Re-casting the Hollywood Indian: Technology Integration at Sequoyah Schools

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In this dissertation I will examine the experiences of three Cherokee Nation teachers as they integrate technology within the context of a tribally controlled school. The proliferation of technology into K-12 education has provided a unique opportunity for tribally controlled schools to foster language revitalization, support traditional ways of knowing, and repatriate tribal history (Allen, Resta, & Christal, 2002; Christal, Roy, & Cherian, 2004; Corbett, Singleton, & Muir, 2009; Thater-Braan, 2007). However, research about technology use in Indian Education has not been an articulated priority (Keenan, 2004). Additionally, research that documents the complexity of negotiating, providing and integrating technology into instruction for Native students is limited. Using a methodology of portraiture this study is a direct attempt to counter historical trends that view Native students and teachers from a deficit model perspective. Instead, this study repositions the traditional marginalization of Native students in schools as spaces of resistance and hope. Thus, this dissertation challenges popular representations of Native Americans as child-like, savages far removed from the modern world and instead, suggests that Indians are people, just plain folks (P. C. Smith, 2009, p. 18) struggling to teach, learn and prosper. No Feathers Necessary (Perdue & Green, 2011).

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