2026 SPE Annual Conference: Catalyst for Exchange
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2026 SPE Annual Conference Schedule
print this pageReframing the Lens: Identity, Dialogue, and Digital Pedagogy in the Photography
Angela Casagrande
Thursday, March 19 - 2:00PM to 3:00PM
Atlanta 4
In the contemporary classroom, photography functions not only as a creative practice but as a catalyst for cultural and social exchange. This presentation explores how structured photographic assignments—ranging from emic and etic perspectives to generative AI experiments and alternative display methods like zines—can foster identity exploration, empathy, and meaningful conversation across difference.
Drawing from experience teaching at Diné College and other institutions, Kahoali'i Casagrande will share strategies that use image-making as a tool to prompt reflection on the self, others, and systems of representation. Modules like Photographing from Within the Group, The Power of Absence, and Portrait of a Community ask students to consider their role in storytelling and visual authorship while encouraging critical dialogue around ethics, representation, and positionality. The presentation will also highlight how combining traditional photographic techniques with emerging digital tools like Adobe Firefly and Lightroom's generative features creates opportunities for students to visually critique the very technologies they use.
This session invites educators and artists to reflect on their own pedagogical approaches and consider how the photographic image can catalyze conversations about identity, community, and power. Participants will leave with adaptable project frameworks, discussion strategies, and insights into creating inclusive and reflective photographic learning environments.
speakers
Angela Casagrande
Shanna Merola
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