Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Technology, Citizenship, and the Social Studies Classroom: Education for Democracy in a Technological Age

2006; Volume: 21; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

0889-0293

Alicia R. Crowe,

Innovative Teaching Methodologies in Social Sciences

Throughout human existence, changes in technology have influenced human life. As humans expanded the types of tools they created and increased the strength and durability of these tools (i.e., moving from stone to bronze and then to iron tools), they were able to use the land in different ways, begin to harness the strength of animals to do work, and start to create other items, such as wheels, that significantly altered their lives. During the industrial revolutions in Europe and the United States, inventions, such as the steam engine, transformed how humans worked and how goods were produced and transported. In the twentieth centuty, the creation of affordable, mass-produced vehicles changed the landscape of the United States forever. Innovations in technology also impact civic life. Radio and television became prominent fixtures in the United States in the twentieth century. As these items increased in use, they became important aspects of the political world, from Franklin D. Roosevelt's fireside-chat broadcasts via radio to the first televised presidential election in 1960. As we entered the twenty-first century, another technological innovation, the Internet, emerged as a new factor in civic life. Technology has and continues to influence how we participate in Out democracy and, in turn, shapes what educators must consider as they prepare students to become active members in a democratic society. This article begins by explaining three ways in which technology has impacted and continues to impact civic life in the United States. It then focuses on implications for the social studies classroom.