?  

2. What technology devices and tools are being used by pre-service teachers in their literacy 

lessons? 

 

Culturally Relevant Pedagogy was described by Gloria Ladson Billings (1995) as a 

theoretical model that addresses student achievement and helps them to affirm their cultural 

identity while developing critical perspectives that challenge inequities that schools (and other 

institutions) perpetuate. Chuang (2016) further explains this model by stating how culturally 

relevant teaching is based on the notion that student success and engagement is encouraged when 

“teaching draws on each of their individual cultural experiences and language abilities.” 

Teachers can implement this pedagogical practice to encourage students to connect course 

content to each students' cultural context. Culturally relevant teaching (CRT) is characterized by 

using students' cultural knowledge, interests, prior experiences, and learning styles to effectively 

teach (Gay, 2010; Ladson-Billings, 2014). The use of culturally relevant literacy instruction can 

also be accomplished through the use of multicultural and diverse children's literature, 

discussions about student interests, values, and lived experiences that affirm the home culture 

and language of the students when planning literacy lessons (Au, 2011; Bennett, Gunn, & Leung, 

2016). Rather than recognizing cultural differences as a hinderance to student learning, culturally 

relevant teaching views those differences as areas of opportunity for learning (Chuang, 2016).  

 

A significant amount of research mainly focused on the perceptions of in-service teachers 

when integrating technology during literacy instruction (Christ, Arya, & Liu, 2019). Examples of 

topics explored were potential problems, and challenges and success of technology integration 

(Hutchison & Rinking, 2011; Sadaf, Newby, & Ertmer, 2016). A few studies focus on 

technology integration in literacy lessons (Zoch, Belcher, & Myers, 2014), while others focused 

on teachers’ perceptions of integrating technology in science, and social studies (Blackwell, 

Lauricella, and Wartella, 2014). 

 

Teachers' perceptions related to integrating technology in literacy instruction were 

explicitly focused on by only a few research studies (Honan, 2008; Isrealson, 2014). As a result 

of these studies and their main focus on the perceptions of in-service teachers, this current study 

seeks to expand upon the limited research on pre-service teachers' perceptions (successes and 

challenges) when integrating technology through CRT in literacy lessons.  

 

Theoretical Framework 

 

Ladson-Billings (1995) defined culturally relevant pedagogy as:  

 

…a pedagogy of oppression similar to critical pedagogy, but committed explicitly to the 

collective, not merely individual empowerment. Culturally relevant pedagogy rests on three 

criteria or propositions: (a) the need for students to experience academic success; (b) the need for 

students to develop and maintain cultural competence, and (c) the need for students to develop a 

critical consciousness through which they challenge the current status quo of the social order (p. 

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Running Head: Culturally Relevant Teaching for the 21st Century 

 

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160). Culturally relevant pedagogy empowers students and provides them with a curriculum that 

builds on their prior knowledge and cultural experiences.  

 

This contrasts from traditional pedagogy that required for students to assimilate to the 

dominant schooling culture, and instead asks that current schooling culture takes different 

student experiences into account. As Liu (2020) explained, CRT is a competitive tool to have a 

strong understanding of diversity given the globalization of many aspects of society today.  

Technology can also be used as a tool to incorporate culturally relevant pedagogy to 

strengthen this valuable skill in students. One way that technology integration within the 

classroom has been discussed is with the technology acceptance model (TAM) postulated by 

Venkatesh & Davis (2000). The way in which this model explains technology use is by its ease 

of use and general usefulness to a user (Ranellucci, Rosenberg, & Poitras, 2020). The model 

provides a context through which preservice teachers can gauge their comfortability of utilizing 

technology within the classroom as well as its effectiveness. The complete breakdown of the 

framework involves several concepts including: “external variables, perceived usefulness, 

perceived ease of use, attitude towards using, behavioral intention to use and actual system use” 

(Joo, Park, & Lim, 2018). Specific to preservice teachers, this model assists in describing how 

well a teacher can integrate technology into their classroom based on their own individual 

understandings of the ease of use as well as the general usefulness of it. TAM is useful in 

investigating whether or not technology is being successfully integrated into a classroom, and 

also describes factors that can hinder or assist in technology integration.  

 The combination of both of the above frameworks served as the foundation and guide for 

this research.  

