In extending my findings out further and more broadly within the social studies I come to our work in ECI 524 on cosmopolitanism and global learning. As we learned in Kwame Anthony Appiah’s Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers, we live in a global society made up of diverse cultures. To become a nuanced citizen of world one must have an understanding of diverse cultures and recognize their value in relation to your own. Also, in order to best understand diverse cultures one must have value for and understand your own. As teacher of Social Studies I feel I bear this burden most of all to impart this on my students. 

Taking what I have learned about the ability of technology to facilitate and enrich inquiry in the study of historical events one can easily make the jump to the diverse cultures of the world. Student driven inquiry allows them to freely explore new and diverse cultures, all while developing a better understanding of their own. With twenty-first century technology at our fingertips one may explore into greater depths than ever before. Students might not only engage historic documents digitally but other individuals as well. Through the use of social networking students might be able to communicate with students far beyond their school and be able to share our culture while learning about others.

As Dr. John Lee wrote in his article “Digital History in the History/Social Studies Classroom,” both primary source document and technology use is still low in Social Studies classrooms. Although written in 2002, I feel confident Dr. Lee’s observation still holds a degree of weight. Many teachers have still yet to fully embrace the potential offered by technology and inquiry. As a new teacher I feel I bring a fresh perspective on things like the use of technology in the classroom. And because technology is so important and can vastly improve student engagement with a lesson, and all the more so when done in conjunction with inquiry, I feel it is my duty to go forth and share this knowledge with my colleagues. Through my leadership skills I have cultivated and learned in ECI 508 I feel that I can effectively advocate for technology inclusion and student-centered inquiry based lessons in the classroom.