The+influence+of+the+‘iWorld’-+how+does+technology+affect+everything?

8.02: The influence of the ‘iWorld’: how does technology affect //  everything  // ?

Students would be exploring the revolutionary effects of the technological world on every part of our culture; food, family, entertainment, business, economy, education, inequality, or some other piece of culture the student would want to research. After comparing and contrasting the effects of technology on culture, each student would argue their pro- or anti- views of technology; defending either the development of a more technologically infused society or a movement towards traditional values. By researching the past and present states of their piece of culture, students could see how drastically technology has affected everything. Since we have been learning the empowering effects of choice, I think it would be important to give students a choice in how they would want to present this information…through actual artifacts of past and present, through interviews, through a “historical weave”, etc. It would also be fun to have students take a stance on more or less technology in society and have an in-class debate so they could learn both the pros and cons of technology. I think I would assess student learning through in-class debate and synthesizing writing where students defined the changes of technology as well as defended their stance on more or less technological culture.