How can technology be used in the social studies classroom to promote citizenship education?
This is a question which has interested me for quite some time. Although I am not a teacher, I have experience with using technology in the classroom in ways that I do not believe to be productive or effective. With the boom in technology over the past decade, schools have more available to them than ever before. Because of this, it is important that we find ways to use these resources effectively. Along with finding effective and appropriate ways to use technology in the Social Studies classroom, I believe that it is important we find uses which aid students in citizenship education. In keeping with the idea that social studies should be taught for democratic citizenship education, I speak from my personal experience when I say that this practice is not common enough. Many students graduate from high school without a decent understanding of how our country works and how to be an active and participatory member of our democratic society. It is imperative that students learn to be productive citizens of their local and national society, and it is also becoming increasingly more important that students recognize and understand how to participate in our global society, therefore I have expanded the definition of "citizenship education" to include an awareness and understanding of our global society. Using technology and the internet as tools in the social studies classroom can help to accomplish this goal. Because of the ever-growing interconnectedness of our world, it is essential for students to learn how to use the tools available to them in order to become responsible members of our national and global societies. No matter what direction their lives take as adults, it is vital that today’s students are able to participate effectively in society. Through my coursework in the NLGL program, I have discovered a wealth of web-based tools which can be used in the social studies classroom for citizenship education.