Children’s Empowerment Through Digital Technologies in the Context of Smart Pedagogy: Case Study

In collaboration with European academic partners, this chapter aims at exploring principles of teaching and learning in the context of smart technologies. The chapter addresses the basic question: In what ways are children empowered by the use of smart digital technologies? The research was conducted in the framework of the JRC’s Project ECIT, Empowering Citizens’ Rights in Emerging ICT (project no. 572). The research methodology was co-designed by the project partners and coordinated by the EU Joint Research Centre. The research aims at providing insights how children and parents perceive smart technologies, the pedagogical conditions under which these technologies are used, and the factors influencing children’s digital experiences. This particular research is based on the results of ten family interviews with children aged from 7 to 10, conducted by researchers from Kaunas University of Technology (Lithuania) in May 2017. The contemporary context of smart pedagogy in Lithuania seems to be insufficient to assure integration and access to smart educational environments to all children. For the effective knowledge gain through digital technologies, the national education program should be updated.