The Issues & Future of [Technology]

The following Curriculums come from MIT OpenCourseWare and are worth exploring for resources.

• Ethics of Technology

• Ethics of AI Bias

• Social & Ethical Responsibilities of Computing

• Media Literacy in the Age of Deepfakes

• Case Studies in Social & Ethical Responsibilities of Computing

• AI 101

Blown To Bits (Free Book)

The following is the website's summary of the book:

Wherever you go‚ whatever you say, write, photograph, or buy‚ whatever prescriptions you take, or ATM withdrawals you make you are generating information. That information can be captured, digitized, retrieved, and copied ‚ anywhere on Earth, instantly. Sophisticated computers can increasingly uncover meaning in those digital traces‚ understanding, anticipating, and influencingyou as never before.

Is this utopia? Or the dawning of a 1984/Brave New World horror world? Whatever you call it, it’s happening. What kind of world are we creating? What will it be like to live there? Blown to Bits offers powerful and controversial answers to these questions‚ and give you the knowledge you need to help shape your own digital future, not let others do it for you. Building on their pioneering joint MIT/Harvard course, the authors reveal how the digital revolution is changing everything, in ways that are stunning even the most informed experts.

You’ll discover ten paradoxical truths about digital data, and learn how those truths are overturning centuries-old assumptions about privacy, identity, and personal control.

You’ll view the indelible digital footprints you’re making when you search Google, send emails and text messages‚ write Microsoft Word documents‚ download MP3s‚ make cellphone calls‚ post blog entries‚ pay highway tolls‚ use your supermarket discount card. And you’ll see how others could be following those footprints, in ways you never thought about, and might not like.

Writing in plain English, the authors illuminate the myriad implications of the digital revolution, answering the questions you’ve wondered about‚ or ought to wonder about. Who owns all that data about you? What do they owe you? How private is your medical information? Is it possible to send a truly secure message? Who can you trust for accurate information when traditional media is replaced by thousands of unfiltered Internet sources?

Along the way, they reveal the decisions governments and corporations are making right now that will shape your future‚ and show how to have your say in those decisions. Because you have an enormous stake in the outcome. We all do.

How the Digital Revolution Is Transforming Your World
More Profoundly Than You Ever Imagined

> Who’s watching you, what do they know about you, and what will they do with that knowledge?

> Is it time to say goodbye forever to privacy and personal identity?

> What kind of world are we creating‚ and what will it be like to live there?

Key Terms:

• Futurology: The science of predicting future technological advancements based on current trends, studies, and technological advancements.

We are living in the future of our past. 

• What were we saying 20 years ago about what would be here now?

• How many of those things came to pass?

• How many of those things are really close?

• How many of those things are still a long way off?

Resources:

Article: Is That a PITA in Your Pocket?

Article: The Wonderous World of 1990

Article: The phenomenal World of 2036 (Missing Link)

Podcast: Stuff You Should Know - How Futurology Works

Video: Is Technology Making Life Better or Worse?

Assignment:

• Journal Prompts

  • Is technology making life better or worse? Provide examples and evidences

  • List 4 inventions mentioned in any of the above resources that have not yet come to fruition.

    • Explain what hurdles have prevented this inventions.

    • Explain when you think they'll get here (if they'll ever get here).

Essential Questions:

• What impact does technology have on us?

• What is our responsibility as individuals who use technology?

Personality Tests

• BigFive Personality Test

• 16Personalities

  • Explanation of the Five Personality Aspects

Resources:

• Teacher Resource - Oak National Academy - How Does Technology Impact Us?

• Emate: Ethics/Values

• Video: TED Talks - How to see the future coming - and prepare for it

• Video: TED Talks - Ethics in the Age of Technology (17 minutes)

  • This video highlights topics that can be sensitive to students. It specifically discusses the history of ethics related to slavery and LGBT (ie. how did society view these topics 100 years ago, how do we view them today, and how will they be viewed in another 100 years?). 

• Video: TED Talks - How Technology Changes Our Sense of Right and Wrong (8 minutes)

  • Same speaker as the previous video, but this aims less at informing and more at teaching.

• Video: Does Technology Need to be Ethical? (2 minutes)

• Moz://a: Introducing IRL 

• Google I/O 2018 Keynotes in 14 minutes

• TED: The unintended Consequences of Technology

• IRL: Because Online Life is Real Life

Article - Ethical Dilemma

Wiki - Ethical Dilemma

Video - TED: Ethical Dilemma: Would You Lie?

Video - Ted Talks: The Ethical Dilemma of Self-Driving Cars (4 minutes)

Teacher Resource - Oak National Academy - Ethical Impact

Teacher Resource - Oak National Academy - Cultural Impacts

Resources:

• Youtube: Veritasium - I used to hate QR codes. But they're actually genius (History of QR Codes)

• Teacher Resources - Oak National Academy - The Law, Data Protection, and Copyright

• Teacher Resources - Oak National Academy - Freedom of Information and Computer Misuse

Listen:

• TED Radio Hour - How AI is using your data to influence you

Discussion Topics:

Discuss the ethical implications of collecting and using big data

• How does the collection of big data impact individual privacy?