Literature Review 

Culturally relevant pedagogy recognizes the importance of including students’ personal, 

cultural, and community assets in learning. The incorporation of technology enhances 

instructional design and practice to facilitate a culturally responsive learning environment 

centered around the lives of students. Therefore, technology can also be used as a tool to 

incorporate culturally relevant pedagogy in literacy instruction to meet the needs of all students. 

Culturally Relevant Pedagogy in Teaching Literacy 

 

Notably, culturally relevant instruction has been recognized as a logical method for 

guiding students of diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds to higher levels of literacy 

learning (Au, 2007). It mainly supports tremendous success among culturally and linguistically 

diverse students (Ladson-Billings, 2014). When teachers understand their students' cultural 

patterns and create learning environments that recognize and legitimize these patterns, student 

involvement increases (Alderman, 2013). Research conducted in Hawaiian charter schools 

discovered that three categories emerged as other teachers look to implement culturally relevant 

pedagogy into literacy teaching. These categories included outward orientation, connections to 

the community, and curriculum content in collaborative projects to elevate their community 

(Kana'iaupuni, Ledwar & Malone, 2017). These collaborations could involve musical 

performances, art exhibits, or other ways to contribute to the well-being of students' families and 

communities.  

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What is Digital Literacy? 

 

The publication of "A Nation at Risk” (1983) has prompted national movements towards 

modifying and having expectations for student learning that are more aligned with college and 

career readiness because of concerns about the United States school system's global competency. 

These changes along with being in the times of the COVID-19 pandemic are the root of 

rethinking the delivery of instruction and the utilization of technology in classrooms as a way to 

meet those rising expectations and standards. "Digital literacy" is now essential to the success of 

students in the global economy and falls into at least three areas, including; basic, intermediate, 

and advanced (Bussert-Webb & Henry, 2016). Students on a basic digital literacy level are 

characterized as possessing keyboard skills and can navigate different apps and software on the 

computer. Students on the intermediate skill level are proficient at conducting digital searches 

online to obtain information or complete research assignments assigned by the teacher, and even 

for leisure. Students on an advanced digital literacy level can evaluate the information obtained 

through a critical lens for biases and accuracy (Bussert-Webb & Henry, 2016).  

As explained, digital literacy does not cease at a student’s ability to utilize technology but 

goes further into being able to interpret what information technology presents to them in the 

appropriate manner. Watulak (2016) explains that digital literacy “includes an understanding of 

the social and cultural norms around technology use, and the valued practices within those 

norms.” When considering how this translates to current classrooms, it demonstrates how 

students would benefit greatly from explicit teaching on how to interpret the information made 

available to them digitally. By having students foster the skills necessary to recognize these 

aspects of the digital lens, they can understand how “all authored texts...situate them as readers, 

writers, and viewers within particular cultural and historical contexts” (Alvermann, 2004). While 

it is common knowledge that information available through technology is not unbiased or always 

completely accurate, students may have a more difficult time identifying such circumstances.  

Integrating Technology to Support Learning 

Historically, the role of technology and its impact on student learning have changed. In 

the past, technology was used to improve work productivity and promoted lower-level learning 

through flashcards, drills, and visual presentations. The function of computers in schools has 

shifted gradually to help students develop higher-level cognitive-based skills (Delgado, 

Wardlow, O'Malley, & McKnight, 2015). Primarily, Morossan, Dawson, and Whalen (2017) 

posit that technology-supported learning should be used not only as productivity software, but 

also as tools to construct knowledge. A new technology plan released by the federal government 

states that technology is a dynamic tool for transforming learning (U.S. Department of 

Education, 2016). Technology can help to reinvent our pedagogical approaches and 

collaboration, decrease equity and accessibility gaps, and modify learning experiences to meet 

the needs of all learners. Additionally, Chuang, Shih and Cheng (2020) explained that the 

integration of technology in learning has “been demonstrated to be among the best practices for 

teaching multicultural classrooms due to...differences in ethnically diverse student populations.” 

The use of technology to scaffold general learning not only provides an innovative way to 

support students, but can also assist with CRT. 

Chuang (2016) describes a method of integrating technology to support learning through 

“computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL). This method of teaching involves utilizing 

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Running Head: Culturally Relevant Teaching for the 21st Century 

 

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technology as a medium to complete group work and engage in collaborative learning. It is 

described to encourage critical thinking, student success and student satisfaction (Chuang, 2016). 

