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Atomic world > Social issues > Case studies |
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The positive and negative sides of new technologies
This activity helps you to understand how technologies impact our life and take initiative to think about the ethics and consequences of different technologies.
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Divide the class into several small groups, each group thinks of one technology that has changed the lives of people. For example, mobile phone, computer, Internet, etc., can be a good case study.
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Think about the positive and negative sides of using this advanced technology. When you think about the two sides, try to focus on three aspects: (a) ethical, (b) social and (c) environmental. For example, mobile phones produce radiation which might be harmful to our health. Is legislation necessary for limiting the radiation level of mobile phones? Parents and children may have different perspectives on using the Internet. Is legislation necessary for using the Internet? Certainty, different perspectives will arise from these three aspects.
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Search newspapers, books and Internet etc., for information to support your views on the issues. Interview people who are knowledge in these issues if necessary.
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Once the data have been collected, discuss with classmates within the same group to organize the thoughts. Try to raise different perspectives and scientific evidence in your discussion. You should also understand that ¡¥gray areas¡¦ do exist and it is important for us to balance between the good and bad sides of each technology. Finally, draw a conclusion on how you can make a good use of the new technology.
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Make a short presentation in class and answer the questions from your teacher and other groups. The teacher will give you grades based on your performance in the presentation and discussion. The teacher will inform you of the assessment criteria before the presentation. A set of sample assessment criteria is given in the Appendix. |
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The positive and negative sides of nanotechnology
This activity asks you to study the possible applications of nano technology in certain areas, determine its goodness and badness of these applications, and decide whether to support or to ban their production.
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Divide the class into several small groups. Each group should ask the teacher to come up with an area with promising applications of nanotechnology. Possible areas include (a) medical uses, (b) textile industry, (c) environment, and (d) food etc.
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Try to identify some nano products which are now being used or under development in the area you choose. Search information about these products in newspapers, books and the Internet. Based on the information, you should develop an understanding of the working principles of these products, and the benefits, possible hazards and ethical issues involved in their uses. The following pages of the education website Societal Implications of Nanotechnology by Clarkson University may serve as good starting points of your search:
(a) Medical Uses
(b) Textile Industry
(c) Environment
(d) Food
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Discuss your findings with classmates within the same group and organize your thoughts. Following the procedure and line of thought of Activity 1, identify the pros and cons of using the nano products from different points of view. Then make a decision on whether to support or ban these products. Make sure that you have developed a true understanding of the issue and are not just copying information from various sources. Scientific evidence and reasonable arguments are always essential for supporting your view.
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Make a short presentation in class on your findings with a reasonable conclusion, and answer the questions from your teacher and other groups. The teacher will give you grades based on your performance in the presentation and discussion. The teacher will inform you of the assessment criteria before the presentation. A set of sample assessment criteria is given in the Appendix. |
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These websites provide more information about the applications of nanotechnology in the modern society and the issues involved.
Assessment criteria for case study
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