Empathy

How can you use technology to help teach empathy?

During orientation the head of school Dr. T talked about empathy and stated it would be a focus for us as a school/community.  This got me thinking.  How can I use my subject area, Technology to teach the students I work with to have more empathy?

There are differing views as to the ability to use technology to help teach empathy.  Can empathy even be taught at all?  Some say yes some say no.  There are others still who say yes it can be taught but that technology makes people less empathetic.  I was deep down certain this statement could not be a universal truth.  So I set out to discover for myself if in fact technology could help teach empathy.

empathy [em-puh-thee]
(noun) the understanding of or the ability to identify with another person’s feelings or experiences.

At the 2015 iPad Summit in Boston I got to hear Richard Perry share how he uses Sphero to help teach his 11th Grade students to be empathic towards the migrant workers in Grapes of Wrath in his high school English Class. He essentially builds a mini Serra Nevada Mountain range that students have to program Sphero to navigate over.  The students experience a verity of struggles to achieve their goal. Here is a video of the students working on their challenge.

After reading several articles and hearing how other educators tackle the challenge of Empathy in their lessons, I have come to my personal conclusions.  I feel that though technology has not historically and perhaps currently been, our first choice it perhaps should be considered more often.  Technology can help us simulate situations that help put our students in the shoes of others and begin to understand what another person has experienced.

Online Resources

Random Acts of Kindness (for educators): Resources to support positive behavior goals for preschool to teen years.
Herotopia (ages 7 and up)Online world where kids become heroes by combating bullying. It is browser-based, massively multi-player online game that is kid safe and friendly.
Half the Sky Movement: The Game (ages 13 and up) This is a Facebook game: The Game is an adventure that aims to raise awareness and donations to empower women and girls around the world. They also have a great website with teacher resources.
Darfur is Dying (older kids) is a viral video game for change that provides a window into the experience of the 2.5 million refugees in the Darfur region of Sudan. Players must keep their refugee camp functioning in the face of possible attack by Janjaweed militias. Players can also learn more about the genocide in Darfur that has taken the lives of 400,000 people, and find ways to get involved to help stop this human rights and humanitarian crisis.
Free Rice (ages 10 and up) a non-profit website that is owned by and supports the United Nations World Food Program.  Students answer questions and earn rice for people in developing nations.
3rd World Farmer Run a farm in Africa against the backdrop of poverty and conflict. Developed by IT students in Copenhagen in 2005, the game continues to undergo development to keep it current. A Spanish language version was released late last year.
Stop Disasters. Hurricanes, tsunamis, floods, wildfires, and earthquakes are happening and you need to prevent disaster from striking. Just like in real life, there is no right answer, so your game will be different each time you play.
Daniel Tiger's Grr-ific Feelings: (ages 3 and up) Express feelings in safe, healthy ways with Daniel's lead.

Who Am I? Race Awareness Game: (Grade one and up) Fun and educational two-player game that teaches kids to think responsibly about race and diversity! 

Cool School: Where Peace Rules: (Grades K-3) Teaches empathy in a way that's sure to be more effective than the occasional adult lecture that can either confuse kids or make them feel singled out. In this game, kids learn conflict-resolution skills by watching animations of realistic situations and seeing the effects of both good and bad choices.  This game moves very slowly.

Apps and Books

Wee You-Things: (ages 3 and up) Apple app that is a colorful, interactive book lets kids celebrate diversity.
Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster: (Ages 4 and up) For XBox 360 Engaging and funny interactive adventures are pure joy. It is a very physical game that will require kids to be on their feet and moving around. Positive life lessons, such as friendship, responsibility, and generosity.

A great list of books for various ages that deal with empathy.

For Older Kids

Do Something (High School) Find a cause you're passionate about and learn about how to get involved and make a difference.
Karma Tycoon. (High School) Learn to build non-profits through loans and grants, providing the non-profits with basics, and saving lives. This strategy game is non-violent and promotes learning about both business and community.
McDonald’s Video Game. (High School) Choose your language, then dive into this game that teaches about the harmful effects of fast food with a heavy dose of irony.  This is a fairly involved game that I could see being used with high school student to begin a discussion on many different topics.

Curriculum Resources

Developing Empathy From the Teaching Tolerance website, a project of the southern poverty law center.

I read a lot on this topic as I wrote this post:

https://www.graphite.org/blog/13-top-games-that-teach-empathy
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/lists/empathy-apps-games-and-websites
http://www.education.com/magazine/article/empathy-apps/
https://startempathy.org/blog/2012/09/5-empathy-building-video-games-and-apps-kids
http://www.gamesandlearning.org/2014/08/28/if-game-co-founder-its-time-for-games-that-teach-empathy/
http://www.onlinecolleges.net/50-great-sites-for-serious-educational-games/
http://www.tolerance.org/lesson/developing-empathy
http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/09/04/teaching-children-empathy/?_r=0
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-empathy-game/1100-6402148/
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/11-tech-savvy-ways-teach-life-skills-kids/
http://www.lamamaonline.com/secondary.asp?id=2798&t=apps-and-websites-that-teach-children-empathy&print=true
http://www.letitripple.org/kindness