Educators would be able to use technology in a way that facilitates group collaboration, fosters 

more effective learning through CRT, and builds digital literacy skills simultaneous. Moreover, 

Chuang (2016) mentioned the importance to ensuring that collaboration among students can 

successfully occur when considering individual communication styles in instituting such a 

technique. 

Consequently, developing a curriculum that builds on students' Funds of Knowledge, 

provides access to digital tools, explores social issues, and creates a platform for sharing 

information with others is paramount (Moll, Amanti, Neff, & González, 1992). This also reflects 

how we merge this theory into practice. "Funds of Knowledge" is defined as the skills and 

knowledge that have been developed to enable an individual to function within a given culture 

(Moll et al.,1992). 

Considering this, Heinrich and Molenda (1996) designed the instructional method 

ASSURE to provide a model that allowed for the effective integration of technology into lessons 

based on the needs and interests of students. "ASSURE" is an acronym that stands for the 

various steps: (a) Analyze Learners (b) State Standards and Objectives (c) Select Strategies, 

Technology, Media, and Materials (d) Utilize Technology, Media, and Materials (e)Require 

Learner Participation (f) Evaluate and Revise. It is an instructional design that has the goal of 

producing more effective teaching and learning through a systematic process that focuses on 

choosing the best technological tool for students to actively engage with to achieve instructional 

goals (Chen & Chung, 2011). 

While the above studies demonstrate how technology can support literacy instruction, 

some studies discuss the barriers in doing so. One such study conducted by Pittman and Gaines 

(2015) found that, out of a sample of third, fourth, and fifth-grade teachers, less than 20 percent 

of them found themselves to be high-level technology integrators. Potential barriers that 

inhibited them from embedding higher levels of technology into the classroom included a lack of 

devices and a lack of time to create and execute lesson plans that incorporated technology 

(Pittman & Gaines, 2015, p. 248).  

Purpose of the Study 

 

The purpose of this study was to examine the teaching practices of pre-service teachers' 

use of computer technology in culturally responsive literacy instruction and to identify the 

strengths and obstacles they overcame in the process. 

Based on the limited studies available, further research is needed to identify pre-service 

teachers' perceptions (successes and challenges) when integrating technology in culturally 

responsive literacy lessons. This research is critical to inform how to improve teacher preparation 

programs to prepare pre-service teachers better to build learning experiences around students' 

lives in engaging multimodal ways. The following research questions guided our research: 

3. How do pre-service teachers integrate culturally relevant instruction and technology 

within literacy lessons?  

4. What technology devices and tools are being used by pre-service teachers in their literacy 

lessons? 

 

 

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Running Head: Culturally Relevant Teaching for the 21st Century 

 

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Methodology 

 

This case study utilized Yin's (2002) approach for implementation in which multiple 

methods were used to carry out this research according to the research questions; it took place in 

an elementary literacy methods course in a university setting in southeastern United States. 

Twenty pre-service teachers received direct instruction on implementing culturally relevant 

strategies while teaching reading comprehension through the integration of technology for 15 

weeks through hands-on experiences.  

 

Key Definition of Terms for this study: 

 

Culturally Relevant Teaching (CRT) - is characterized as lessons that integrate and 

embed students' personal, cultural, and community assets throughout in appropriate and 

meaningful ways.  

Culturally Relevant Technology-Integrated Lesson - is a lesson that is student-

centered and culturally relevant with frequent opportunities for students to interact with 

technology to develop higher-order cognitive-based skills. 

 

Convenience sampling was used to select the participants as they were all a part of one of 

the researcher's/author’s elementary literacy methods class. During each class meeting, the pre-

service teachers learned about a specific comprehension strategy and how to integrate culturally 

relevant practices into their teaching. Examples of discussions and activities related to CRT 

included discussing and reviewing peer-reviewed articles centered around the topic, learning to 

think about students' cultural, community, and personal assets, engaging in activities for 

communicating about students from an asset-based perspective, evaluating children's literature 

and discussing the importance of utilizing materials that reflect students' interests and assets in a 

respectful way so that all students feel included. The pre-service teachers also received training 

and explored a technology application or tool and then created a product using the previously 

learned comprehension strategy.  

