I didn’t expect to encounter Socrates in the book #Do Not Disturb: How I Ghosted My Cell Phone to Take Back My Life (affiliate link), but it brought back to mind a powerful critical thinking exercise that should be a part of every 21st-century curriculum. Apparently, the ancient Greek philosopher was worried that the invention of letters and writing would have a negative impact on human brains, creating “forgetfulness in the learners’ souls because (as he put it) they will not use their memories” and instead will rely on “external written characters.”
Truly, there’s nothing new under the sun. We say the very same thing today about our 24/7 access to the internet.
As a teacher, parent, and now grandparent, my concern about what Jedediah Bila calls OCTD, “Obsessive-Compulsive Tech Disorder” prompted me to read the book. But I learned something new from the author’s reference to Socrates, and it reminded me of an activity I found years ago in a book about futuristic studies.
The critical thinking activity is called “Invention Impact,” and I’ve searched and searched but cannot find the original source of this lesson. It requires no special preparation but, in my experience, leads to serious dialogue and deep thinking, the kind that is especially critical in 2020! Intellectually gifted students are often highly sensitive to global issues and concerns, and this strategy is one that they will appreciate because it promotes thinking beyond the obvious.
INTRODUCING THE ACTIVITY:
- Ask students what they know about future inventions (hovercraft, 3-D printed human organs, holographic-guided surgery, etc.) Discuss their feelings about what the world may be like in thirty years… a hundred years… etc. You may want to show the video “A Day Made of Glass” and/or “A Day Made of Glass 2.” These short videos are almost a decade old now, and they only highlight future glass technologies, but at least they are kid-friendly. I also found this one with its marketing perspective and message that “Technology begins with a love for you.” This could spark a conversation about advertising techniques! And there is this brief news clip about the Smart Home of the Future. However you choose to do it, the idea is to precede the activity with a discussion of how new inventions change a culture. Students are aware of concerns associated with technological advances, but a digital world is all they’ve ever known, so – for this activity- it’s good to first share some possibilities looming in the future.
- Elicit from students what their parents and grandparents say about modern technologies (positives and negatives). Discuss an invention that has become commonplace in the last decade or two (e.g. Facetime, Apple watch). Share some personal stories about AHA moments in your own life, times when you were struck by how things had changed. For example, I can still remember the first time I encountered someone talking out loud on a cell phone in a grocery store. I totally thought she was talking to me, and I started talking back! I still remember being completely taken aback by that!
- If you have never discussed the concept of “unintended consequences“ with your students, start with this lesson. Be sure your students understand that unintended consequences can be POSITIVE, NEGATIVE or NEUTRAL.
THE ACTIVITY:
The “Invention Impact” activity is easily explained to your students. Depending on how you present the activity, you will need either (1) whiteboard and colored markers, (2) paper and thin colored markers for each student, (3) large white bulletin board paper and markers for groups of students, or (4) a digital mindmap or web creator such as MindMeister that students can use on their devices. I have always preferred to do this activity as a 1-2-4 exercise. Students first independently jot down ideas (1 person), then they get together in pairs to share with one another (2 people), and finally get together in groups of 4 to create a large Invention Impact map.
Start by choosing an invention that has impacted society in many ways (e.g. phone, internet, camera, television, automobile, etc.). Have students write the name of that invention in the center of their paper, then create a web or mindmap showing positive and negative consequences of the invention, both intended and unintended. As they create their maps, they should label the consequences as positive or negative (if neutral, no label is needed).
Then, continue the web by adding the positive and negative consequences of each of the primary consequences. These would be secondary consequences resulting from the initial ones. Again, label those that qualify as positive or negative. At this point, they may begin to see that some of the primary consequences can have BOTH positive and negative consequences, so they may add to their original labels.
Here is an example of what an Invention Impact map might look like. If this were done on bulletin board paper and hung up in the room, it could be an ongoing project for students.
There are many ways the resulting map could be used to promote deeper thinking and dialogue, particularly through implementing Depth and Complexity tools such as ETHICS, MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES, and TRENDS. I remember two lively discussions in my class surrounding the impact of the 3-D PRINTER and the CLOCK! We created an incredibly huge map of the impact of the clock on the world!!
Have you done this activity, or a similar one, in your classroom? How do you teach the concept of “unintended consequences?” Leave a comment to share!