This week in our Internet for Educators course, we had the pleasure of hearing from Dr. Reynold Reddekopp. His presentation shed light on an issue I personally have never thought of: the impact technology has on not only the environment, but also the people involved in creating and sourcing resources for the devices we all are so immersed with in today’s world. Dr. Reddekopp made us think about technology and digital tools beyond the scope of what you usually hear about Digital Citizenship.
I found a 10min. YouTube video, that could potentially be used in a classroom to spread awareness around this issue in our classrooms. I think this could spark off a small research project, where students could delve into the issue, and try and come up with solutions together in groups. I think that part of the reason that this is something that can still be happening in the world today, is that there isn’t that much wide-spread awareness about it, and if we as teachers make sure that our students know that there is an environmental and ecological impact with the technology we use, they might overall become more mindful about how they recycle their devices, and how often they choose to upgrade them. This is, of course, not enough, but with more awareness, there is more potential of finding a possible solution, as we get more minds that may want to work towards technology that is more sustainable and not detrimental to the ecology of your planet.
– Martina
Martina’s Marbles 