Political, citizen and educational challenges of the use of Internet at school

• Main Author: José Luis Aróstegui Plaza
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Asociación Universitaria de Formación del Profesorado 2011-08-01
• Series: Revista Electronica Interuniversitaria de Formación del Profesorado
• Subjects: Democracy; ICT; Citizenship; Globalisation
• Online Access: http://www.aufop.com/aufop/uploaded_files/articulos/1311954402.pdf

This paper focuses on different topics related to democracy underpinning the current development and use of the Internet. In the three first sections, different concepts of democratic theory are discussed (what democracy at large is, what liberalism and neoliberalism are, and the meaning of radical or deliberative democracy). Then, the implications of the Internet for the society in general and for schools in particular are analysed. Finally, it is concluded that schools should not only train on how to use Information Technologies. Students’ training on searching for and selecting information is not enough either. It is also imperative to train students to use the Internet as a tool to get involved in the problems of our world as responsible citizens who act knowingly.