Shagoury and Power (2012) served as guides to determine which of the data sources 

would be relevant in the dissemination of our findings. Data sources included lesson plans along 

with student artifacts, journal reflections, and pre/post-questionnaires. A total of three lesson 

plans along with student artifacts, three journal reflections, a pre and post questionnaire were 

collected from each pre-service teacher during the study. The lesson plans, along with student 

artifacts, were reviewed and scored through the use of the culturally relevant technology 

integrated rubric (Figure 2), which was provided to the pre-service teachers as guides for 

planning their lessons. The lessons were all charted, organized, and analyzed according to the 

pre-service teachers' use of culturally responsive teaching and the types of technology used. The 

information compiled from the kinds of strategies used for culturally responsive teaching was 

further categorized into different themes-interest, culture, and community. If the pre-service 

teacher discussed utilizing the student's interest to support student learning, the lesson would be 

placed in the category labeled interest. If the culture of the student were used to support student 

learning, that lesson would be placed in the category labeled culture. Lessons that used the 

community as a support for learning were placed in the community category. This information 

was analyzed to determine in what ways the pre-service teachers integrated CRT into their 

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literacy lessons after receiving authentic and engaging learning experiences within a supportive 

space.  

The technology portion of each lesson plan was also extracted and listed in a table into 

categories according to the type of technology application (the type of device is indicated for 

each) the teachers received training on during the study-Nearpod (ipad), Kahoot (ipad), Quizlet 

(ipad), Sock Puppet (ipad), Speak Pic (ipad), Popplet (laptop), Powtoon (laptop), YouTube 

(Smartboard), and Other apps (Smartboard) (Table 1 and Table 2). This information was tallied 

for each type of technology application integrated to determine which technology application 

tools and devices are being used in literacy lessons by pre-service teachers to support student 

learning. 

The pre and post questionnaires were used to determine themes that arose around the 

experiences of pre-service teachers while they implemented CRT through technology integration 

into their literacy lessons. 

Table 1 contains descriptions of each of the technology tools the pre-service teachers 

explored and received training on during the literacy course. There was a field experience 

component to this course where the pre-service teachers also created and implemented three, 

one-on-one literacy lessons to students in the elementary school setting during the literacy block 

and wrote a reflection on each of the lessons. The rubric in Table 2 is a part of the department-

wide lesson plan rubric that served as a guide for pre-service teachers as they created their CRT 

and technology integrated literacy lessons during this study. 

 

Table 1. Technology Apps and Tools Explored 

Technology Tool  Description 

Nearpod Nearpod is a cross-platform, device agnostic, 

tool used to engage students with interactive 

activities, connect them through collaborative 

discussions, and gain instant insight into 

student learning through formative 

assessments. Students can access Nearpod 

from their personal tablets, desktops or 

laptops. 

Kahoot Kahoot is a game-based learning platfom. Its 

learning games, “Kahoots”, are multiple-

choice quizzes that allow user generation and 

can be accessed via a web browser or the 

Kahoot app. The teacher creates a learning 

game or trivia on any topic. The teacher then 

hosts a game with the question on large 

screen or projector to engage students. The 

students are to join the game with a pin 

provided by the teacher and answer questions 

from their own devices. 

Quizlet Quizlet is a mobile and web-based study 

application that allows students to study 

information via learning tools and games. 

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Running Head: Culturally Relevant Teaching for the 21st Century 

 

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Sock Puppet Sock Puppet is a storytelling app that allows 

users to create puppet shows in seconds. 

Students can use this tool to present ideas via 

digital storytelling elements. 

Speak Pic  Speak Pic is an app that allows users to 

transform any portrait photo into a moving 3D 

avatar that repeats every word recorded. 

Students can type or record any text, adding 

and giving life to a photo of a friend or 

someone famous. It will say everything they 

want. It can be used as a tool to teach literacy. 

Popplet Popplet is an app used as a mind-map that 

helps students think and learn visually. 

Students can capture facts, thoughts, and 

images and learn to create relationships 

between them. 

Powtoon Powtoon is an animated video and 

presentation platform that allows students to 

share information with their audiences in an 

engaging way. 

YouTube YouTube is a website where videos and music 

viewed, original content can be uploaded, and 

shared with friends, family, and the world. 

Smartboard Smartboard is an interactive whiteboard with 

a large display that is typically used in 

educational settings. It is a combination of a 

projector and whiteboard that also has internet 

capabilities. 

Laptop Laptop is a portable desktop computer that 

can be used to access the internet for various 

purposes. In schools, it is used for researching 

on the internet, writing papers and other 

educational purposes. 

iPad An iPad is a touchscreen tablet, which is a 

portable computer, made by Apple. It is used 

in the same way that a laptop or desktop 

computer would be used.  

