Assignment: Tech & Society Assignment 1: Technology is not Inherently Good or Bad

AP CSP
2016-07-21T17:19:15Z

Due:

The following assignment requires you, the student, to research information about the following topic:

The Quality of Information on the Web, and an analysis of the risks of technology.

Use the "disposable" email account you created for this assignment.

Technology: It’s Not Inherently Good or Bad

This work is licenced under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License

Original Author: Beth Simon

Years and years ago, it was said television was going to revolutionize society. Maybe it has, maybe it hasn't (is QVC a "good" revolution? Now maybe Shamwow...). Specifically interesting is today's discussion of whether MOOCs will revolutionize education -- back in the day they said television would revolutionize education, too. Just record the BEST professors lecturing, beam it into everyone's home, and ta-da! Television technology will bring an equal learning experience to everyone, regardless of location or socio-economic status.

That hasn't seemed to happen. Many good things come from technology. My parents-in-law video Skype almost every day with their grandchild in England. That's a very good thing. However, a couple years ago, Rutgers freshman Tyler Clementi committed suicide over a video that basically used the same technology.

Technology isn't inherently good or bad -- but we often may not look deeply at the pros and the cons.

Although we all know you have to consider carefully the source of information you find on the internet, one way in which the Internet has perhaps shown us some of the good it can do in sharing "great resources" are TED Talks. If you have heard of TED talks, this assignment will be a good excuse to look at a new one. If you haven't then TED Talks is a really good thing to know about.

Your goal will be to find a TED talk on a technology of interest to you, and to do a mini-reflection on the potentials of that technology -- considering both the good and some possible concerns.

Assignment Structure

This assignment is to be done in two parts.

1. Pick a TED technology talk. Watch it, research it, analyze it, summarize it. See below for the specific format. Submit your work to be shared with the class.

1. Go to the TED talks website and read over the "About TED" page -- so you know what these are and what their goal is.

2. From the TED talks home page -- choose the tag "Technology" (Alternately, you can "Show all Tags" and include technology and other tags of interest to you. There are >=465 talks tagged Technology!). Pick a TED talk on a technology that interests you. Watch the talk (but read on first so you know what to watch for).

3. Submit your work using the “Initial Submission Structure” described below.

2. Read over the submissions by at least 10 of your peers. Provide SUBSTANTIVE commentary and/or analysis on at least two other submissions. Good responses:

directly links into something said by the poster/previous commenter.

adds some new analysis or information to the conversation.

takes a critical (but respectful) view -- asks readers to think deeply.

Initial Submission Structure

Start by copying in the headers below. Replace the description of what you need to produce with your content.

TED Talk Title: <put Title here>

TED Talk Speaker: <put speaker name here>

TED Talk Link: <put link/URL here> (don't know what a URL is? google the term to see what it stands for!)

Summary: <3-5 Sentences summarizing the talk. Your OWN sentences -- not a blurb from TED>

Additional Information: <At least 2 other links to related information on the topic -- including the title of the page and a brief 2-3 sentences on what can be found at that link>.

My Discussion of the TED Talk: 5-10 sentences on your thoughts and analysis of the TED talk and the technology it discussed. Include at least one way in which this technology would benefit society. Include an analysis of at least one NON-TRIVIAL concern or issue with the technology.

Can't think of one? Consider the issues of privacy, intellectual property, fairness (accessible to everyone?), etc.

The following assignment requires you, the student, to research information about the following topic:

The Quality of Information on the Web, and an analysis of the risks of technology.

Use the "disposable" email account you created for this assignment.

Technology: It’s Not Inherently Good or Bad

This work is licenced under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License

Original Author: Beth Simon

Years and years ago, it was said television was going to revolutionize society. Maybe it has, maybe it hasn't (is QVC a "good" revolution? Now maybe Shamwow...). Specifically interesting is today's discussion of whether MOOCs will revolutionize education -- back in the day they said television would revolutionize education, too. Just record the BEST professors lecturing, beam it into everyone's home, and ta-da! Television technology will bring an equal learning experience to everyone, regardless of location or socio-economic status.

That hasn't seemed to happen. Many good things come from technology. My parents-in-law video Skype almost every day with their grandchild in England. That's a very good thing. However, a couple years ago, Rutgers freshman Tyler Clementi committed suicide over a video that basically used the same technology.

Technology isn't inherently good or bad -- but we often may not look deeply at the pros and the cons.

Although we all know you have to consider carefully the source of information you find on the internet, one way in which the Internet has perhaps shown us some of the good it can do in sharing "great resources" are TED Talks. If you have heard of TED talks, this assignment will be a good excuse to look at a new one. If you haven't then TED Talks is a really good thing to know about.

Your goal will be to find a TED talk on a technology of interest to you, and to do a mini-reflection on the potentials of that technology -- considering both the good and some possible concerns.

Assignment Structure

This assignment is to be done in two parts.

1. Pick a TED technology talk. Watch it, research it, analyze it, summarize it. See below for the specific format. Submit your work to be shared with the class.

1. Go to the TED talks website and read over the "About TED" page -- so you know what these are and what their goal is.

2. From the TED talks home page -- choose the tag "Technology" (Alternately, you can "Show all Tags" and include technology and other tags of interest to you. There are >=465 talks tagged Technology!). Pick a TED talk on a technology that interests you. Watch the talk (but read on first so you know what to watch for).

3. Submit your work using the “Initial Submission Structure” described below.

2. Read over the submissions by at least 10 of your peers. Provide SUBSTANTIVE commentary and/or analysis on at least two other submissions. Good responses:

directly links into something said by the poster/previous commenter.

adds some new analysis or information to the conversation.

takes a critical (but respectful) view -- asks readers to think deeply.

Initial Submission Structure

Start by copying in the headers below. Replace the description of what you need to produce with your content.

TED Talk Title: <put Title here>

TED Talk Speaker: <put speaker name here>

TED Talk Link: <put link/URL here> (don't know what a URL is? google the term to see what it stands for!)

Summary: <3-5 Sentences summarizing the talk. Your OWN sentences -- not a blurb from TED>

Additional Information: <At least 2 other links to related information on the topic -- including the title of the page and a brief 2-3 sentences on what can be found at that link>.

My Discussion of the TED Talk: 5-10 sentences on your thoughts and analysis of the TED talk and the technology it discussed. Include at least one way in which this technology would benefit society. Include an analysis of at least one NON-TRIVIAL concern or issue with the technology.

Can't think of one? Consider the issues of privacy, intellectual property, fairness (accessible to everyone?), etc.