2a Empowering Students 1

Table of Contents:

Empowering Learners with Technology

Student Perspective

Discussion/conclusion

Empowering Learners with Technology

One of the most appealing uses of technology inside and outside of the classroom is its

ability to connect people. Students today come into classrooms with much better knowledge

and understanding of technology than previous generations. Many of them have been exposed

to technology while growing up in some way or another (Jones, 2013, p. 16). As the real-world

gets more and more connected through technology, it only makes sense that our classrooms

reflect the changes in society.

Technology can make lessons more relatable and engaging; when a lesson is more

engaging it empowers the student to gain real-world skills (Jones, 2013, p. 17). One of the

goals in any social studies classroom is to create well-rounded citizens. Its is the job of

educators to cultivate “knowledge, values, relationships and skills that make possible adaptive

innovation within a changing world” (Tarrant & Thiele, 2016, p. 55). Building these skills in

students will help make them productive members of society in their adult years.
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Student Perspective

Many of the resources available for social studies instruction using technology come

from a teacher-centric point of view. There are several benchmarks that teachers can use in

order to assess how well they are empowering their students through technology. One of the

more effective uses of technology is to affirm diversity (Bennett, 2005, p. 38). Technology

allows teachers to bring in resources that are culturally diverse. If students are learning about

people who interest them, or are similar to them culturally, they are more likely to enjoy the

activity and take ownership of their education.

Students are also empowered by subjects they are passionate about. Proper use of

technology can connect students to any topic they might find exciting-- from environmental

advocacy groups, to political representatives or primary source documents (Bennett, 2005, p.

40). Finding passion is an empowering part of education, especially in a social studies

classroom.

In a study of an online simulations done by Rector-Aranda and Raider-Roth (2015),

students were able to use their own voices and take a more active role in their learning .

Students took roles in different simulations that focused on passengers of the SS St. Louis and

a trial based on religious headwear in France. The findings of the study suggested that through

the online, game-like simulation, students felt that they were much more empowered to use their

own voice (Rector-Aranda & Raider-Roth, 2015, p. 6). In interviews with students after the

study, students enjoyed getting to be someone else (p. 7). This fits with what students do in

their free time as well. Many students are familiar with video games and controlling a character

who is not themself. Bringing that into the classroom helped students see issues from a

viewpoint that was not necessarily their own when they started the simulation. This simulation

provided a safe space for students to express themselves creatively and encouraged them to
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take risks. The researchers suggest that the nature of the online simulation supported even shy

or introverted students in being able to participate and have their voices heard (2015).

Discussion/conclusion

The use of technology in the classroom is an important part of classrooms today. The “game

generation” of students has a desire to participate in more democratic ways (Rector-Aranda &

Raider-Roth, 2015, p. 4). It brings to mind the Paulo Freire's “banking model” of education.

Teachers should seek to foster creative problem solving, critical thinking, and real-world

connections in their students, rather than simply filling students heads with facts and figures.

While technology can cause issues in the classroom at times, classroom management

specifically, if teachers can foster safe spaces online the results far outway the possible

negatives. Helping students find their voice is what education should really be about. With the

breadth of technology available in classrooms today, teachers should be using every tool in their

tool belt to achieve this goal. By increasing student empowerment in the classroom, students

can become lifelong learners who are invested in their education.

Sources

Bennett, Linda. (2005). Guidelines for Using Technology in the Social Studies Classroom.
Social Studies, 96(1), 38-40.
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Jones, Virginia R. (2013). Teaching, Connecting & Empowering Today's Learners.

Techniques: Connecting Education and Careers (J3), 88(1), 16-17.

Rector-Aranda, A., & Raider-Roth, M. (2015). ‘I finally felt like I had power’: Student
agency and voice in an online and classroom-based role-play simulation. Research
in Learning Technology, 23(1), 1-13.

Tarrant, S., & Thiele, L. (2016). Practice makes pedagogy – John Dewey and skills-based
sustainability education. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education,
17(1), 54-67.