 

 

 

Table 2. CRT and Technology Integration Rubric 

Element Theme/Thre
ad 

Unacceptable 
 (Level I) 

Approaching  
(Level II) 

Minimally 
Proficient  
(Level III) 

Desired Outcome  
(Level IV) 

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Running Head: Culturally Relevant Teaching for the 21st Century 

 

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Inclusive 
Learning 

Environments  

  

  

Culturally 
Relevant 
Teaching 

Little or no 
evidence of 
connections to 
the content 
standard(s) and 
personal, 
cultural and/or 
community 
assets within 
the lesson. 

  
OR 

  
Deficit thinking 
may be evident. 

  

Connections are 
loosely tied to the 
standard(s) and 
content of the 
lesson.  

  
AND 

  
Integrates 
personal, cultural, 
and/or 
community assets 
within the lesson. 

Connections are 
clearly tied to the 
standard(s) and 
content of the 
lesson.  

  
AND 

  
Integrates 
personal, cultural, 
and community 
assets throughout 
the lesson. 

Connections are 
clearly tied to the 
standard(s) and 
content of the 
lesson.  

  
AND 

  
Integrates and 
embed personal, 
cultural, and 
community assets 
throughout the 
lesson in clear, 
appropriate and 
meaningful ways. 

Technology 

  

  

  Teacher-
centered with 
no opportunities 
for student 
interaction with 
technology 

Teacher-centered 
with few 
opportunities for 
student 
interaction with 
technology 

Student-centered 
with frequent 
opportunities for 
students to 
interreact with 
technology 

  
AND 

  
Purposefully used 
to support 
learning 

Student-centered 
with frequent 
opportunities for 
students to 
interact with 
technology; 
purposefully used 
to support learning 

  
AND 

  
Justifies its use to 
create 
differentiated 
learning 
experiences 

 

 

 

Results 

 

The results of this research uncovered several interesting strategies for technology 

implementation used by the pre-service teachers during the execution of their culturally relevant 

literacy lessons. First, the process pre-service teachers used to be culturally relevant when 

teaching literacy lessons emerged. Second, pre-service teachers used technologies in ways that 

allowed for innovative informal literacy assessment opportunities. Finally, the pre-service 

teachers found great value and had meaningful experiences of using culturally relevant practices 

and integrating technology to enhance their student's literacy learning and achievement.  

Figures 1, 2, and 3 show the amount of technology implemented for each of the three lessons 

taught by the pre-service teachers. Of all of the technology implemented during literacy lessons, 

the pre-service teachers implemented other applications through the Smartboard (52%) the most 

across all of the lessons. During lesson one, eight pre-service teachers implemented YouTube 

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and other applications on the Smartboard Technology; during lesson two, eleven pre-service 

teachers implemented other applications on the Smartboard Technology; during lesson three, 

twelve pre-service teachers implemented YouTube and other applications on the Smartboard 

Technology into their culturally relevant literacy lessons. The technology that was least used was 

the Powtoon on the laptop (1%) technology with zero implementation during lessons one and 

three, and one implementation for lesson two. Nearpod on the ipad (13%) was the next mostly 

implemented technology. During the execution of all three literacy lessons, lessons one and three 

consisted of two pre-service teachers who chose not to implement technology into their 

culturally responsive literacy lessons. 

 

 

 

Figure 1 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 2 

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Running Head: Culturally Relevant Teaching for the 21st Century 

 

11 

 
 

Figure 3 

 
 

 

How do pre-service teachers integrate culturally relevant instruction and technology 

within literacy lessons? Pre-service teachers fit cultural relevance and technology into literacy 

lessons by thinking about their students' interests. The pre-service teachers were able to choose 

materials to help their students reach their learning objectives based on interest (65%) and 

cultural assets (15%). Many of the pre-service teachers provided opportunities for their students 

to choose their own books for the reading lessons. The technology was integrated into the middle 

and end of the majority of the lessons to assess students' level of understanding engagingly. 

