Are democracies making the most of digital technology? Lesson 5 of 6

Are democracies making the most of digital technology?

This lesson is part 5 of a sequence of 6 lessons addressing the key enquiry:

What are the strengths and weaknesses of the UK as a parliamentary democracy?

This lesson focuses on exploring the role of digital technology in enhancing democracy, encouraging students to critically analyse how technology can support democratic processes worldwide. It introduces students to innovative uses of digital tools, such as e-voting, e-petitions, and crowdsourcing ideas, by referencing real-world case studies like the vTaiwan project. Through discussions, videos, and interactive tasks, students investigate the benefits and risks of these technologies, assess their impact on democratic participation, and consider their potential application in the UK.

Students engage in a range of activities, from creating mind maps to analysing global examples of digital democracy. They evaluate the effectiveness of these approaches in fostering inclusion, transparency, and engagement while weighing security risks and barriers to access. The lesson concludes by challenging students to reflect on whether the UK could adopt similar technologies to strengthen its democratic system and prepares them for further inquiry into democratic practices through select committees.

This lesson has been designed for delivery as a single lesson. Timings for each task are given as guidelines.

Students will work towards answering the following questions:

1. How can digital technology be used to support democracy?
2. How is digital technology already being used in democracies worldwide?
3. What are the benefits and risks?
4. Could the UK be making better use of digital technology to support democracy?

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