• What are the potential benefits and harms of using big data in decision-making?

• How can companies ensure they are using big data ethically?

Explore the role of big data in shaping public opinion

• In what ways can big data influence the information we see online?

• How might big data be used to manipulate public opinion or behavior?

• What are the responsibilities of companies and governments in managing this influence?

Analyze the potential biases present in big data

• How can biases enter into big data collection and analysis?

• What are the consequences of biased data on decision-making processes?

• What steps can be taken to minimize bias in big data?

Essential Questions:

• How does technology enable people?

• How does technology disable people?

Resources:

• Article: Not a Coder? With A.I., Just Having an Idea Can Be Enough. (Article is also in the AI section)

• Moz://a: Digital Inclusion

• Moz://a: Does the digital world need libraries?

• Mozi//a: Boost your digital fitness with a data cleanse

• Technology Bridging the Age Gap

• IRL: All Access Pass

• IRL Podcast: Digital Overload

Essential Questions:

• What is a MOOC?

• How do MOOCs change education?

• What are the pros and cons of MOOCs?

• What tools are currently available for group collaboration?

Resources

• A Wiki Paper (Missing Link - Birkel Resource)

• High School MOOCs & Educators (Missing Link - Birkel Resource)

Quote Analysis

How does the following quote relate to the use of AI?

"We don't go to the Gym to lift weights, we go because the weights lift us"

What is AI?

• Slideshow Lesson - AI and Drawing --- (Resource Overview)

• AI Vocabulary

• Activity: Candyland AI

• Teacher Resource - Khan Academy - What is AI Lesson Plan

• Article: What is AI? (2007)

• Article: 7 Types of Artificial Intelligence (2022)

Portable Digital Assistants & AI Everywhere

• Video - TED - Welcome to the World of Audio Computers

• Video - TED - The Next Computer? Your Glasses

• Article - The New York Times: Open AI's Plan to Embed ChatGPT into College Student's Lives

• Article - The New York Times: Your Job Interviewer is AI

AI Images & Deep Fakes

• Article/Interactive: New York Times - AI Videos Have Never Been Better. Can You Tell What's Real?

• Teacher Resource - Oak National Academy - Recognizing fake AI generated images

• Article - US DOJ Press Release - Man arrested for producing, distributing, and possessing AI-generated images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct

Self-Driving Cars

• Video: Waymo - Reducing serious car crashes and making streets safer for those most at risk (1 min)

• Video: Waymo - Navigating Construction (3 min)

• Video: Google for Developers - Waymo: AI in the Physical World Powering the Future of Driving

AI Resources

• Resource: TED AI Video Playlist

• Teacher Resource - Oak National Academy - AI to develop Ideas

• Article - EEE Computer Society The Rise of Ethical Concerns about AI Content Creation: A Call to Action

• MIT Media Lab's effects of AI on your brain:

  • Video:  CNN: AI's Effects On The Brain

  • Article: Your Brain on ChatGPT: Cognitive Debt when Using an AI Assistant for Essay Writing Task

• Video - The Three Big Ethical Concerns with Artificial Intelligence (3 minutes)

• Video - TED - With AI, anyone can be a coder now

• Video - Oh No, Google is Turning Everything into a Podcast

• Video - How Stanford Teaches AI-Powered Creativity in Just 13 Minutes

• Article: Not a Coder? With A.I., Just Having an Idea Can Be Enough. (Article is also in the Technology Gap section)

• Article - NY Times - Can AI Be Blamed for a Teen's Suicide? (Requires subscription to NY Times)

• Article - NY Times - AI is Getting More Powerful, but its Hallucinations are Getting Worse (Requires subscription to NY Times)

• Article - NY Times - Google Plans to Roll Out Gemini AI Chatbot to Children Under 13

• Magazine - Raspberry Pi Foundation - Hello World #25 - Generative AI

• Video - TED - Will AI Make Us the Last Generation to Read and Write? (Link was broken last I checked)

• Video - TED Animation - Should we Create Superintelligent AI? - Ada, Ep. 4

• Article - eSchools News - 10 Things AI Still Struggles With in Education - And Beyond

• TED - OpenAI's Sam Altman talks ChatGPT, AI agents and superintelligence — live at TED2025

• TED - Sam Altman on the Future of AI and Humanity

TED Talks - Meet NEO, Your Robot Butler in Training

Video - Maker Challenge: Create an Eco-Friendly Kitchen

Resources:

• Teacher Resource - Oak National Academy - Privacy and Surveillance

• Ethical Dilemma - Location Tracking ID Cards in School

Youtube - From Rating Products to People in China

• Teacher Resources - Oak National Academy - Environmental Impact

We started with "The Future of [The Past]", exploring Futurology and past predictions of today's technologies.

What do you imagine our future will look like in X years. Make predictions, present your thoughts through one of the following:

(For all of these options, you must come up your own ideas and write your own paper/report/presentation. do not use AI to help you on this project)

• An essay

• Presentation

• Video

Other ideas are permitted, but must be approved with the teacher before beginning.