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Some examples of technology that were integrated included Nearpod (Figure 4), Powtoon 

(Figure 5), Popplet (Figure 6), and Sock Puppet (Figure 7). Another example is how one pre-

service teacher candidate's literacy lessons were centered around her student's Funds of 

Knowledge. Her student enjoyed reading graphic novels, so during one of her reading lessons, 

she and her student read the book, "Big Nate on a Roll" by Lincoln Pierce. The story is culturally 

meaningful and relevant because it pertains to her student's personal interests. Her student stated 

that he enjoys reading books by author Lincoln Peirce. Because the pre-service teacher-

supported culturally relevant practices through the use of technology in literacy lessons, she 

engaged her student in writing a personal narrative using the Speakpic app (Figure 8).  

 

Pre-service Teacher Voices on CRT and Technology Integrated Practices 

Preservice Teacher 5: 

Culturally Relevant Teaching 

When the student completed the Interest Survey, she commented on how she would like to read 

more biographies “so they can know more”. When possible, I’d like to incorporate the use of 

biographies to enhance and support this students’ learning. In order to create a connection with 

the student involving her Hispanic heritage, I selected a biography about Frida Khalo. This is 

particularly relevant considering the school just concluded its Hispanic Heritage Month 

learning opportunities school-wide. Using the student’s funds of knowledge, when she comes 

across an unfamiliar term, and is able to successfully use context clues to develop an 

understanding of the new vocabulary, I’ll ask her to make a connection from the word to the 

world, more specifically her community. By creating these connections to new words, it will help 

strengthen my student’s retention of the word long-term, but also give her an opportunity to 

demonstrate further comprehension if she’s able to make strong connections. 

 

Culturally Relevant Technology Integration 

 

The student will use www.popplet.com to create a Popplet with Frida Khalo being the central 

focus and the web stems extending out from her being the events in Frida’s life. 

 

Preservice Teacher 9: 

Culturally Relevant Teaching 

 

My student enjoys creativity based off his interviews. He likes coming up with new ideas and 

tries to make things interesting. I will give him a list of writing prompts to choose from so he can 

be creative in finding one that he feels like he can add the most detail to. The student has 

expressed how being kind is important to him and how his mom says he has a kind heart. In class 

he is always helpful and kind to all students. Some of the writing prompts presented to him will 

allow for him to use this about himself to make his writing more interesting. The student lives in 

a community where there is a library. He will be able to read and remember a lot of the books he 

has read there to make his writing more interesting.  

Culturally Relevant Technology Integration 

The student also has technology for him to used supplied by the school so this could be used to 

create a Popplet or look up any information he needs. The student loves using the computer, so 

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13 

this will engage him. The YouTube video about supporting details was used to explain important 

concepts about writing narrative essays with important details. 

 

Preservice Teacher 10:  

Culturally Relevant Teaching 

 

My student has a strong interest in camping. He goes camping with his boy scout troop and he 

goes camping with his family frequently. I plan on using his love of camping to connect with him 

on an academic level. I will use a book about camping to teach reading comprehension. It is a 

tradition for the student and his family to go camping for every major holiday. I will be able to 

help the students make connections between his real-life camping and the camping that he is 

reading about in the story. According to the student, his boy scout camping place is close to the 

school. Since this is the story, we will be using during the lesson, I will have him use the 

knowledge that he has learned from the book the next time that he goes camping. This will 

activate his comprehension skills because he will have to remember and understand what he 

read enough to put it to use in the real world. 

 

  

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Culturally Relevant Technology Integration 

The student will complete the graphic organizer on an iPad. The student has shown interest in 

using the iPad as much as possible, so this will give him an opportunity to use technology while 

he is learning. I will use the iPad to show the student the anchor charts as well as to assist the 

student while he is completing the graphic organizer. 

   

Preservice Teacher 11: 

Culturally Relevant Teaching 

 

My student is very interested in sports, and he loves to read. I learned that he enjoys reading in 

his free time outside of class and is always excited and ready to read when it is time to read in 

class. He explained to me that he loves starting new fiction books in class during novel studies. 

My student also has an older sister, whom he says he likes to hang out with a lot. He considers 

her one of his best friends and loves when she comes to watch his baseball games. Lastly, when 

asking my student what he was most excited to read this year he explained to me that he could 

not wait to read the book Wonder by R.J. Palacio. This is a book that Miss Rosa’s class started 

reading at the beginning of October. Because of this, and the connections that he can make to 

the book’s main character in regard to his relationship with his sister, I plan on using the book, 

Wonder, to support my student’s learning to improve his reading comprehension. 

The content in my lesson is connected to my student’s personal assets in many ways. One way is 

that my lesson allows for my student to have choice about what he writes about. He is not being 

told what to write or what details he has to include. Because my student has a choice in what he 

does in the lesson, he will be further engaged and more excited about learning. 

 

Culturally Relevant Technology Integration 

I will use technology to explore Powtoon to prepare to teach the student how to use it. The 

student will use Powtoon to present a final draft of his narrative piece of writing. 

 

Preservice Teacher 12: 

 

Culturally Relevant Teaching 

My student loves spending time with her family. She enjoys roller coasters and going to six flags 

regularly. She is involved in her community by playing with her neighborhood friends. They play 

outside together and she enjoys going to church with them. She loves animals and enjoys playing 

games. My student explained because of her culture, she helps her mother make dinner every 

night. Her culture is a big reason for her strong family values. She stressed the importance of 

how “proud she is to be black”. I will find activities that integrate games and the outdoors. I, 

also, will also provide books that have African American protagonists and definitely can 

integrate technology into my lessons. 

 

Culturally Relevant Technology Integration 

The student will use the teacher-created Quizlet.com flash cards to randomly generate blends for 

the scavenger hunt before reading the story Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena. After 

reading the story, the student will type a writing piece summarizing the story. 

 

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15 

Preservice Teacher 15: 

Culturally Relevant Teaching 

 

My student is motivated to read because she understands the importance of reading. She has 

favorite books and has many opportunities to read at school and her public library. She likes to 

read graphic novels and fairy tale type stories. I will use a text on her instructional level that 

connects to her preference of fairy tale stories by selecting the book Rapunzel for us to read. To 

connect the student’s family culture to the lesson, we will discuss how my student’s family 

structure is different to that of Rapunzel. I will connect the lesson to the student’s community by 

having her practice the strategy from the lesson when reading a book of her choice at her public 

library. 

 

Culturally Relevant Technology Integration 

 

After explicit demonstration and to help facilitate this lesson, the student will use the sock puppet 

app to retell the story. My student likes action books and monsters, so I chose a book that relates 

to his interests. I will also link his prior academic knowledge about concepts of print and 

sequence into the lesson through the sequencing train game from Room Recess: 

https://www.roomrecess.com/ . 

 

Preservice Teacher 18: 

Culturally Relevant Teaching 

 

My student told me about a memory she has of going with her grandmother to a local church to 

play bingo. Her grandmother likes to get out of the house and do activities that they can both 

participate in. I decided to include this fond memory my student has of her grandmother into my 

lesson. That is how I came up with the bingo scenario. This is a personal connection to my 

student because it is based on an activity she shares with her grandmother. This is a connection 

to community because my student and her grandmother likes to do activities together around 

their local community (bingo at church). This is a cultural connection because my student’s 

grandmother is from El Salvador and most El Salvadorians attend catholic churches. 

 

Culturally Relevant Technology Integration 

 

I will have my student create a Chatterpix (Speak pic) of a scenario of the book we are reading 

to show her understanding of character point of view. She will need to create or extend on a 

dialogue from one of the events in the story.  

 

Preservice Teacher 20: 

Culturally Relevant Teaching 

 

My student’s family is from Mexico. She has rich cultural experiences that I can use in the lesson 

to keep her interested. I can use books that highlight her culture or ask her to talk about ways 

that she sees her family doing things in the lesson to help her to connect to ideas of reading and 

literacy that she may not know that she already has. My student loves poetry, mysteries, and 

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Running Head: Culturally Relevant Teaching for the 21st Century 

 

16 

reading about animals, so I will make sure to bring in texts and activities that highlight her 

points of interest. In this lesson specifically, I will be using a mystery book to engage my student. 

I will ask my student to talk about places that she sees people asking questions in her community 

as an extension. 

 

Culturally Relevant Technology Integration 

 

I will use technology to create the Nearpod lesson to show the vocabulary and the video as well 

as instructions throughout the lesson. My student will also use technology to create the graphic 

organizer. The student will use technology by going through the Nearpod activity. She will also 

use the Nearpod to create her questions as sticky notes on the Nearpod collaboration activity 

pages as well as using the Sock Puppet app to show her comprehension of the story by using the 

questioning strategy to retell. 

 

Figure 4. Nearpod: The Big Halloween Scare (Spongebob Squarepants), by Nickelodeon 

Publishing 

 

 

Figure 5. Powtoon: Student used Powtoon to present the final draft of his narrative writing piece. 

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Running Head: Culturally Relevant Teaching for the 21st Century 

 

17 

 

 

 

Figure 6. Popplet: Frida Kahlo: Mexican Painter, by Kristen Woronoff 

The student used www.popplet.com to create a Popplet with Frida being the central focus and the 

web stems extending out from her being the events in Frida’s life. 

 

 

Figure 7. Sock Puppet: There are Monsters Everywhere, by Mercer Mayer 

The student used the Sock Puppet app to retell the story in order to demonstrate her level of 

comprehension. 

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Running Head: Culturally Relevant Teaching for the 21st Century 

 

18 

 

 

 

Figure 8. Speak Pic App and Chatter Pix App 

The student used Speak Pic App to record a voice over of his personal narrative piece. 

 

What technology devices and tools are being used by pre-service teachers in their literacy 

lessons? Fifty-two percent of pre-service teachers integrated the Smartboard into their literacy 

lessons. Thirty-six percent used I-pads and five percent used laptops to integrate technology into 

their literacy lessons. Technology applications that were integrated by pre-service teacher 

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Running Head: Culturally Relevant Teaching for the 21st Century 

 

19 

candidates into literacy lessons were Nearpod (13%), other applications on SmartBoard, Kahoot 

(6%), Sock Puppet (7%), and YouTube at (7%). The reason why the use of Smartboard 

technology device was chosen over all of the others was because of availability. Many of the pre-

service teachers stated that it was difficult to gain access to iPads and tablets for student use in 

the classroom. Additionally, seven percent of the pre-service teachers' candidates decided not to 

use technology in their literacy lesson. These teachers reported that they did not use technology 

because there was a lack of access to technology devices or the technology they used with the 

student malfunctioned. 

 
Preservice Teacher 3: 

My student could have created a graphic organizer on Popplet. We ended up doing it on paper 

because of technology malfunctions.  

 

Three percent of pre-service teacher candidates used Popplet in their literacy lessons. 

Only a few pre-service teachers used Powtoon (2%) and Quizlet (2%). All of the technology 

being integrated had similar characteristics- they were student-driven and kept the students 

engaged in higher-level learning and allowed the students to be creative while showing their 

understanding. 

Implications for Practice 

 

The implication for practice is for community-engaged teacher preparation models to 

focus on shaping prospective teachers' orientation toward CRT so that they build learning 

experiences around students' lives in engaging multiple, multimodal, and multifaceted ways. The 

significance of this research lies in the critical ways the pre-service teachers create learning 

opportunities that are culturally responsive and engaging for their students after receiving direct 

instruction on implementing CRT while enrolled in a literacy methods course. Learning 

experiences provided around literacy and technology integration not only enhances student 

engagement but improves learning and acquisition. This finding was observed in both the pre-

service teachers while taking the literacy methods course and the students they implemented 

their newly learned approach to teaching and learning. When classrooms consistently send 

engaging messages about the importance of learning, shared community, and a valuing of the 

students' voices, student abilities are enhanced. This research identified that technology 

integration into CRT is not a matter of simply choosing a selection of strategies. Instead, it is a 

pedagogical commitment to aligning student learning experiences with their culture, beliefs, 

interests, experiences, and background knowledge through asset-based lenses. 

 

Conclusion 

This case study of 20 pre-service teachers examined how candidates contextualized their 

understanding of CRT through technology integration after classroom instruction. Findings 

provide evidence that as candidates experience authentic, engaging, learning experiences within 

a supportive space, they emerge equipped to teach in culturally responsive ways that support 

student learning and level of engagement.  

Pre-service teachers integrated culturally relevant instruction and technology within 

literacy lessons by thinking about their students' interests. Students' interests were used to choose 

books and technology tools when teaching literacy lessons. 

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Running Head: Culturally Relevant Teaching for the 21st Century 

 

20 

A variety of technology tools and devices were used by the pre-service teachers in this 

study. Teachers who wish to implement both CRT and technology when teaching literacy should 

consider the availability of technology devices they have in their classrooms. If the 

implementation involves more than one device, is it possible to check out a cart of tablets or 

laptops for students to work with? Is there a computer lab on-site, and is it available for the 

lesson? They should also consider the amount of comfort they have in using Web 2.0 tools and 

apps. Teachers can seek out professional development in their district or search ISTE online for 

an up-to-date list of the latest technology tools and apps to use in the classroom.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

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Running Head: Culturally Relevant Teaching for the 21st Century 

 

21 

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